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Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

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Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#41

Post by johnward »

yoctonaut wrote: post #30

A lot of good advice here. Whenever I was laid off, I tried to send out a minimum of ten new contact emails a day. (Longest layoff, two months. Shortest was 14 days.) Make sure that you sign up for unemployment compensation immediately--sign up before you need it. If you're in the US, there's (often?) a waiting-week period you won't be compensated for; if you sign up immediately, you can get that out of the way first…

If there is ever a problem with unemployment and you have to file appeals, keep applying every week. My wife won her appeal but didn't apply every week so she got nothing.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#42

Post by chiph »

edejong wrote: post #27
lucozade wrote: post #22

As your being made redundant, there's nothing untoward about their reason. 1 month for each year served is fairly normal so again, nothing untoward. Signing a release is also fairly standard. Under these circumstances I would always recommend showing the release to an employment lawyer. For me, peace of mind is worth a couple of hundred dollars but YMMV. Also, in the UK at least, there are tax breaks on some of the r…

You are not obliged to sign anything. So, it's always disadvantageous to sign these documents. Don't do it.

In the US, signing a non-disparagement agreement is often tied to receiving severance. Ideally, one should have 6+ months worth of expense money in savings, so you'd at least have the option of not signing. But unless the company were total tools/jerks, why not sign & take the money?

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#43

Post by LordKano »

First thing's first. Sign up for unemployment benefits.

I was laid off last April and my employer gave me a severance package in exchange for a similar confidentiality agreement.

It took me several months but I was able to secure a new job with better benefits but with a lower salary.

Update your profile on LinkedIn. Update your résumé.

Talk to lots of recruiters. If you have friends in the industry, ask them if their companies are hiring.

Just keep pounding away at it and you'll find the right spot.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#44

Post by alistairSH »

greenspot wrote: post #4

1. You must reframe the situation as quick as possible. Don't think, 'shit, why me, what happened, am I not good enough?' Such thoughts bring you a vicious cycle. You must treat this situation as the best thing ever happened, you must be happy about it. And I promise you, heck I bet $10,000 that you'll tell us in one year that this lay-off was the best thing ever happened and led you to x, y and z. So, basically it's…

* Work on a pet project with a technology you always wanted to work with, get into flow and put it online. This will be the most fun and will give you tons of self-confidence in a very short time.*

In addition to the personal mental benefits, as a hiring manager, I would look favorably on this. It shows initiative. It shows that you aren't wasting your time between jobs. Should your unemployment extend to a few months or more, if you can show you were doing something useful, that's a huge plus.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#45

Post by southphillyman »

That sucks. Luckily in this environment you have a good chance of actually making "extra money" due to the layoff (severance + new job pay overlap) I echo the suggestion to take some time off and travel if your state's unemployment situation allows it (some states now require you to physically check in to receive unemployment benefits)

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#46

Post by alistairSH »

LordKano wrote: post #43

First thing's first. Sign up for unemployment benefits. I was laid off last April and my employer gave me a severance package in exchange for a similar confidentiality agreement. It took me several months but I was able to secure a new job with better benefits but with a lower salary. Update your profile on LinkedIn. Update your résumé. Talk to lots of recruiters. If you have friends in the industry, ask them if thei…

Unemployment benefits - YES YES YES! Too many people view this as "welfare". It's not, at least not in the negative sense. You have been paying taxes into this system your entire career, for just this eventuality - in a sense, it's your money.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#47

Post by chiph »

cmdrfred wrote: post #18
jblok wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did they try to screw you? If you resign you withdraw most of your termination rights surely, as you are the one terminating yourself.

I'm in the US but I've had employer's hold on to final paychecks out of spite and refuse to payout vacation time. My state department of labor took care of it after a few months.

Regarding accrued vacation time - when a firm offers "unlimited" vacation, that means they no longer have that on their books as a liability (since the employees aren't building up a balance). So you don't get it paid to you when you leave. If your firm converts to unlimited vacation and you have a balance at the time, talk to them about being paid for it. Either lump-sum right then, or offer to let them pay it to you over time. You earned it, you deserve to either take the time or get the money.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#49

Post by alistairSH »

jzwinck wrote: post #12

If you are not hard up for money you should immediately look for a nice trip somewhere. Be flexible with location instead of time to get a good price. Take three weeks off. Nice places this time of year might be Cuba, Thailand, Costa Rica, Florida, or Big Sky. Polish your resume on the plane.

While I agree with the sentiment, be careful not to overdo it. The employment market can be fickle - you will probably find a job easily in this industry, but you might not.

So, enjoy the time off. But keep an eye on your financials. Don't wait to start collecting unemployment benefits. Don't wait to start planning - whether that means contacting recruiters or planning a pet project - start doing something soon.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off today for the first time, anything to be wary of? Advice?

#50

Post by bogomipz »

revo13 wrote: post #35
jzwinck wrote: post #12

If you are not hard up for money you should immediately look for a nice trip somewhere. Be flexible with location instead of time to get a good price. Take three weeks off. Nice places this time of year might be Cuba, Thailand, Costa Rica, Florida, or Big Sky. Polish your resume on the plane.

I agree with this one. You are never so free as you are between jobs (for whatever reason). Even if you can't afford to take a far away trip, go see family for a week, drive somewhere new, or just goof off all week for a week. ...but yea, also file for unemployment immediately. Your former employer paid for that safety net.

I really agree with this as well. Jumping right into another job at another company can have its draw backs. If you can afford to, take a trip and change your perspective and reflect about what you want next for yourself.

When a potential employer inquires as to a gap in time on your CV just say you went and did some traveling and "recharged your batteries." It is completely respectable and envious thing. Also you will be glad when you are sitting at your desk at your next job working late that you went out and saw some of the world. Likewise you will also be glad when you are sitting on a beach in Southern Thailand somewhere :)

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