Layoff Lessons: A Survival Guide with Joe Previte

Got a weird undertone around the office this season? Maybe one that makes you worry that you’re going to be getting that surprise meeting invite from your boss first thing Monday morning to “chat”? Bad news— this happened to our guest Joe Previte not once but twice this year. Good news— instead of sinking into the Swamps of Sadness, he came up with his unique approach on how to keep his career thriving. Don’t worry, I got him to share his secrets.

If you’re getting fired anyway, why not go ahead and watch the whole thing on the clock here.

For those of you looking for something to save in case of such an emergency:

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that a layoff doesn’t have to suck. Because, odds are it’s going to no matter if you see it coming. But, maybe there’s a little bit of a silver lining. To those of you who are stuck in a toxic workplace and having to sneak around and take sick days to go to interviews, I’m sorry. Alternatively, if you’re laid off you do get the luxury of looking for a job publicly. And publicly is what worked for Joe.

Step one: talk about it. Odds are there’s someone you know (closely, an old job, a friend of a friend of a friend) that needs to fill a position you’d be perfect for. But how would they know you’re looking for a job if you don’t talk about it in a space that people can see? You’ve wasted all those hours on LinkedIn and Twitter up to this point, so why not bank on those connections? Talk about your search, where you are in the process (more on that in a second), and for the super bold livestream your technical interview.

Now obviously, this isn’t for everyone. And even more obviously, you need permission from the company where you’re interviewing to do so. But imagine taking your technical to a public space to work through it live. Joe took it one step further and broke it down into content he could then share on his platforms. The takeaway from this isn’t necessarily that you should bring your 500 Twitter followers to every interview, but it’s more so that you have to make a conscious effort to stand out. And coming up with new approaches to the well-worn path that is the ‘interview process’ establishes you as a creative thinker from the start.

Taylor a couple of years ago probably would’ve now added in that you need to structure your days for 8 straight hours of job search like it’s a full-time job. 2023 Taylor knows that will wear you down so quickly. Instead, put in the hardest work when you’re fresh in the morning. Joe had the most success when he did a few hours of networking in the morning and spent his afternoon with some follow-up and prepping for his technical interviews. Find a rhythm that works for you, even if that means taking a week to just mentally process your layoff.

If you’ve ever actively documented anything in an online space, you know that there’s a fine line between sharing and oversharing. Your job search shouldn’t have to be a secret. That means that if you’re interviewing multiple places, it’s okay to talk about that. If you bomb a technical, talk about that too. Just (maybe) be mindful about your tone as well as highlighting your successes equally to your failures.

Final tip— if you’re going to reference something in your interview, have the links up and ready to share. Wasting time in an interview trying to find something from three years ago makes for awkward silence. But more importantly, you’ll instantly look so much more prepared. If you want to see this in action, just scroll back up and click that link to watch Joe. Freaky fast with those links.

Alright, cue the Rocky theme. You’re ready to jump back into the job market.