One week in. How are you feeling?
A few of you pushed back on my 48-hour timeline approach to job search after a layoff, and honestly? Good. You should push back when something doesn’t feel right. Layoffs are brutal, and everyone processes trauma differently. Some of you might still be in shock. Others might be angry. Some might be secretly relieved. All of those feelings are completely normal.
Here’s what I’ve learned after walking 200+ executives through this journey: The job market is ruthless and doesn’t care about your healing timeline. But that doesn’t mean you have to choose between processing your emotions and protecting your future. The executives who do both – who feel their feelings AND take strategic action with their job search – consistently come out ahead.
Where should you be with your job search at Week 1?
If you’ve done half of these things while dealing with everything else, you’re already ahead of most:
- Secured your personal items including contacts, resume data
- Updated your LinkedIn so recruiters can find you for what you’re targeting
- Started telling people you’re “exploring opportunities”
- Reached out to key people in your network
- Identified companies you’d want to work for
If you’ve done all of these, you’re already ahead of 80% of people in your situation.
Week 2: Time to get strategic about your job search
This is the deal: Your job is now the leader of a sales and marketing campaign… for you. You’re the product, and you’re targeting hiring leaders like customers. That might feel weird but embracing it will serve you well.
Here’s a simple framework that actually works:
When you reach out to someone, think V.A.L.U.E.:
- Validate what they’re dealing with, show you understand their world
- Acknowledge your situation briefly
- Link your experience to their challenges
- Uncover ways to help each other and for you to be a solution
- Establish what happens next
Here’s what this looks like:
“Hi Sarah – Saw the announcement about your Series B. Congratulations! Having been through two rounds of hypergrowth scaling at my last company, I can only imagine the infrastructure challenges you’re discovering. We worked through a lot.
I’m currently exploring my next move and would like to offer my help. Worth a quick coffee to compare notes? Always happy to share what’s worked and what didn’t for us.”
You’re leading with their interests, acknowledging your situation for context, and offering value.
Your Week 2 Reality Check
Most people won’t respond to your first message. Or your second. It usually takes a few. And if it’s a cold outreach, it could take as many as seven touchpoints or more before someone engages. This isn’t personal – executives prioritize business value over casual networking. So make it about business value that’s hard to ignore.
Mix up your approach: Share an article one week, congratulate them on company news the next, reference a mutual connection, offer an introduction, invite them to an event. The goal here is to show value and be different. Always give before you ask.
What’s your Week 2 focus going to be?
Pick 20 people you genuinely want to connect with.
Research them and their company. Discover their challenges. Map out how you’ll add value to their world and how you’ll message it over the next month. Then start the conversation.
Remember: You’re not asking for a job. You’re exploring where your expertise can make the biggest impact. That mindset shift changes everything.
What’s your biggest challenge right now? How may I help?