Pauline, there is no stigma attached to being laid off. An interview question that is almost certain to be asked is why are you looking? And so you need to own this in the sense of saying "my company went through a downsizing and unfortunately I and a number of people were affected by job cuts" If you know how many people in your organization were caught, you can even couch it in terms of a percentage or in terms of numbers. Don't be defensive about it.
On a recent workday, Pauline woke up and logged into her computer from home … only to find an email saying she was being laid off — effective immediately. She and her entire team, many of them working remotely, instantly lost access to all of their company accounts. Pauline was shell-shocked, hurt, and wondering what to do next. In the wake of massive tech layoffs, it’s a story that’s now all-too familiar. On this episode of How To!, host Carvell Wallace brings in Susan Peppercorn, a career coach who writes for the Harvard Business Review and is the author of Ditch Your Inner Critic At Work. She has some tried-and-true tactical tips for making the most of a sudden job loss.
If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Make the Leap to Your Dream Job.”
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Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.
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