I was at cisco for 12 years as a Program Manager in San Jose. I was laid off last fall 2016. I was a grade 11. I decided to actively look for a job in January after the holidays. I attended the LHH courses that cisco provides for you. I met with my assigned coach. I got a good one and we kept in touch. I practiced those interview FAQ. But honestly the best practice is going through actual phone screens and in person interviews.
I also had my resume professionally updated. I found dragon resume on groupon. I posted my resume on indeed.com and updated Linkedin. I went through 9 interviews with various companies from November to May from tech start ups, to Workday, Oracle & Google just to name some . It was an emotional roller coaster as you can imagine.
I'm happy to share that I will be starting a position in two weeks as a Technical Program Manager in the bay area. This company found me on indeed.com, so please post your resume wherever you can.
I have learned so much about myself and I realize that in this process, I need to stay more focused on myself, my career and continue to explore possibilities. I made a mistake at cisco where I stayed too complacent. I never updated my resume, I didn’t bother doing research what’s happening outside my cocoon, and I forgot how to interview and be “aggressive”. In a weird sense, it was a blessing in disguise that I got laid off. I woke up.
A question I recently started asking the hiring managers in the last 3 interviews was: Do you have additional questions for me in doing this job successfully?
I do believe that the universe listens, stick to your dreams, keep at it and it will happen!
If you feel unstable at your current position, please do not hesitate to start looking now and update your resume, contact your networks and practice those interview questions.
Goodluck!