I was affected in 2015 layoffs and acutely aware how people feel going through this turbulent time. I wanted to volunteer 10 tips that you should keep in mind if/when you get notified. These tips are based on personal experience and should make the whole transition less painful while helping you land a new job. I completely understand that everyone’s situation is different. Some of these tips may seem obvious and some may sound harsh. I hope that in combination you will find them helpful.
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Your new full-time job is to look for a new opportunity and this is where you need to focus your energy. Don’t dwell on the past and feel sorry that QC decided to leave you — it wasn’t anything that you could have done about it and YOU need to move on.
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Minimize your expenses as much as possible. Unless you are independently wealthy, one thing is certain is that your income situation is uncertain now. No one knows how long it will take you to get another paycheck. So, it is not the right time to splurge on a grand vacation or a new car. Apply for unemployment as soon as you can — there is no shame in it as most of you have been contributing to it all of your working life. It is there to support you in time of need. Call SDGE and cable company — tell them that you lost a job. They offer reduced rates for people who have been affected by a job loss.
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Get to know your personal consultant at outplacement agency ASAP and engage with them. They should be able to provide you with wealth of knowledge on what your resume should look like for the current job market. They also know what companies are hiring today and may even suggest contacts there (hint: their former clients).
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Build your LinkedIn presence. Learn how an effective and professional LinkedIn profile should look like. Ask people for endorsements if you don’t have any. Better yet, provide endorsements for other people first and ask them for endorsements in return. Build your network. It may be worth the investment to temporarily sign-up for LinkedIn premium account if those benefits are worth to you.
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Order business cards so you can hand them to prospective employers at interviews (don’t bring your old Qualcomm business cards with you with crossed out old phone number and email address).
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Reach out to friends, family and former colleagues and let them know that you are looking for new opportunities. Ask them for leads. Don’t feel upset if they can’t offer you help immediately — most of them don’t have a magic wand or any hiring authority.
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You will be going through a rollercoaster psychologically. One day you may have 3 interviews lined up and feel on top of the world. Next day you may learn that companies changed the direction and filled those positions with internal candidates. You will feel rotten and blame yourself. DON’T! This is how the entire process works. Accept it and move on!
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Learn how to answer the ‘compensation’ question (or rather how not to answer it directly). There are tons of tips on line how to handle questions from HR or perspective hiring manager. Beginning this year, California-based employers cannot ask you what your salary is/was. Furthermore, if you ask them how much their job pays they must tell you a range. If you are speaking with a company outside of CA, you may still be asked the question of salary so be prepared not to answer it directly. You don’t want to eliminate yourself from the candidate pool because your salary requirement is $1 million a year.
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Come up with a list of top 10 companies you may want to work for. Research those companies. Make connections at those companies (hint: LinkedIn Premium). Let them know that you are interested in joining their workforce. Your top 10 list will be dynamic as some companies will fall off as you learn more about them. But it’s best to have a focused approach to your job search rather chasing every opening that comes into your Inbox.
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Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Establish a routine for excise, go running, biking, walking. Join a gym. Get yourself out of the house on a regular basis.
Bonus tip: Looking for a new opportunity requires building up momentum so begin working on it as soon as possible. Don’t delay! It is not unusual if you don’t hear anything in the first month – companies take time to screen candidates. Leads will start to materialize slowly, and snowball eventually. But it’s important to put in work first so you must get the ball rolling fast.
Good luck to all of you. There is life after Qualcomm and it’s one of the best time in history to look for a new opportunity.