So you've just been laid off–now what?
How I spent my first two months with my new non-corporate identity
When I was laid off in December 2024, I knew more layoffs were coming at Salesforce and that others would go through the same thing I did. I started documenting my “process” in the hopes that I could help someone else, no matter their situation or organization. It’s not polished, but it’s something, and I hope it helps.
Day 1:
Do something distracting and something with others. Whether you had an inkling this layoff was coming or it was a total surprise, you are likely in shock. Disconnect and take time today to do something distracting–read a book, play a sport or a game, do a puzzle–anything that gets your mind moving. Spend as much time as you can, or at least the afternoon/evening, with others. Being with people who love and support you and who can distract you with things you love will help you keep moving and get you through the day.
Note: Do not read the severance agreement right away. Give yourself time. I didn’t read it until week 2. Instead, ask people who were laid off before you what you need to know (At Salesforce: Your lump sum paycheck comes 60 days after your term date. Spend your FSA dollars down before your term date. Load in as much as you are able to your 401K ahead of your term date if you have garden leave).
Week 1:
Talk with others who have been laid off before you. The first week is an emotional roller coaster. For me, there were moments of deep sadness and anxiety, as well as moments of relief and hope for the future. The thing that helped most at this stage was connecting with others who had been laid off before. Everyone has a different story, and hearing how each person not just coped, but thrived, really helped keep me sane while also making me feel less alone.
Stick to as much of your routine as possible, especially movement and workouts. Endorphins are always a good idea, especially now! While you may want to take advantage of your newfound midday freedom and pop into an afternoon workout, I found sticking to morning workouts helped me jumpstart the day and create a routine.
Week 2:
Take a break. The week after my layoff, I had a pre-planned beach trip scheduled. While at first I freaked out that I would be “wasting” precious time by not networking and looking for work, once I got to the beach, I realized how much I needed to disconnect. I decided I didn’t want to leave the trip having wasted my precious few moments of beach and warmth by focusing on networking, job hunting, or even feeling sorry for myself. Instead, I spent the week reading, working out, and enjoying the warmth.
Two books I read that week helped me begin to reframe my perspective and focus on the positive, not the pity: You Are a Badass and The Obstacle Is The Way. While very different, both books helped me focus on the opportunities ahead of me and not the trauma behind me. While it’s still important to process what actually happened and not immediately move past it, for me, focusing on gratitude and reframing my situation helped me stay positive.
Take stock of your finances. Everyone’s financial situation and severance are different, so take a moment to look at your financial situation, review your severance agreement, and understand what’s happening with your pay and benefits. This will either help you feel comfortable with the time you have, or give you a sense of any contingency plans you may need to make. Review all your documents early enough that you can ask HR any pertinent or follow-up questions now.
Hot tip: If you drop all the docs into ChatGPT you can ask it “Tell me what the key things are I need to know.”
Reading List:
Week 3:
Look at your network and talk to your champions. Whether you want to take time off or jump right back into the job search, it’s a good idea to start by looking at your network and where they are. I made a spreadsheet of friends, acquaintances, former and current colleagues who might be able to help throughout a job search. Then, I started with the champions: beloved former managers, supportive colleagues, and those in my network who might be good at the “ideation” stage. While my initial goal was to start introductory conversations with my network, these calls became my “hype” calls. Everyone was immediately responsive and incredibly supportive. These people knew me well, worked with me closely, and could articulate my strengths and the amazing opportunities ahead of me. I left each call feeling motivated and grateful for the people in my life.
Focus on gratitude and reflection. I’m not a very consistent journaler. But when I do take the time to sit down and let my thoughts flow out of my head and onto paper, I find it helps me process my feelings. While the first few days and weeks of journaling reflected a lot of anxiety and pain, as the weeks went on I consciously focused on gratitude–the people who checked in on me every few days. The friends who took me out to dinner and kept me busy. My dog, without whom I might not have left the apartment (or my bed) as often as I did.
