My layoff story
The layoffs have been bad and I am not sure if/when they will end.
My goal is that by sharing my story, it helps you or people you know in any way.
In 2003, three days after returning from adopting my daughter in China, I was laid off.
My wife had left her job to be at home with our new child.
We went from two incomes and no kids months prior to no income with an infant.
We were afraid.
We were early in our careers and we had little savings.
If you are in a similar situation, it is okay to be afraid.
Here is what we did:
Job hunting became my full-time work. Every day I applied for jobs and I networked with anyone I could.
We reduced expenses and did the math on when our 401k would be gone, the credit cards maxed out, and the checks start to bounce.
I began reading books whenever I was not job hunting to improve my skills. I learned SQL in this process.
It took me three months to find a job, a bad job that required a move.
But it worked out.
My daughter turned 20 recently and as you know I eventually ended up at Amazon.
This was long before "paternity leave" was a thing, but I spent the first three months of our lives with our daughter at home with her every day.
You can get through this!
Focus, cut expenses, and work as hard at job hunting as you did at "work."
Audience Insights
I have consolidated additional ideas worth considering from my LinkedIn audience, including:
Schedule your days to maintain focus and structure (e.g. job hunting/applying shifts, learn a new skill, network, lunch, exercise, mental breaks, take the weekends off).
Do not let fear dominate your day. Know that setbacks feel terrible at the time, even if later, after things have worked out, they can be viewed as bumps in the road or growth experiences.
Someone asked if I considered starting my own business. I did. But truthfully, I did not have the knowledge, skill, nor courage at that point. I share more about this in the article Straight Truth: Do You Have What It Takes To Start Your Own Company?
Consider looking beyond full-time roles as contract work has led to full-time employment for many.
“Right now you are in the process of leaving your job...either voluntarily or involuntarily.” Do not stop cultivating your network, I write about that here.
Job Networking - Build A Strong Network
A network is something that cannot be built in a rush once you discover you need it.
Instead, relationships are something you cultivate over time, meeting people, getting to know them, and helping them with their own goals.
Many people struggle to make this investment because on any given day there is no apparent cost to skipping networking.
But when you need help or a new job opportunity, the value of a network is unparalleled.
I developed Leadership Networking to teach others how leaders build great networks and use them to their advantage.
Below is a highlight clip on the topic of Job Networking.
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Level Up is a free newsletter from retired Amazon Vice President Ethan Evans that breaks down how he succeeded and how you can get to the next level.