u/Such-Veterinarian303

I was laid off back in June, but about 6 months before that I asked AI how to prepare for a layoff (the stock price can only stay that low for so long before they pull out the axe, amirite?). I shared a summary of the results with my local dev group and it created a lot of great discussion.

I thought I'd dig that post up and share the highlights here with 2 goals:

1. Share how it aligns with my experience 2 months in
2. Create a space for this community to share their own advice on the topic
3. Build a Significant Financial Safety Net - This one is probably the most obvious, and 6 months is what's generally recommended, but 12 months would be best. You can also document ways you can quickly reduce your expenses (we did a mortgage recast, for example). You can also try to do some research around what severance you may be eligible for. I was given 14 weeks + 1 week for every year of employment.
4. Proactively Document Achievements and Gather Evidence - Create a google doc you have access to outside of work and update it weekly. Include as much quantitative information as you can as you'll need that on your resume
5. Actively Network Outside Your Immediate Workplace - This is a big one. Go connect with all your favorite co-workers on LinkedIn right now! Also, I've had A LOT of support from my local dev professional group since I'm active in their Slack group.
6. Secure and Review All Personal Health and Benefit Information - Um, sure. I don't have much for this. Fortunately all my benefits were extended for 6 months through COBRA and we have Tricare as a backup, so this hasn't been front of mind for me.
7. Separate Personal and Professional Digital Life. Getting immediately locked out of a work laptop or email caused major logistical headaches for those who relied on them for personal business. - Yep! I happened to be online when I received my termination email and I watched my Slack and Zoom shut down about 5 min after the email.

I hope this is helpful! For those who have been laid off - what would you add? Any lessons learned you can share with this community?