This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kyle Elliott, 33, a career coach who lives in California. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Getting laid off is very traumatic — and it’s becoming more common.
I’ve been a full-time career coach to tech employees at startups and in Big Tech since 2017, and I’ve seen how layoffs have become more visible in recent years.
I help clients navigate life after a layoff, including what role they want next and how to apply for new jobs.
Amazon has announced new plans to cut staff, and I want affected employees to remember that they are coming from one of the world’s top companies.
People will want them, and they will find something.
Do these 2 things first after you’re laid off
When people reach out to me for coaching after a layoff, many have a scarcity mindset and feel like they have to apply for any job.
For some people who urgently need to pay rent or put food on the table, that’s necessary. But in other cases, it makes sense to take a beat and evaluate what you’re really looking for in your next role.
The very first thing I ask clients to do is create a list of “must-haves” and “dealbreakers” for their next job. What are their salary expectations? Will they only work remotely? Are they willing to relocate? If you write the list before you start interviewing, you can act from a place of logic rather than panic.
The second step is to update your résumé and LinkedIn profile, which are two of your most critical tools in today’s market. You’re going to submit a résumé with almost every application, and having an up-to-date LinkedIn account puts you in a good position if potential employers check it or recruiters go looking for talent on the platform.
You want to optimize for the roles you’re looking for in 2026, which means that if you were an engineer when you joined Amazon but are now a director, you want to make sure that’s reflected on your LinkedIn page.
Don’t rely too much on AI for résumé help
I’ve seen clients turn to quick hacks for their job search, like asking AI to tailor their résumé or using it to find and apply to roles for them. But if everyone does that, you don’t stand out.
I can usually tell quickly if someone’s written their résumé with AI. For example, they’ll be applying to a systems engineer role, and it won’t even have the phrase “systems engineer” in it.
Everyone thinks only AI is reading their résumé, but I have clients who work in talent acquisition and HR — the humans who are still involved in the recruitment process. Humans hire other humans, even at big companies.
In the age of AI, be more human. Take a step back and think, if you were a human looking at this résumé, what would you want to see? Then put those phrases near the top, rather than using AI to create generic slop.
I’d suggest creating a master résumé that you can spend 20 minutes tailoring for different roles. If you’re using AI, use it more like an extra tool, rather than the thing that’s driving your job search.
Re-read performance reviews to identify how you stand out
Layoffs are normal now, especially in the tech industry, and there’s much less stigma around them.
But there’s more competition in the job market, because it’s easier to apply for jobs with AI, for example, so the challenges around layoffs are different nowadays.
In today’s job market, it’s important to figure out what’s unique about you. Lots of people will meet the job requirements, so you need to communicate why the company should hire you over the thousands of other applicants.
One thing that can help you is to look back at performance reviews and identify things people repeatedly say about you. You can try asking three to five people to share what makes you fabulous and to give examples. I’ve found that clients are surprised by the feedback they receive.
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