How to job search after a layoff
To help job seekers with the question of how to job search after a layoff, I interviewed careers expert Marc Cenedella.
Mr. Cenedella, in 2024, how do recruiters and hiring managers view candidates who were laid off? Does it matter how many others were laid off at the same time?
We’ve seen a shift in how recruiters and hiring managers view candidates who were laid off. During the pandemic, managers understood that layoffs were inevitable. Since then, we’ve seen a proliferation of things like “Lazy Girl Jobs,” “Quiet Quitting,” and “Bare Minimum Mondays.” So now, managers are more likely to believe a laid off applicant had some sort of deficiency at their prior job no matter the size of the layoff.
Managers who believe all laid off applicants are deficient might be the types of managers to avoid! For marketability, does the length of time since the layoff matter? Is there a length of time after which a candidate will be less marketable than before?
Yes. Ideally, a laid off worker will find a new job within a month. Within that time frame you can include your last job with your starting date “to present” in your resume timeline. After that, you’ll have a resume gap and those make recruiters ask questions about why.
I want job seekers to know that many job searches take longer than a month, but that doesn’t mean they should panic and worry they are now unemployable. For the sake of transparency, how long after a loss of employment should a job seeker update their resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect the separation from the employer?
After a month, it’s time to update your resume and profile. You don’t need to explain why in those documents though. Save the explanation of a layoff until after you’ve secured an interview.
If you have been laid off, should you adjust your salary and benefit expectations?
Yes. The hiring bonanza that led to record pay and benefits is over. It’s very likely that newly laid off workers will see lower pay offers with fewer benefits.
Yes, I've seen that downward shift in compensation. In 2024, what are the top methods for landing a new job more quickly?
Clearly demonstrate your value to the company, especially if you’ve been laid off. To help avoid hiring managers seeing you as a “lazy” employee, use specific numbers to demonstrate your achievements. That means in your resume, don’t just list your job duties. Explain your specific contributions with concrete numbers. For example, don’t say, “Supervised the weekend shift.” Try, “Led a team of seven employees to improve weekend sales 17% by implementing a new point of sale upsell technique.”
Thank you, Mr. Cenedella!
If you’ve been laid off, consider joining a Job Search Council in the Never Search Alone movement.
Marc Cenedella’s Bio
Marc Cenedella is a nationally recognized expert on careers, resume writing, job search, career management, recruiting, and how AI impacts the career space. He’s the founder of Leet Resumes (a service that writes professional resumes for free) and Ladders (a career site for six figure jobs). He is the author of seven best-selling books about career and job search advice.
