How To Get Hired Quickly After a Layoff
Most of us work because we need the money. That might sound like an obvious point, but if you look at some post-layoff advice, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was primarily a self-esteem issue. Sure, losing your job can affect your emotional well-being. But unless you’re sitting on a sizable trust fund, your first thought after getting laid off is, “How do I get back to earning a paycheck as soon as possible?”
It can take several months to find a job after a layoff. Duration of unemployment varies by industry, job level, and the economic situation when you lose your job. Needless to say, many of these factors are outside of your control—you can’t affect interest rates, business cycles, or investor sentiment.
However, there are plenty of things you can do after a layoff to shorten your job search. Focus on the factors you can affect, and you’ll be back on the payroll as soon as possible.
Post on LinkedIn
Historically, research has shown that employers have had a bias against hiring laid-off workers. As a result, many layoff victims have been careful about how they present their employment situation. For example, they might choose a resume format that highlights skills over work history or includes jobs by year instead of month and year. You might also see people “forget” to update their LinkedIn profile until they have a new job to add.
However, the tide seems to have turned in recent years. Anecdotally, we can tell you that we’re seeing a lot more people announcing to their LinkedIn network that they’ve been laid off and asking for leads on new jobs. This is great news for all of us, even if we’re currently employed. This kind of transparency can help people leverage their networks much more effectively. It also makes it easier for us to help our friends and colleagues.
These tips for announcing you’re Open to Work on LinkedIn will help you brainstorm, write, and promote your post for maximum exposure.
Reach Out to Your Network
Don’t leave your post-layoff networking to LinkedIn. Let your contacts know that you’re available, what you’re looking for in your next job, and what you have to offer employers.
This might mean posting on other social networks, emailing or messaging former colleagues, attending networking events or other professional gatherings, and letting your friends and family know what’s going on with your job search. You really never know where your leads will come from.
Target Companies That Are Hiring
One of the best ways to find a job quickly is to target employers who are hiring right now. Job search sites like Indeed often make this easier by labeling job listings “easily apply” or “urgently hiring.” Some career sites also keep running lists of employers that are staffing up. For example:
Monster: “100 Companies Now Hiring”
Glassdoor: “Companies Actively Hiring”
FlexJobs: “25 Companies Hiring for Remote, Work-From-Home Jobs Right Now”
It’s also worth keeping a list of employers you’d like to work for, so that you can refer to their corporate sites’ careers pages on a regular basis.
Automate Your Job Search
Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn, and many other job search sites allow you to set up job alerts to be delivered to your inbox or app. Set parameters like job title, industry, location, and more, and get alerts for jobs that might interest you.
That’s a much better strategy than using LinkedIn’s Easy Apply, for example, to apply for any job you can find. It’s a waste of your time to apply for jobs you’re not qualified for. Instead, focus your applications on jobs that are a good fit.
Look for Stop-Gaps
It may take a while to find the job of your dreams. Consider making your job search less stressful by looking for a financial stop-gap while you pursue a long-term position. Fast ways to earn cash include freelancing, selling unwanted items on eBay or Poshmark, or signing up as a driver at Uber or Lyft.
Also consider employers that pay daily if you need to get a paycheck fast. You can search ZipRecruiter Daily Pay jobs by location, and you can search Indeed for jobs that are paid daily, too.
Broaden Your Horizons
When employers are hiring, they are competing not only with companies in their own industry but often also with those in other industries who hire workers with similar skill sets. So, for example, an insurance carrier that needs to hire a computer network architect isn’t just competing with other insurance companies for those candidates. They’re also competing with telecommunications companies, computer services companies, state and local agencies, and other organizations.
If your industry is suffering through mass layoffs, it’s worth it to consider whether your skills qualify you for a job in another sector. Keep in mind that your transferable skills include soft skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership, as well as hard skills like programming languages, technical writing, and machine learning. Don’t overlook opportunities to take your talents to a new field.
Our Favorite Tools & Tips
Free Tax Filing: The Internal Revenue Service has announced that more taxpayers will be eligible to file their 2024 federal taxes for free using Direct File. You can check online for eligibility, and if your state has a free filing option, you’ll be directed to your state’s free filing tool after you complete your federal return.
SmartAsset Federal Paycheck Calculator: If you’re in a state where the minimum wage has increased or are getting a raise to start out 2025, you can use SmartAsset’s free paycheck calculator to estimate your new take-home pay.
Update Your Resume. Making a few tweaks to your resume can have a surprisingly big impact, and the beginning of the year is always a good time to make sure your resume is up-to-date and includes your latest employment, education, professional development, and skills. You may also be able to ditch some old and obsolete information. Here are some small yet powerful updates you can make to your resume.
News & Noteworthy
Job Security vs. Pay: A Pew Research Center survey reports that 50% of surveyed workers are satisfied with their jobs but not so much with their pay. Only 30% are highly satisfied, down from 34% last year. Among those who aren’t happy with what they earn, 54% don’t make enough to pay their bills, and 71% said their pay is too low for the work they do.
Immigration Enforcement: HR Brew reports that employers can expect increased immigration enforcement, including audits of employment documentation, scrutiny of work authorization requests, and potentially an increase in H-1B visa application denials during the next Trump administration.
2025 Minimum Wage Updates: Over 20 states and nearly 40 local state and local municipalities increased minimum wage rates effective January 1, 2025. Here’s a list of the changes in minimum wage for 2025 from ADP.
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