As the result of a large layoff, many of my talented former colleagues will suddenly enter the job market. Having also seen this too many times as a journalist, I wanted to say a few things about how you can support someone you know when they go through a layoff or have to leave a job: 1. Don’t assume the “talented” or high-achieving coworker will land on their feet. You have an intimate perspective of this person’s capabilities. Most hiring managers do not. I’ve seen so many talented people struggle in the job search, hardly able to get past the application stage. You may think they don’t need a leg up. But if you have the power to do so, offer it anyway. Refer, boost their profile, reach out to supervisors you know. You may help both them find a job and help someone else find a diamond in the rough. 2. Help them job hunt. There is an endless list of job boards, and none of them are exhaustive. Someone looking at 5 sources may still miss the perfect fit for them. If you believe in someone, set some job search alerts that pertain to their strength and send them viable options (not volunteer opportunities). 3. Share their work/brag about them publicly. Especially if you have a platform, showcasing the work of laid off people can give them a leg up in the next step. Not only might the right person see it, but it may show up in search engine/ social search results when would-be employers search prospects’ names. Every bit can help. 4. Long term, advocate for yourself and others. In interviews, we can ask employers how recently they laid off employees and if they got the desired results stated at the time. We can showcase companies and organizations who repeatedly deploy these tactics at the expense of non-leadership. We can hold companies accountable to their stated reasoning versus their future actions. Support unions and bargainers who advocate for severance packages that can help keep these layoffs from being financially devastating. Etc. Companies care about their reputation with workers because they have to recruit. We have the power to shift what’s acceptable as a place to work based on the treatment of its people, and apply/support/contract appropriately.
We appreciate you, Cory ❤️
Thank you so much for this my friend ❤️
So much love to you Cory ❤️
Thank you friend ❤️
All of this. We see you SPLC fam.
This post, with the comments, is so beautiful. Thank you Cory.
Really really love this. Thank you for posting!
So true
Professional Learning Facilitator
1moAppreciate you!! ❤️❤️