Getting "performance driven" laid off by a company
Hi I am a senior engineer recently laid off by a company which is public by performance based layoff.
I recently applied for job but I do not know how to answer employment status. Last year, it seems layoff is neutral and does not affect interviews. But increasingly, I saw people sharing laid off status from "performance based" branded have had offers rescinded. (Similar Post)
Knowing that my company does not share laid off status during background check, do you think using other rationales such as "venturing into entrepreneurship / finding opportunities to upskill in AI" are ok if asked on current employment status?
Another context is that I was just employed less than 8 months. So it added to the nuances of why these are also not ideal responses.
Thank you
Discussion
(2 comments)- 1
2 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroNobody leaves a job in less than 8 months to pursue greener pastures like entrepreneurship and "AI upskilling" (i.e. opportunistically looking for a positive). I think that response would sound really fishy and has a large chance of hurting you during the interview.
I would simply tell them that it wasn't a good fit (i.e. leaving due to a negative). Check out a similar thread here: "How do I pursue recruiters if I was fired from my previous job?"
- 1a month agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
You can share why this new company is a better fit, eg. "I realized that I thrive in larger teams more, where the product directon is more clear and there are really challenging technical problems."
With this framing, you're able to implicitly indicate that your previous company didn't have the right structure for you to succeed, but any issues there wouldn't carry over to the new company.
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