Moving on from a layoff

Today I want to talk about one of the sneakiest hurdles I see smart professionals looking for a new role stumbling with…

It has to do with the past.

With the inevitable question that pretty much always comes up in a job interview at some point in the process:

“Why did you leave such and such a role?”

And if you’ve ever been laid off or let go at any point in your career, chances are you dread that very question.

You may have researched, planned, and rehearsed your answer to that question ad nauseam.

But if there’s any part of the situation that’s still emotionally charged for you, it could not only hurt your performance in the job interview, but it could also cost you the offer.

The story you have (in your own head) about what happened and how you truly feel about it, deep down, can potentially hurt you during a job interview.

Interviewers are not only looking for talent, desired experience, and fit when they meet job candidates.

They’re also looking for red flags. They pay attention to their gut.

And if they sense anything not fully “clean” with your answer, they may get cold feet and pass you over for another candidate.

They may not be able to put their finger on it exactly but they could be left wondering if there’s more to the answer you gave them.

I experienced this when I got laid off suddenly years ago.

For the first few months, I was very emotional about it.

And even when I practiced what to say when asked why I was no longer employed, the energy behind my words was off.

This slowed me down in my job search. It cost me months of wasted time and effort, rejection, fear, and confusion about why I was landing a job offer.

Until I realized that saying the right words wasn’t enough.

I had to do the inner work so that I could truly make peace with what happened.

Once I did that, things completely turned around with my interviews and I got multiple job offers!

This was a blind spot for me and something I had to work on with a coach.

If there’s any important situation in your work history that’s still emotionally charged for you in some way, it’s crucial to heal it, in order to perform well in job interviews.

Working with a coach, therapist, or healer.. whatever that looks like for you can be a game-changer in your ability to secure an amazing new role.

If you’d like to explore what might be holding you back in your job search, I invite you to a free get-hired strategy session with me.

I can help you diagnose what’s going on if you’re not getting traction with your search and provide helpful insights to turn things around.

Find out more and book via the button & link below.

Chat soon!