Don't Update Your Resume Yet - The First 7 Days After a Layoff (Issue 167)
Updated for 2026
“U.S. tech companies announced 38,242 job cuts in May, more than any other sector and the industry’s heaviest month of reductions in nearly two years… as the biggest firms raised their combined AI capital spending toward $725 billion for the year. AI was, of course, the most-cited reason for layoffs across every sector for the third month running.” (source)
The tech industry used to be one of the bright spots in the U.S. economy and job market. But even though tech companies are seeing greater profits, they are still reducing headcount to reinvest in AI development. In addition, CEO compensation continues to skyrocket, while the average employee’s compensation barely keeps up with inflation.
The median Equilar 100 CEO Pay Ratio expanded 36.5% to 475:1 in 2025, up from 348:1 the prior year. The median employee earned $101,322 at Equilar 100 companies. While comparing equity-heavy CEO packages to standard employee salaries is structurally complex, the widening gap remains a focal point for public scrutiny eight years after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure mandate went into effect. (source)
If you are one of the unlucky ones who lost a job recently, know that you are not alone. Several thousand talented people have been laid off in the past few years because corporations want to reduce their biggest expense: employees. This isn’t your fault, and I want to help you get back to work.
Landing your next gig may require getting creative with what you do, who your next employer might be, and how you choose to make a living. I wrote about that before. However, all of that comes later. If you lost your job—or expect that you might—you have to deal with the issues of the here and now.
So, I wrote this to help you get through that first week after a layoff. I also want to make sure you avoid some of the most common mistakes that people make. For example…
Not taking the time to deal with the job loss emotionally.
Immediately jumping into a new job search.
Asking connections for help without a clear idea of what you want next in your career.
Setting up an interview before you have regained your confidence.
Saying negative things about your past employer and manager.
Hiding the layoff from your friends and loved ones.
Going into isolation and avoiding your support network.
Obviously, a layoff is stressful and unpleasant. Those first few weeks of unemployment can feel overwhelming. It helps to have a plan ready so you know what to expect and can take action at the right time. But it all begins by dealing with the bad news first.
The layoff event
The day of a layoff is traumatizing for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you expected it, wanted it, or feel relieved. It is still an upsetting event, and you need time to let things sink in.
You may feel a sense of urgency to begin your job search, but your head really isn’t in the right place. Don’t pressure yourself to be productive yet.
Do what you need to process the event:
Go home and discuss it with a friend or loved one.
Talk to a therapist if things are feeling terrible.
Cry on the couch or scream into your pillow.
Spend the evening eating ice cream and watching a comfort show.
Call your closest and most trusted friends.
Treat yourself to some comfort food and drink.
Go for a long walk and listen to your favorite music.
Everyone handles terrible news and events differently. You know what works for you! I’m guessing you’ve dealt with some sort of loss before. So don’t force yourself to do anything that you don’t want to do on this day.
“It’s not your fault… You are not alone; this happens at some point in your life — just no one talks about it (Hell, Walt Disney was laid off a handful of times).”
— Peter Michaels Allen, Design Systems Lead at Venmo
“Give yourself a bit of time to let it sink in b/c it’s usually a shock, even when you thought it was coming.”
— Mari Pfeiffer, Copywriter and Website Designer
“Pause & allow yourself to be in the suck for a moment.”
— Jason Resnick, founder of Feast Club
“Tell people early and often. Each time it gets easier and you’ll find many, many people have been there before.”
— The Entertainment Strategy Guy
Day 1 — Me time
Treat yourself well the day after the layoff. Take some “me time” and enjoy things that you rarely have time to do.
Don’t feel guilty about taking a day off. You don’t need to look for a new job immediately. That would be a mistake at this point anyway.
Instead, create your new daily schedule. When you have a full-time job, it’s challenging to find time for everything in your personal life. But now you have the time to get more sleep, read a good book, watch your favorite shows, eat healthier, exercise more, reconnect with friends and loved ones, etc.
It helps to schedule all your activities on your calendar. I started doing this when I left the corporate world in 2010, and I still do it today.
I schedule my workouts, meals, breaks, and all professional tasks and activities. Otherwise, the days blur together when you no longer leave the house to go to work.
Don’t make these common mistakes:
Sleeping in late every day for weeks on end.
Lounging around all day in your pajamas and wallowing in your misery.
Snacking all day and not keeping up with regular exercise
My first week of the pandemic quarantine wasn’t that different from a layoff. It was a haze of sleeping in, TV shows, eating junk food, drinking too much, and generally feeling stressed out. I had to shake all that off and get back to a regular schedule the following week.
Taking control of your time and how you spend your days will make you feel happier, healthier, more productive, and a lot more optimistic.
