Post by Sean Hurley

The hardest part of a layoff isn't losing the job. It's figuring out how to find the next one. Since I received my layoff notice, here's what I've learned starting my job search journey. While I knew this going in, applications alone won't get you an immediate conversation. Companies have to filter through thousands of applications, and the rejections are fast, polite, and impersonal. The noise is deafening right now in tech. Be truthful to yourself, your resume needs work. Not because it's bad, but because the way you talk about your own experience is never as clear to others as it is to you. If your employer offers outplacement services, use them. A good career coach will reshape how you present yourself in ways you can't easily do on your own. Most people skip this out of pride or urgency. Don't. Get back to your network. Not with a mass message, but with real conversations with people who know your work. That's where the right opportunities can actually surface. The job market right now rewards people who are strategic, not just active.