I was LR'ed once from Cisco. I didn't see it coming. I was in a hostile work environment, my boss had previously tried to unsuccessfully put me on a PIP. We had a major falling out that was never rectified. I saw some very bad behaviors in my department and tried to do something about it. Then, I was LR'ed.
I had only been LR'd once before in my career, and it wasn't at Cisco. Didn't know what I was going to do. I was served the usual 60d LR paperwork by my boss. I was both shocked and relieved. I immediately went home. Later that day, I read through the LR paperwork to make sure I clearly understood the agreement because I had found management to be dishonest and unprofessional.
I started applying for jobs, and failing in interviews. Either I didn't articulate myself well or I would fail to answer questions properly. My mind wasn't in a good head space, I was still carrying emotional baggage and stress from my job at Cisco in those interviews. I kept trying to push myself forward, it just wasn't working.
As the weeks passed, my access at Cisco was quietly removed (not surprising). Several people on my team stopped associating with me, ignoring me when I would say walk by their desks and say hello. Only a few people outside my team would acknowledge me and want to have conversations.
When the final day arrived, my boss was nowhere to be found. I had to go find HR myself and turn in all my work belongings. Post-layoff, I continued to apply for jobs for 1-2 months. The few interviews I had during that time never led to any job offers. I still felt the stress and trauma from my last job on my shoulders, coupled with the need to find work. It was not a good feeling. I was depressed, stressed, anxious, low self confidence, you name it.
The good news was I had begun aggressively budgeting after I was served LR paperwork so I wasn't burning through severance money as quickly. After failed attempts to find work, I did something I'd never done before in my career. I decided to give myself a one month break. I spent that time doing absolutely nothing related to finding work, or my career. I spent time with friends and family, played video games, binge watching Netflix shows, catching up on hobbies, and started exercising again.
One month later, I went back to job hunting. This time I felt different. My mind was refreshed, I was no longer thinking so much about my past career at Cisco. I felt alive and ready to engage the job market and kick butt again. A few weeks later, I landed a an interview which led to a new job. I now have a boss that I enjoy working for, a team who has been kind to me and moving my career forward.
I wanted to share this story for anyone who is stressed over being LR'ed, or doesn't know what to do after the post 60d LR separation agreement.
Trust me, It does get better. If I can survive a LR, so can you!