Lots of companies, including tech giants like Microsoft, Twitter, and Meta, have conducted layoffs in the past year. While layoffs are always a possibility, this wave of job cuts won't last forever.
I've been laid off twice in my career: Once at my first-ever job at Snap, and another time at Cisco right before the pandemic hit. Both times, I thought it was the end of the world.
But the layoffs turned out to be a stepping stone for something new and better. After getting laid off at Snap, I landed a job at Google. After getting laid off at Cisco, my professional career coaching company Wonsulting, which had been a side gig until that point, grew significantly.
Now, I run Wonsulting full-time and speak to tech recruiters on a daily. I asked three of them who specialize in early careers, product design, and engineers what they think about the current state of layoffs — and gathered their biggest tips and insights.
Recruiters are looking for specialized skills
Nicole Fernandez-Valle, a former recruiter at Meta, said that as companies have slowed down hiring, there's an increased emphasis on hiring subject matter experts as opposed to jacks-of-all-trades.
"Candidates can take advantage of this by tailoring their résumés per role, showcasing a breadth of work in applications (with portfolios, website links, etc.), and focusing on personal branding to showcase their unique value proposition to companies," she said.
Job seekers might need to hold out until March
Brittany Swan, who's been in tech recruiting for over 17 years, said she the job market might not bounce back until the early spring. "Usually peak recruitment seasons are January and June," she said. "I'm predicting to see it gear up in March instead."
"We saw a lot of late season layoffs going into September and October, and because of that, companies are going to start building out new hiring plans later than usual."
Sophia Valdez, a former technical recruiter at Microsoft and Meta, predicts candidates will be more aware of the market and more open to which companies they work for.
"More candidates are reaching out desperately looking for work," she said. "Job opportunities are limited and the job market is saturated. If large reputable companies are seemingly unstable, going to work at startups and small firms won't seem so risky anymore."
Layoffs are temporary setbacks meant for comebacks
As someone who's been laid off, there are many strategies that you can use to land another role, and thousands of professionals are willing to help. Some of the best advice I'd give for those affected by layoffs is to prioritize your mental health, update your résumé and LinkedIn consistently, and most of all, post about your layoff on LinkedIn.
Most of all, remember it's sometimes out of your control — however, what's in your control is how you react to the setback.
Just know it'll be your biggest comeback yet.