2023 is going to be a year the tech industry is going to want to forget. As a response to our post-pandemic world and higher interest rates, we have seen a lot of layoffs in the tech world. It has been sad to see the news of layoffs and the #opentowork messages on LinkedIn.
I was part of the unfortunate trend of layoffs that have caused chaos in the tech scene back in May. There is no doubt that this has been one of the toughest job markets in recent memory. A lot of people are unhappy in their current situation and are soft looking for their next gig. Mix that with the layoffs and every open role is competitve. I personally was looking at Director of Product roles and I was still up against 200 other applications for most job postings. How does one stand out in this environment?
After a lot of hard work, persistence, patience, and feeling a roller coaster of emotions I landed a job offer three months after my last day of work. I’m not going to pretend any one thing worked to get that offer. I tried a lot of different routes to utilize and expand my network, but ultimately it was a click to apply on LinkedIn that led to my new role. Here are some tips for those of you trying to navigate this job market.
Don’t panic!
This first tip is easier said than done. You’ve just been laid off or you just had the worst interaction with your boss. Your emotions are high. You’re angry, frustrated, anxious, sad. The natural response is want to solve this immediately. But rage applying for roles is really not the right answer, because this is the absolute worst headspace for an interview. No one wants to hire someone that doesn’t come off as optimistic and ready to face new challenges.
I carried a lot of negative emotions after being laid off. Unfortunately, that showed up in a lot of early interviews I did. I didn’t even realize it right away. In hindsight, I wish I took a few deep breaths before throwing myself into the job hunt. I recommend getting yourself into the right headspace before applying to roles. Once you do that you need to…
Take time to figure out what you want next
I was lucky enough to have a management coach that helped me figure out what I wanted as a next step in my career. He had a written exercise that I spent some time working through. I had enjoyed being a Product leader and I still wanted to do more of the same. I listed out three things that I also wanted in my next role:
I want to believe in the mission of the company.
I want to solve cool, challenging problems that help people.
I want to work with innovative people that I like and can collaborate and be transparent with.
Taking some time to reflect and come up with that list made the job hunt a little easier. Everyone is going to ask at some stage of the interview what you are looking for. I was ready to provide a genuine answer every time. Doing this exercise ahead of time allows you to ground yourself and your emotions, filter out what you don’t want to do, and save time applying to just anything.
Update your resume…often
This isn’t fun, but it needs to happen. I was not only competing with 200 other applicants, but I was also fighting Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI. The unfortunate reality is one missing keyword from your resume can send it into a black hole.
I recommend asking for feedback from multiple people on your resume. You may be missing a typo or not strongly highlighting an accomplishment. You don’t necessarily need to go through a full service resume writing service. I did a low cost one through Indeed and learned that the format of my resume was not ATS friendly. I probably could have saved myself a lot of headaches if I realized that early in the process. I suddenly was getting more initial interviews as I started making updates and improvements.
A few tips for your resume that I learned through the process:
Start by focusing on your accomplishments instead of everyday tasks. What did you improve, change or build in your roles?
A Key Skills section can cover the tasks where you are strongest.
When you find a role you are interested in, tweak an accomplishment or skill with words that are in the job description. Chances are strong the ATS will be looking for those words to pass the first filter.
Have an ATS friendly and a human friendly format of the same resume ready to go.
Iterating your resume with these tips in mind and focusing on the roles you want will lead to more initial interviews.
Do all the networking
This one is pretty obvious. You will have a better chance landing your next role through your network than randomly applying for roles. Not only should you reach out to your direct contacts, but this is an opportunity to expand your network. Maybe your former co-worker knows someone from college who knows a guy that is hiring right now. Stranger connections have happened in this small world.
Networking has changed a bit due to the pandemic. In person events are finally happening again, and attending those for face to face connections is still the best way to network. However, there are opportunities to network online. My local Chicago PDMA group continues to do their monthly meeting virtually. There is always a “Who’s hiring? Who’s looking?” agenda item like we had in the pre-pandemic times. I joined two Slack groups this year (Health Tech Nerds and PMs in Healthcare) that have new job opportunity posts popping up all the time.
Introductory phone calls and using the social networks helped as well. I had to swallow my pride making the update, but I got a lot of great responses when I turned the #opentowork setting on my LinkedIn profile. It was an emotional boost to get messages of support and links to roles at companies where people in my network were currently working.
All of the virtual networking led to interviews and employee referrals that would not have happened otherwise. It also led to quite a few virtual coffee meetings where I met some smart, high-energy people with interesting backgrounds. I found myself swapping advice on navigating the job market.
Practice Self Care and Stay Resiliant
Let’s be honest: searching for a job in this market sucks! You will be ghosted, receive dozens of templated rejection emails, and get feedback on your candidacy that makes zero sense to you (if you’re lucky). It’s deflating to go through all the rejection when you’re feeling financial pressure. I’m not sure how we got here, but there seems to very little humanity in the process. I had days during my lay off where I barely wanted to get out of bed. It’s extremely important to take some time doing the things you love with the people you love. This goes back to my first point where you need to be in your best mindset going into the interview process.
For me personally, I spent a lot of time doing the following while I was off of work:
Spent quality time with friends and family that helped me stay positive.
I performed in improv shows — my newest hobby and one of the few things in life where I can be completely present in the moment.
I trained for two triathlons, which helped me stay in good physical shape.
I played way more hours of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom than I care to admit, but wow is that a great video game.
Finding a job is like a job, and you need to take moments to recharge and work on your mindset to stay persistent and positive through the process. I had to take a few deep breaths and focus on my hobbies and my crew in order to get to the right mindset on this journey.
Finally…be flexible
There are so many different ways to land a job these days. What you end up with may not be where you expected at the beginning of your job hunting journey. For me, even with all the networking and outreach, I landed my new role through a LinkedIn 1-Click apply. I didn’t get one phone screen in the larger companies where I had referrals. It doesn’t make sense to me either, but I’m grateful something worked out.
In the end, it is your journey and perhaps there are other strategies that will work for you. I don’t know where you will end up, but you will find what you are looking for.
Good luck out there!