I’ve spoken with a lot of people who have been laid off from their jobs. I personally have been “impacted by market shifts” in my career, or whatever euphemism you prefer. It sucks. That’s the easiest way to summarize it. All of us either know people that have been affected by layoffs, or have been ourselves, and no matter how prepared we think we are it’s a devastating situation to be in.

I’ve been working in renewable energy recruitment for almost five years now and have noticed some common signs leading up to layoffs/restructuring/downsizing. I’ve also made a mental list of things we can do to bounce back afterwards, and found these really useful myself. While this is by no means a manual or step-by-step guide, I hope it’s somewhat helpful to someone in a similar situation. Many people in the energy and environmental space have been affected by sudden changes as of late, and we need to support each other however we can.

Signs:
These are highly unscientific and in no particular order. I’m not saying if you notice these things, layoffs are definitely looming. However, if you’re noticing a combination of these things suddenly all happening at the same time, it would not be a bad idea to reach out to your network and put out feelers.

● Things…slow down. This slowdown is allegedly temporary. Sometimes it is and it’s completely normal for business to ebb and flow. Other times things are slowing down because they’re about to come to a grinding halt unfortunately. The whole team was incredibly busy a few months ago but now the pace has become sluggish and, oh by the way, you’re hearing about a hiring freeze? The budget for everything also seems to be getting tighter and tighter.

● They’ll tell you without telling you. Meetings or newsletters mention things like a “strategic review” that will take place. There might be mention of external consultants coming in to help evaluate structure or market involvement. An organization is never going to want to incite panic, especially when a situation is uncertain, which is completely understandable. I’ve just heard about updates similar to this before a clearer announcement is made.

●  The vibe is off in 1-1s. While not a professional phrase, this is the best way I can describe it. The vibe is just…off. 1-1s are being canceled more frequently and when they do happen your manager is not discussing future projects. Perhaps they have that expression people wear when they’re about to break up with someone. In any case, your spidey senses are tingling.

●  Where are all of my projects? The projects you have been working on are disappearing. If you are being given new projects, they either feel like busy work or they seem to be focused on handing over information or ensuring everything is in the cloud

●  The news isn’t looking great. Whether it’s other companies in your sector letting people go, drastic policy changes coming down the pipeline, or unfavorable market conditions, the news is painting a cloudy picture particularly for the industry you work in.

Strategies:
●  Give yourself grace. This is my eloquent way of saying it is completely okay for you to be devastated after finding out you’re going to be impacted by layoffs. Depending on your preferred coping mechanisms, this may involve ugly crying or an overly intense gym session and that’s okay. Being impacted by layoffs is not a reflection of your value and I’m a big proponent of destigmatizing this and removing the shame that a lot of us can feel around it.

●  Get organized. This is the first step of the ‘bounce back’ part. I would recommend a spreadsheet to track all of the jobs you have applied to with categories like date applied, job description website link, any contacts you may have at that company, etc. You can use this information and it’s also nice to see the progress you’re making as you churn out applications.

●  Utilize your network. This can mean reaching out to a few trusted people directly or it can mean making an announcement on Linkedin letting people know you’re actively seeking a new role. Do whatever you’re most comfortable with and what you think is appropriate for the situation. Don’t feel like you have to do this completely alone though. There are people in your network that want to help you, are able to help you, but if they don’t know you’re job hunting then they won’t be able to. You never know who knows someone or who may know about a job opportunity that’s not publicly posted yet.

●  You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. There’s a statistic well-known amongst talent acquisition professionals saying women tend to apply for a job when they meet 90% of a job description’s requirements, while men apply for a job when they meet 60%. Make sure you have the essential qualifications of course, but just go for it. If the job description says you need 8+ years of experience but you have 6 years, by all means apply. The worst that can happen is you don’t hear back while the best that can happen is you get a job interview!

● Make it as easy as possible for the person on the other side of the screen. If you’re trying to coordinate a networking call, share your availability and send those invitations yourself. If you’re following up on a job application, attach your resume again. Do your research about a job or company before reaching out with questions. Anything you can do to make it easier for the person on the other side of the screen to meet with you or invite you to an interview can help things go more smoothly.

● Take care of yourself. Job hunting is a job in itself. It takes time, energy, and perseverance. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating three square meals a day, and getting fresh air/exercising. It’s easy to want to spend every waking moment being proactive but being sleep deprived, hungry, or glued to job boards 8 hours a day won’t leave you feeling great.

● Once it’s out the door it’s out the door. Do your best to prepare a stellar resume and practice for interviews but once those applications are submitted and the interview is done, you can put it out of your mind and move on to the next ones!

While I hope you’re not affected by layoffs, remember you have a great network of people around you. Lean on them, support each other, and things are going to be okay even if they’re a bit different.