“No matter how many other people might be in the same boat, layoffs are psychologically taxing. Allow yourself to grieve the situation. But when you jump back into the search, reframe it as the opportunity that it is; rejection as redirection. Keep swimming.”
— Vidhika Bansal, UX Group Manager at Intuit
“I was laid off 10 years ago because of the economy. Advice: give yourself time to grieve.”
— Jamie Smith, creator of Jamie’s Notebook, a writing services company
“Take time to breathe after the event (1–2 weeks, I recommend) to get your head together.”
— Peter Michaels Allen, Design Systems Lead at Venmo
“Keep a daily routine.”
— Mari Pfeiffer, Copywriter and Website Designer
Day 2 — Assess and update
Take a day to reflect on what you want most for your career and life. You’ve probably been so focused on work and everyday routines that you haven’t invested much time in long-term career planning.
What are your big goals? Where do you want to be in 5, 10, or 20 years?
What does the ideal end state look like for you? You can engage in reverse planning to consider potential paths to that last point of success.
Assess how things were going with your previous employer and job.
What did you enjoy doing?
What do you want more of in your next job?
What did you not enjoy doing?
What do you want less of in your next job?
What were your accomplishments?
What are you most proud of achieving?
Most people are so busy with work that they don’t see any need to keep their resume or LinkedIn updated. Their website and portfolio are out of date, too.
So, spend the rest of this day…
Updating your resume the right way.
Creating a draft template for a cover letter that sells you well.
Refreshing your personal website.
Adding work to your online portfolio or GitHub, if you need one.
“Your accomplishments matter more than your responsibilities… If you worked on it, take credit for it.”
— Josh Spector, founder of For The Interested
“ Look at your skills + see where you can use them in the next 48 hrs to help someone.”
— Jason Resnick, founder of Feast Club
Day 3 — Connect with people
Join an alumni group to stay in touch with your former colleagues. Your professional network of coworkers and bosses is one of your most valuable resources for any future job search. Every single one of my jobs during my Silicon Valley tech career was due to my network, warm introductions to hiring managers, and having an inside champion.
For example, Yahoo has an excellent alumni network, and we connect in two different Facebook groups. We support each other, make introductions, and schedule alumni events.
So, spend the rest of this day…
Adding your most recent employment and projects to your interview presentation.
Updating your LinkedIn profile.
I also recommend adding a position for a new “consulting business” to eliminate a gap in employment (e.g., “Susan Smith Consulting”).
You may even use this consulting business to generate some extra income while you are searching for your next job. I spun up a consulting business when I left Yahoo in 2010. I thought it would be a temporary side hustle. I assumed I would start interviewing and take another corporate job within a few months. However, I enjoyed the consulting work and freedom so much that I never went back. I’ve been running my own businesses ever since (over 16 years now).
“Get yourself online — set up a basic blog or website and start sharing your thoughts and opinion. Vanilla is vanilla…show up and stand out, and leverage online tools to do this.”
— Lea Jovy, entrepreneur and business owner
“Consider doing consulting/freelance work in your field where possible. Your job is not your identity. Think through your skills and see how they can be applied in a different way. Network.”
— Jamie Smith, creator of Jamie’s Notebook, a writing services company
Day 4 — Activate your network
Export your connections from LinkedIn and create a spreadsheet to plan how and when you will reach out to people. Add extra columns to track your notes, additional attributes, useful information, and establish dates to take action. I explain how to do all of this in this article.
Decide why you’d like to reach out to people. For example…
Who might know of relevant opportunities for you?
Who could make a warm introduction to a hiring manager?
Who would be willing to write you a recommendation or testimonial?
Who would be best for reference checks?
You may simply wish to express gratitude to an old boss or colleague.
Maybe you just want to say “Hello” to catch up with a few folks.
Then, schedule calls and video chats with a prioritized list of these people to light up your network. You could also set up coffee meetings, lunches, and dinners in person with friends you haven’t seen in months or even years. After leaving my last corporate job, I spent the first 30 days having coffee, lunch, dinner, and drinks with people almost every day. It was fun to catch up with everyone!
It may surprise you to learn that “dormant ties” in your network can be even more valuable than your current connections. Reconnect with old friends and colleagues with whom you had a strong link in the past (e.g., you worked closely together, you were classmates during college), but you haven’t been in touch for years.
They’ve had new experiences, their network has grown, and their careers have advanced. A strong dormant tie beats a new weak relationship every time.
“Email your closest network + tell them what you want to do.”
— Jason Resnick, founder of Feast Club
“If you haven’t already, start making LinkedIn a part of every day. It will ‘learn’ from your clicks what you are looking for and anticipate it. It will also suggest better and better additions to your network. Best of all, every day you check in, you move up in search results.”
