What to do when you’re hit by mass layoffs

It’s a day every IT pro dreads: hearing about layoffs within your company, then being summoned into an HR manager’s office and being dismissed.

The tech industry is going through a purge. Earlier this week, IBM announced plans to layoff a portion of its workforce. Meanwhile, Amazon shared plans to axe 14,000 employees and Meta let go of 600 workers from its AI unit last month. After a layoff comes the uncomfortable question: “What’s next?” For most, it’s dusting yourself off and looking for a new opportunity. According to Overture Partners CRO Mark Aiello, that can be a grueling process.

“Definitely no one ever went to bed on Sunday night saying, ‘Hey, I get to look for a new job. Tomorrow is going to be great!’” Aiello said.

Dusting off the ol’ résumé. IT Brew caught up with Diana Huang, VP of technology staffing agency Prosum’s Southern California market, to learn how IT pros can make their job search less cumbersome, as well as proper résumé etiquette. Huang said one of the most important things an IT pro can do to improve their résumé is to demonstrate their accomplishments through numbers or other measurable metrics.

“It could be ‘Reduced cloud spend by 15% through automation,’ or ‘Improved deployment frequency from weekly to daily,’” Huang said. “It’s adding numbers and specifics and showing your impact.”

She added that professionals should make sure résumé details match what’s on their LinkedIn profile. A good résumé is also as concise as possible.

“Don’t write a novel. No one’s going to read 15 pages,” Huang said. “Let’s try to really keep it short. If you’re more junior, five years [or] under, keep it [to] one page and try to keep it really concise.”

Applicants are also working against applicant tracking systems, software used by hiring managers to filter and rank résumés by specified keywords or qualifications, according to Aiello, who added these “magic” algorithms can complicate things for job-seekers.

“It’s more secret than anything the CIA does that they don’t explain, and you have to hope that you have the right keywords and the right weighting and all of that,” he said.

Because of this, Aiello advises that applicants avoid using LinkedIn’s Easy Apply function and similar tools, and instead take time tailoring résumés to feature skills mentioned in the job descriptions of the desired role.

“[Overusing Easy Apply] should mean ‘I like to be ghosted’…because that’s basically what’s going to happen to you,” Aiello said. He added that those who do feel inclined to use the function should do additional research and reach out to hiring managers separately.

How to be a notable networker. Networking is also important when professionals are seeking a new opportunity, Aiello added. He said professionals seeking a new role should be specific when discussing their ideal role with their industry connections.

“Don’t just say, ‘I’m looking for a job.’ Help them think exactly of what it is that you do in terms that they can understand,” he said. Emailing or texting similar job postings can help to illustrate what an IT pro is looking for.

Huang suggests tech professionals build strong connections with a handful of local recruiters who specialize in IT.

“If you’re able to have those strong relationships, they will give you access to opportunities that will give you a better chance, rather than just submitting an application and a lot of times turning into a black hole,” she said.

She also advised professionals to announce that they are seeking work on LinkedIn and similar platforms.

“I bet you a lot of people who would see that and have worked with you would be like, ‘Oh, I’m so sad to hear that, but I know of so and so who might be looking. Let me make that connection,’” Huang said. “So, don’t be afraid to broadcast that.”

The golden rules of job hunting. Aiello said it is important for professionals to remember to maintain contact with networked connections, even after they land a new job.

“If the only time you hear from your friend is when you need a ride to the airport or you need help moving after a while, they’re no longer going to be your friend,” he said.

Huang added that job-seekers should let recruiters know if they lose interest in a position or leave the candidate pool altogether. “If you ghost, then you will be blacklisted out of their system, and they will not present you again to their clients.”