So, I got laid off again… This time it was the week before Christmas, last time it was a week into paternity leave. Both great timing, I know. Last time I didn’t feel like writing about it since it was a swirl of emotions with a new baby in the house and the first time I had been laid off in my career, 13 years in at that point. But this time I’m ready to get it out in a post that’s cathartic for me to write and something you might relate to. If you don’t relate now, I hope it stays that way. Hopefully this post will give you a bit of perspective if you ever do unexpectedly lose your job.

The Indigo Story#

For both my stories you’re not going to find any shit-talking here for a number of reasons. First, that’s not the kind of person I am. Second, I feel fairly treated given both companies’ circumstances. And third, I want to keep good relationships with the people both that were laid off at the same time and the people still at both companies. Keeping good connections with your coworkers and not burning bridges is one of the most important things I think you can do in your career.

So with that out of the way, let’s talk about the Indigo story a bit.

One week into paternity leave delirious with sleep deprivation and all the emotions of now caring and loving for such a tiny helpless little baby I remember getting a text from a coworker saying I should probably check my email. A bunch of thoughts and feels rushed in seemingly all at once. What’s going on? Am I getting laid off? I knew there was a chance since the company had multiple rounds of layoffs before but it wasn’t really happening to me on leave right? What was going to happen to our health insurance? Did I do something wrong? How many more people were getting laid off? It felt like ages till the HR call was scheduled and I found out some of the details.

A wave of relief took over after hearing I would get paid out for my paternity leave with severance on top so I could take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy being with my wife and daughter for her first few weeks on the planet we call Earth.

After a week or two when it felt like we were starting to form something resembling a routine it was time to crack back open the resume. This always feels daunting after being at a company for awhile. How do you succinctly summarize and highlight all you’ve done there? Luckily I had some notes from my own self review one year to help but I also made a mental note to myself to start writing down accomplishments as they happen to make this easier next time.

Once I was happy with the updates I got right into the most difficult job search process I’d experienced since trying to find my first software engineering job out of college. I was being selective and only applying for places I’d realistically want to work for and also screening out companies that didn’t seem to have a viable business model which narrowed the field by more than half.

Ultimately it’s a pipeline numbers game though so I kept applying, kept interviewing, and kept persisting until I found a match. My funnel ended up looking like this

It’s easy to get disheartened by the process when you’re in the middle of it and you get through so many interviews with a company you really want to work for only to be told a lame reason why you’re not getting an offer at the end. I really wish companies would start giving honest feedback even if it’s hard for the candidates to hear at first. It would be a much