Resilience After Job Loss: Transform Setbacks into Growth

Ed note: Posts published on From the Workplace are written by outside contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view or opinion of SHRM.

I did everything right. I worked long hours. I took on projects beyond my assignments to demonstrate my value and initiative. None of it mattered when, after eight months in a new company, my position was eliminated during cost-cutting measures. I am not the only person to experience this. Nearly 5,000,000 people were “let go” during the summer months of 2024, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here's how I got through it.

Manage the Mental Game

Shock and anger are valid feelings, and they come in disorderly waves. What matters is how you handle them. Don't publicly trash your now-prior employer; doing so can invalidate any severance payment you may receive, not to mention how unprofessional it makes you look. Remember, you will likely be searching for a new role, and you do not want employers to avoid you because of a toxic tone.

A common reaction to being notified of your termination is to ask, “Why me?” My productivity and the quality of my work were never called into question. Indeed, I was rated as “Meets Expectations” after just three months in the role.

The reason could be that I was not the “right fit.” Maybe it was a discriminatory act. But unless you have evidence and are willing to pursue legal action, do you want to torture yourself with speculation? The best advice may be to let it go.

Take Your Wins

Even if you were with an employer for only a short time, you still learned new things and made contributions—however small. Use these experiences to expand your résumé, to illustrate how, even in a short stint, you made a meaningful impact. When you enter your next interviews, try to focus on the positive aspects of what you achieved, while acknowledging that the role ended sooner than expected due to circumstances beyond your control.

Keep in Touch

While you may not want to speak with your direct supervisor again after your dismissal, it is important to stay connected with any “work friends” you made. Understand that they may not know—or may not feel comfortable talking about—the reasons behind your termination. It would also be inappropriate for you to press them on this.

If there are people you’d like to stay in contact with, take the initiative. However, frame your outreach as a simple desire to keep in touch, which can help defuse any lingering awkwardness.

Take Stock

Your job loss should be seen as temporary, and it reflects the organization’s financial priorities—not your worth as a professional. Use this time to map out your future. Do you want to stay in the same field? Do you aim to move up or down in seniority? Or perhaps you want to take time away from work entirely.

For me, I am one of the 33,000,000 Americans living with an “invisible disability.” For almost 40 years, I hid my condition, ashamed. I worried it would make employers see me as weak or incapable. But after being laid off, when I started applying for new roles, I chose to disclose my disability. Within two months, I was hired. I realized that if an organization would pass me over because of my disability, it was not a place where I wanted to work.

Mind Your Money

I am a financial planner by training, and though I now practice pro bono, managing the financial aftermath of a layoff is something I know well. Your first concern will likely be financial stability, including health insurance coverage.

If you were terminated after only a short time, your severance and benefits coverage may be minimal. This leaves unemployment payments and personal savings as your financial lifeline, and health insurance marketplaces or COBRA for insurance needs.

Be disciplined with your spending. Scale back, postpone, or cancel nonessential plans. You cannot predict how long your job search might take, and survival mode requires careful budgeting.

Remember Your Worth

“Do not let this define you.” These words are worth remembering. While a layoff may feel devastating, it can also act as a springboard to a better opportunity—one with greater alignment, better pay, or improved work/life balance. Unwelcome as it may be, take this time to discover where you truly need to be.

Jason M. Weiss works in compensation, where his brand includes “order out of chaos” and “no loose ends.”