Issue #73: How to find a job (in an extremely tough market)

The practical guide I wish I'd had when I got laid off earlier this year

Hi! How’s your week going? In case you missed it: Your favorite link in Monday’s issue was

Teresa Wu

’s favorite chunky sweater for fall.

The other day, I (Aliza) was on the phone with a friend who’d recently lost her job. She told me her confidence has taken a huge hit — and asked if I’d felt similarly when I was laid off. “Um, YES,” I said, nodding furiously even though she couldn’t see me. 

Written by

Aliza Sir

. Edited by

Aja Frost

.

This was probably the toughest market I’ve ever faced. From February and April, I sent more than 100 emails, had 18 informational interviews, applied to 43 jobs, and received 11 rejections before accepting my current job. (I also cried approximately 1,023 times, consistently woke up at 2 A.M. from stress dreams, and enjoyed quiet weekday hikes in my neighborhood and along Boston’s North Shore.) 

If you find yourself job-searching — whether you expected to or not! — here’s what I’ve learned…

1. Let your community know that you’re looking for work. This could be broad (a LinkedIn update) or more targeted (a curated list of people you want to reach out to, which is what I did). You’ll need referrals, references, and leads (see #7), but just as importantly: You’ll need friends to check in and cheer you on. I leaned on my friends a lot during this time… to tell me that I was smart and talented, to distract me while I was waiting to hear back on applications, and to make me feel supported and loved.

2. It took me some time to craft the perfect email. I wanted (needed!) people’s help, but I didn’t want to come across as flailing or panicked. I also wanted to underline all the great work I did in my last role and be as specific as possible about what I was looking for next. Here’s what I came up with:

   Hi [name],

   I hope you had a nice weekend. I'm so grateful for [insert specifics of relationship]. 

   Unfortunately, I wanted to share some personal news and ask for your support as I navigate my next career move. Last week, due to a company cost reduction, I was laid off from my role at [company name]. 

   I’m overwhelmingly grateful for the [X years] I spent at [company name]. As you know, I joined in [year] as the [title. In this role, I led [project A] that resulted in [X results] and laid the groundwork for [project B with Y results]. 

   While the transition has been hard, I’m excited to explore the next phase of my career and am actively searching for: 

   - Sample role A at [industry example] companies where the primary responsibilities include [example], [example], and/or [example]

   - Sample role B at [industry example] companies 

   Ultimately, I’m hoping to find a position that builds on my prior work and experience [insert example], as well as my passion for [insert example]. I’d be grateful for any guidance or support you can offer — whether that’s introductions to your network, companies to check out, and/or advice on navigating the job market. 

   Please let me know if you'd like to grab a few minutes later this month to catch up or grab coffee. Thank you so much for your time so far — I really appreciate it.  

   All best,

   [Your name]

3. However, when it comes to the internet at large: You don’t need to write a LinkedIn post until you’re ready. I waited until I’d officially started my new job to make any changes. I didn’t want to open myself up to messages and texts from the people I hadn’t told yet.  

4. If you may qualify for unemployment benefits, apply and begin claiming them as soon as possible. I missed out on several weeks of earnings — and ultimately had to file an appeal to claim benefits — because I got frustrated by the online system and put it off. (It’s, unfortunately, a labyrinth. Schedule a couple hours to do it and give yourself a reward at the end.) 

5. You might not feel like you’re in a position to be choosy, but ignore this feeling. The vaguer you are about what you’re looking for, the harder it is for people to help. (It’s also tougher to find the jobs you should be focusing your attention on when every open role could be a fit.) At the start of my job search, I spent a few hours getting crystal-clear on what I wanted, from my ideal job title and scope to location, level of flexibility, and target salary.

6. It’s incredibly difficult to be objective about your own resume. Ask someone you trust to give honest and constructive feedback — even if they’re not in your exact industry or profession (sometimes that may actually be better, because…)

7. Your application materials (resume, cover letter, prepared interview responses, etc.) should make you a little uncomfortable. That means that you’re doing it right and appropriately selling your experience. For example, the first version of my resume included this bullet point: Fostered strong relationships with senior leaders across strategic enterprise accounts. After some feedback from my friends, I changed it to: Promoted to lead senior enterprise relationships, driving 95% renewals and 100% client satisfaction. Both accurate, but the second does a far better job of conveying my impact.

5. Don’t be too choosy about the networking calls and informational interviews you agree to. I had well-intentioned friends and family members introduce me to people in their network who, at first blush, didn’t seem like they’d understand what I was looking for. (And given how depleted I felt, I was tempted to say no thanks.) But I agreed to these meetings anyways — and often, they turned into introductions to people who were relevant to my search.

6. Not sure what to talk about in those interviews? I found being curious led to the richest and most valuable conversations. I usually asked people about their own careers: What helped them get their last role? What do they love about their job? What do they wish they’d known when they’d started? This helped build deeper and less transactional relationships, and I got helpful takeaways: the non-negotiables for a job in their industry, how to tackle a tough interview question I’d never gotten before, and the unexpected pivots over their long careers (which was reassuring, given how much uncertainty I was facing). 

7. In this market, being qualified isn’t enough. I heard crickets — or was swiftly rejected — from so many roles I know I would’ve been great at. That's why having connections is so crucial — you need a referral to get your resume past the first stage, after which your interviewing skills and expertise can land you the job. I tried to let the rejection roll off my back as much as possible and remind myself it was a matter of timing, not ability. 

8. Expect that you may keep getting rejected long after you’ve accepted a new job offer. (That was fun.) 

9. I loved my friend Charlotte’s advice to loosely schedule out job searching like you would a job. For me, this looked like spending about half the day on networking calls, job applications, and other research, and the other half on…

10. Taking care of myself. Job searching is an emotional process — I experienced more insomnia from February to April than during my nine months of pregnancy —  and while this might be useful for writing emails in the middle of the night, it is not sustainable. Especially when you don’t have as much disposable income to spend on retail therapy, massages, or mani/pedis. I tried to find other things that could fill my cup: walking tours of new-to-me neighborhoods, mini adventures along the coast, and eating as many fresh out-of-the-oven chocolate croissants as I could find. 

11. Folders for your inbox make job searching easier. My “Networking” folder — which included reference requests from former colleagues, networking event invitations, and “let’s grab coffee” emails —  helped me develop a list of connections to reach out to as I searched. The “Jobs” folder kept me on top of all things job searching, including postings, emails, references, rejections, etc. 

12. Once you land a job, try to give yourself some true time off. Obviously, this is a privilege — but if you can swing it, I highly recommend taking at least one week. It might feel like you haven’t been working for a while, but you have (see #9), and it’s nearly impossible to relax when you’re under pressure to find a new role. The weeks in between accepting and starting my current job helped bring me back to equilibrium.

13. You are so much more than what you do for work. I know this. You know this. But it’s really fucking hard to remember when your existence feels like it’s narrowed to finding a job. Although I wouldn’t say I’m grateful for this experience, it reminded me —really, required me — to keep working on separating my identity and sense of self from my work.

What other tips would you give to someone looking for a new job?

And if you’re looking for more…

Check out

Laid Off

, a weekly series from

Melanie Ehrenkranz

profiling smart and cool people who were laid off (from companies like Google and Paramount to Tesla and Conde Nast). I wish this had existed when I was laid off!

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