— Rick Planos, Consulting Partner at Global Retail Solutions
Day 5 — Create a plan
Get clarity on what you want for your next job and how to position yourself to pursue it.
Do you want to stay within the same domain and industry?
Do you want to keep doing the same work you performed for your previous employer?
Are you seeking a lateral move, or are you ready to push for the next level?
This “job hop” may end up being a great way to get promoted.
Start capturing ideas for where you’d like to work, who you’d like to work for and with, and the kind of role you want next in your career. You may need to work on acquiring additional skills and knowledge to land the job you want most.
Some other tasks to consider…
You may want to file for unemployment. Many states are making it easier to do so.
Look into your options for health insurance (e.g., COBRA in the U.S.).
Review your finances to determine changes you might need to make to your budget while you are searching for your next job.
“To work on your skills and training. Read on your industry and see where you can improve it.”
— Teronie J. Donaldson, host of the Orange Sky Life podcast
“You don’t know what you want and it shows.”
— Josh Spector, founder of For The Interested
Day 6 — Create your story
Do not let this layoff define you. When widespread economic events happen (e.g., challenges with the U.S. economy, AI investments), layoffs are an unfortunate consequence. You did nothing wrong, and there is no stigma attached to losing a job when employers screw up.
Be confident.
Go into your job search with feelings of hope, pride, and ambition.
Write your elevator pitch and the story of how you want to describe and sell yourself. Update your social media bios to align with your professional positioning.
Be prepared for that inevitable question, “So, tell me about yourself.”
Update your resume, but be ready to customize it for each job application. Write your cover letter template (AI can help with this). Create a draft interview presentation.
You should also prepare yourself for questions about your layoff. Even if people understand, they will still ask you about it. Check out my Interview Cheat Sheet for Loaded Questions.
Again, be confident and own your story. Talk about your talent, skills, and experience and explain how the layoff is simply an unfortunate economic event that is impacting thousands of people right now.
“When talking to others, share things you enjoyed the most in your previous job. Talk about problems you solved. Positivity attracts.”
— Mari Pfeiffer, Copywriter and Website Designer
Day 7 — Start your job hunt
I know. Some of you couldn’t resist looking for a new job right away. That’s a normal reaction to a layoff.
However, it takes time to recover, regroup, and get your mojo back. You need to be clear about what you want. You need to be ready to sell yourself with confidence.
You don’t want to rush into a new job that doesn’t meet your needs, only because you are worried. Obviously, if you can find an excellent job right away, then you may want to take it while you keep planning your future career moves.
However, if you are struggling to find a new role that meets your expectations, then I encourage you to cast a wider net. For example, some people write off the opportunity to work for a startup because they have never before. Don’t reject something if you haven’t at least had a conversation with the hiring manager first.
“Don’t look for jobs longer than an hour a day… Don’t run at the first opportunity just because it’s there.”
— Peter Michaels Allen, Design Systems Lead at Venmo
“Be choosy. First opportunity usually isn’t best one. Two advantages now: 1) UI of up to $1,050/wk, lots more than usual; 2) absolutely no stigma about layoff or resume gap.”
— John Ryan
“To consider startup as an alternative career option moving forward.”
— Ivan Yong, author of Department of Startup. Why Every Fortune 500 Should Have One
“I have, unfortunately, been a helper on reductions in force at several companies in my 20 years of doing HR work. I have still yet to encounter a former colleague who was affected end up in a worse place a few years post-layoff. One door closes/another opens. EVERY SINGLE TIME.”
— Cris Barrett, Head Of Human Resources, Privacy at Facebook
Final Thoughts
I’ve been through numerous layoffs from both sides of the table. The good news is that most people end up in a much better job later. I did. Many of my friends and colleagues have too.
It really helps to have a support group of people who have been through it before. My career community is full of friendly people who understand the challenges of a job search. You can apply to join us for free!
We’re here to help if you need it. We can provide advice, support, and feedback on your resume, LinkedIn, etc. Members also share job openings, and some people in the group are hiring managers looking for talent.
You can always schedule a complimentary call with me if you want to discuss your layoff and job search.
Larry Cornett, Ph.D., is a career coach who spent 20+ years in Silicon Valley at Apple, IBM, Yahoo, eBay, and several startups as a designer, leader, and product and design executive. Whether you’re fighting for a promotion, navigating a layoff, or planning your exit to independence, he combines executive experience with psychological insight to help ambitious professionals reclaim their power and build an Invincible Career.
➡️ Ready to create an exciting future? Book a free call today to learn how!
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