The (Somewhat Lucky) Layoff Experience
I was laid off my job last month. Since then, I've been looking for my next gig. Plenty of companies have responded to my applications AND have reached out to me via LinkedIn, so I was fortunate to start the process within a week of my layoff.
Even with the short amount of time to the initial step, it's been a long process. Here's how it's been for me:
- Week 1: They schedule a phone screen/interview for next week.
- Week 2: Phone screen/interview happens. They say they'll get back to you on next steps next week.
- Week 3: If all goes well, they reach out to schedule a follow-up for... You guessed it: next week.
- Week 4: Repeat these steps 2 to 3 times for an offer.
This is, at least for me, the best case. Sometimes you need to send a follow-up, which will add several days to a week to this. Sometimes things come up for the hiring manager/team, so they have to reschedule. So, from the time you apply to your FIRST interview, you're looking at a month between them.
I get it: the hiring manager and their teams are busy doing their jobs. They may only have one chance per week to review applicants. Shit happens and they are doing their best (in most cases, of course you can get bad apples). But if you're laid off like me... You're still out of a job the whole time!
I'm finding valuable ways to spend my time. I'm hunting for roles at other companies, talking to recruiters, going to meetups, volunteering, etc. But I still have to eat and pay rent.
I don't have a solution to this nor do I think that the process is necessarily broken. Despite my complaining, I'm lucky to have multiple interviews and whatnot going on. A lot of people I've spoken with over the past few weeks are in the same position and have been out of work much longer than I have. If that's you: I'm right there with you, hang in there!