Name: How To Recover After You've Been Laid Off In The Tech Industry
Uploaded: 2023-06-14T22:05:34+00:00
Duration: 59 min 12 s
Description: Steven Zhang and Chris Talley are 2 incredible software engineers who have worked at Airtable, Airbnb, Meta, and more be

How To Recover After You've Been Laid Off In The Tech Industry

Steven Zhang and Chris Talley are 2 incredible software engineers who have worked at Airtable, Airbnb, Meta, and more between them. They have advised hundreds of engineers who have been laid off about how to recover, and this session shares that wisdom.

Here are the core points from the video:
- **Don't blame yourself** - Getting laid off is very different from being fired. Layoffs are purposely random and made with very limited information - It is not your fault that you got cut. Being part of a layoff has no indication towards your ability as an engineer or your quality as a person. *As long as you did your best at the company and treated others well, you should be proud.*
- **Figure out your severance** - Make sure the amount and time period you're kept on payroll are correct; the latter is especially important if you're on a visa. If you have the resources, you can get a lawyer to look over it. After you figure out the package timeline, file for unemployment benefits accordingly - California in particular is pretty generous with unemployment pay. These packages can be negotiated as well: [Laid Off? Here's How to Negotiate Your Severance Package](https://www.teamrora.com/post/how-to-negotiate-severance-package-when-laid-off)
- **Organize** - If you were laid off from a Big Tech company in particular, there's a very good chance that it has an alumni community: Join it! If your company doesn't have an alumni community, make one. Communities are great for sharing resources and boosting your mental state by interacting with others in a high-solidarity environment. You can find a list of company alumni communities here: [WARNTracker - Tech Company Alumni Communities](https://www.warntracker.com/blog/company-alumni-communities)

Here's the case study Steven did about his legendary interview run in 2019: [[Case Study] How To Land 18 FAANG+ Offers With Steven Zhang (Airtable, USDR, Tableau)](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/gGkO4pLeFq1ctRM9tSBF/case-study-how-to-land-18-faang-offers-with-steven-zhang-airtable-usdr-tableau/)

Connect with Steven and Chris on LinkedIn:
- [Steven Zhang](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenqzhang/)
- [Chris Talley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophertalley/)

Steven's and Chris's businesses + side projects:
- [WARNTracker.com](https://www.warntracker.com/) - Learn more layoff trends and find helpful resources
- [ClimateTechList.com](https://www.climatetechlist.com/)- Find jobs at companies that are meaningfully tackling climate change
- [RationalRiches.com](https://rationalriches.com/) - Free tools for real estate investors

For more resources on layoffs:
- [[Masterclass] How To Survive Tech Industry Layoffs](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/axnVXYox5QeOneqcoyuH/masterclass-how-to-survive-tech-industry-layoffs/)
- ["What are the signs of an impending layoff in an organisation that can help an employee prepare themselves better?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/tNOO9FtALQIRrUXSqzV1/what-are-the-signs-of-an-impending-layoff-in-an-organisation-that-can-help-an-employee-prepare-themselves-better/)
- ["How to survive potential layoffs?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/ydZFpJz0x8wKUIfd8E1r/how-to-survive-potential-layoffs/)

Steven Zhang and Chris Talley are 2 incredible software engineers who have worked at Airtable, Airbnb, Meta, and more be