Layoff to Liftoff: Surviving Downsizing in the Tech Industry

Helpful Resources to Navigate a Tech Layoff

A single author can’t have all the ideas for dealing with a layoff, and a single article can’t cover everything. Luckily, there are many good resources that you can consult for a more in-depth discussion on navigating a layoff. Here are some recommendations:

• Hack Your Job Search: Kodeco isn’t just about mobile development and game tech; we’re also about helping you build the best possible tech career. Our book expands on the topics in this article, featuring the major themes of getting tactical about your job search and standing out from the crowd.
• Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook: This 2022 book by Phyl Terry takes my advice to reach out to other people to a whole new level. One of its key ideas is the Job Search Council, a support group of fellow job seekers that help each other find their next job. This book was recommended to me by more than a dozen people who joined Job Search Councils and found them helpful.
• Linked: Conquer LinkedIn. Get Your Dream Job. Own Your Future.: Published in 2022, this book by Omar Garriott and Jeremy Schifeling shows you how to maximize the most important social network for job seekers. Remember, to prospective employers and their recruiters, LinkedIn is a search engine for candidates — you need to learn how to use SEO on yourself to appear in recruiters’ searches, and this book will show you how.
• The “A Life After Layoff” YouTube channel. On this channel, former corporate recruiter turned career coach Brian Creely provides a steady stream of videos with useful tips on dealing with the aftermath of a layoff, picking yourself up, and finding your next job.
• Jeff H. Sipe’s “Practice Interviews” YouTube channel. Ex-Google recruiter Jeff Sipe teaches you how to answer interview questions and work with recruiters to get your next job. He also provides a lot of inside information on how tech companies hire people, how to find out how much people get paid, and how to negotiate a salary once you get the offer. He also holds regular live Q&A sessions where you ask job search-related questions.

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About the Author

Most people who write layoff survival guides are employed, but at the time of writing, Joey is making the most of his fifth layoff! His previous layoffs were at the end of the dot-com bubble, followed by another in 2008 during the financial crisis, a third with a downsizing company in 2017, and the fourth during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The positive side of these layoffs is that Joey has plenty of experience to share with his fellow developers to help them form a plan to use their layoff as a stepping stone to something better.