Luckily, earlier in the year I started what I called “win of the week”: A page in my notes app where I wrote down one “win” I was grateful for each Sunday evening. Throughout the year these wins were as big as scoring Taylor Swift tickets, or as simple as seeing a show with a friend. After being laid off, focusing on my win that week made me realize how truly lucky I was. Here’s what I wrote:
“Despite a very difficult week losing my job, I’m so grateful for the friends who have rallied around and supported me. I feel truly blessed with the people I have in my life, the passions I have that keep me busy and engaged, and I truly believe it’s these people and the reputation I’ve built for myself that will make me more than OK. I will come out of this better, more successful, happier, and more fulfilled. My win isn’t one win, it’s that I had an army of people around me immediately and things to do: Pod recording with Cathryn, watercolor class, ADL gathering with Kate, and my own podcast to record. I love the life I’ve built, with things no one can take away from me.”
Week 4:
Keep reading and moving. Establishing a rhythm and a schedule early on will help provide structure to your days. Yes, take the time to relax and recharge. But give yourself some structure: workout in the mornings, time-box your “job search” activities, and schedule calls and time with friends and family.
Review your accomplishments. This is when I started taking stock of the work I did at my last company and reviewing my accomplishments. When I sat down with all my “year-end” reflections for the 7.5 years I spent at Salesforce, I was floored by how MUCH I accomplished and achieved. While the goal of this exercise was to get my resume and website in order, it actually helped me feel a sense of completion and closure about my time at Salesforce since I finally sat and looked at how much I did in my time there.
Reviewing my accomplishments also helped me begin to take stock of what I want to do next. Yes, I’ve done many different roles and have a whole bag of tricks to play with now, but what do I WANT to do in my next role? It’s both daunting and empowering to have a blank space in front of me to determine what I do next. The book Designing Your Life has been a go-to during times of transition for me, as the exercises help me put pen to paper on what all my different “lives” might be depending upon the path I take. And Ina Garten’s book “Be Ready When the Luck Happens” was a great reminder that you never really know where your next opportunity will pop up, what it will be, or when it will happen. Ina’s story gave me a lot of hope and inspiration, and this quote in particular stopped me in my tracks:
“it is only in the boredom of doing nothing, that the idea will come to you…Type A people think they can figure out what they want to do next, while they do something else… but you can’t.”
Reading List:
Be Ready When the Luck Happens
Weeks 5-6:
Make connections! Leverage your champions to start having conversations with secondary connections, in-house and agency recruiters, and friends of friends. Saying “yes “to conversations at this stage is helpful to dust the cobwebs off of your pitch and asking/answering questions. You’ll start to hear about life at other companies, the exciting things people are working on, and you’ll begin to see that there’s a great big world out there to explore. As you’ve spent your time developing your resume and early exploration about what you want to do next, you’re in a better place to start having conversations with others about what you might want to do.
It’s also during this time that the book “Necessary Endings” finally became available on Libby. While the book mostly focuses on helping you make the decision to end something (a business, a job, a relationship), it was still helpful to focus on how all endings are beginnings. Whether you’ve been laid off or not, it’s a helpful guide for those who have trouble taking action on transitions and endings.
Reading List:
Weeks 7-8:
Set a schedule for yourself. At this point, I was both shocked at how quickly time flies, but also very unsure about how I was actually spending my time. I wasn’t bored, I was busy…but busy doing what? I tried a few different ways if tracking and managing my time until I landed on a “schedule” that allowed for both structure and flexibility. I knew I wanted to spend time being productive and job searching/consulting, but I also wanted to take advantage of my free time. For me, this meant structuring my days so I’d “work” Monday-Wednesday, and leave Thursdays and Fridays as my “unstructured” free time. It made me feel productive and engaged for half the week, but also left time for spontaneity and creativity.
This week’s book was Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes. A fantastic, deeply personal read from a dynamic writer, this book is all about shifting your own mindset. Finding new ways to experience your life in ways large and small. Taking control of your life, not letting others control you. I loved it and devoured it in about 2 days. Definitely recommend the audiobook, Shonda’s voice and cadence is contagious!
This is where I’m at. 8 weeks, officially a Salesforce Alumnae/i. But I’m lighter, happier, and more relaxed than I’ve been in years–7.5 years, in fact, before I started at Salesforce. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but I’m excited about the opportunities, relieved to be free of the stress and heaviness of a company that changed so drastically during my time there, and hopeful that whatever I do next will be bigger, better, and more fruitful than anything I could have continued to do at Salesforce.