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Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

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31–40 of 78 posts

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#31

Sorry to hear about your bad luck! it will be ok. some ideas: 1) COBRA for health insurance. 2) if you dont have ongoing health issues, don't worry too much about medical expenses. theyre negotiable and not as impactful in the past. 3) relax and treat it like a vacation 4) negotiate with landlord about reducing rent or subletting or breaking lease 5) interview, be happy and positive, see what you can land!

You have a limited timeframe to select health care insurance continuation under COBRA. You should at least explore what the cost would be -- it may be better than what you can find on your own.

Regardless, right now, you may be ok in the following regard, in the short term. But with the ACA on the chopping block, one thing that has been recommended already by... "those in the know" is to make sure you maintain continuity of coverage.

One of the things the ACA has eliminated is exclusion for prior conditions. But that may not survive. And should it not, resulting limitations can apply even if you end up getting insurance through another employer. You might get insurance, but with limitations. In the past, before the ACA, demonstrating continuity of coverage helped avoid such limitations. If/when the ACA dies, this is likely to be pertinent and important, once again.

Ending the ACA means the end of much more than just the marketplace insurance plans and tax rebates. The health care insurance situation in the U.S. is likely to get a whole lot worse, again, even for those who never participated in an ACA health insurance plan.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#33
Immediately begin your job search. One day can turn into five and five into months.

Activate your networks and develop them if you don't have one

And do these only six hous per day

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#34
post #2

1. I would immediately file for unemployment in your area, if applicable. 2. Take one day and just relax. Have the most fun you can possibly have that doesn't damage your health or take anything more than a trivial amount of money. 3. Calculate your burn rate and cut expenses. 4. Accept that you have a new job. Your new job is finding a new job. 5. Dedicate 20 hours a week to finding and applying to jobs. You can jus…

6. Network. Get personal referrals from people you know who work at the companies you are applying. These personal referrals have an order of magnitude better chance at getting you noticed. Use your time to reach out to people you know. Have coffee with them. Yes. Face to face. Let them know you're interested in working at their company. Ask them to submit a referral. Use linkedin to find people. Don't be afraid to ask a connection for an intro to another person you don't know who could help you. You'd be surprised how helpful people are willing to be.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#36

Vacation. Dependent on your living expenses and the amount of unemployment you get. Life is short, if you can travel while collecting unemployment, then try and do so. Been laid off a few times. I wish I traveled the first couple of times.

Unemployement unfortunately never feels like vacation though. I tried to take a cross country trip last time i was unemployeed and ended up just feeling guilty i was missing out on interviews.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#37
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. I could easily spend $200 bucks a week on lunch and dinner alone.

Right. And, at least for a family, rent is 3k-4k+. Where's the real cash drain?

They're both cash drains. One's just bigger then the other, cutting back on both is sound advice if you are looking to save. I agree that you are probably right in that rent is a bigger factor but they are also right in that by not eating an expensive lunch everyday will add up over time.

I think everyone can agree that learning how to properly budget finances should be something we all should learn.

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#39
post #2

1. I would immediately file for unemployment in your area, if applicable. 2. Take one day and just relax. Have the most fun you can possibly have that doesn't damage your health or take anything more than a trivial amount of money. 3. Calculate your burn rate and cut expenses. 4. Accept that you have a new job. Your new job is finding a new job. 5. Dedicate 20 hours a week to finding and applying to jobs. You can jus…

(US only) 1.1 If available, ensure temporary on-going health insurance coverage via COBRA [1]. Usually your former employer / previous health insurance is required to send you a letter regarding how to file for COBRA - otherwise ask.

I had exactly, precisely the same thing happen to me. I agree with 1-5 above (and 6 in the child post).

Try (really hard) not to get depressed and find a weird way to enjoy this unforeseen break in your work life. You probably won't get any other breaks like this unless you decide to take them or get lucky.

[1] FAQ about COBRA https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-...

Re: Ask HN: Laid off. Now what?

#40
post #3

- First outcome => Working for a startup is riskier than working for an established company. - Second outcome => Do I want to work for a startup again in the future? No. - Third outcome => If a startup is successful, the outcome is disproportionate between the founders and the employees. But, it if fails, we're all equally unemployed. Do I really want to be an employee at a startup? nope.

Well that depends, if you have no dependents and some money in the bank you can take a risk by working in a startup, you get to learn so much.
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