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Layoffs Q&A and Videos

About Layoffs

Layoffs are the temporary suspension or permanent termination of a group of employees for business reasons, such as personnel management or downsizing an organization.

Non technical person is doing my technical interview, what should I expect?

Entry-Level Software Engineer at Taro Community profile pic
Entry-Level Software Engineer at Taro Community

Hi! I have an interview with the company that laid me off some months back. The manager who reached out to me for the role claimed that two people who work on this team already know me, so the idea would be to hire me on a contract, then get to work early since I know the system already, and get some quality work done fast. The manager and I have a pre-existing relationship: he was consistently checking in on how I was doing as I was in the process of officially leaving. This manager said he wanted to help me out, and that this role looked "perfect" for me. Given the market these days, I jumped at the idea.

There's one really strange look to this. The recruiter told me from the jump that they're interviewing other people with 3 to 5 years of experience. Although I appreciate the honesty, you can imagine I'm pissed about having to fight other people for the job I deserve to have back (which the manager said I look "perfect" for), but I'm not going to voice that to the company because I'd look arrogant. This recruiter I was speaking with last Friday also said in an email "The interview panel will be mixed up a bit to try and be as unbiased as possible. They are excited to speak with you." Makes sense, because another thing in context here is that I do know quite a few people in that company.

I got the name of who's interviewing me yesterday. I found the person on LinkedIn, and was very perplexed to see that it's some financial consultant person within the company. Someone with a very far from tech background, performing an hour long technical interview? Just ONE person, on top of that. I've seen interviews there where 3 people are grilling the interviewee.

I have no idea what's going on. But I have 3 ideas. Firstly, maybe they're thinking "let's just give you the job and have a random interview you". That'd be nice, but I don't think it'll be that easy, so the second idea is they might be finding a technical interviewer, so they can run a strategy of "behavior cop/tech cop". Or, the last idea: they don't care and are gonna blow me off. Whatever happens, the company I'm interviewing for is opening up a LOT of software engineer spots in my area, so they're gonna try to find me a new position.

I've asked multiple of my friends at the company what this could mean, but no one knows. I'll update this question when I receive an answer, but I wanted to gauge what y'all thought here.

Thanks.

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Posted 2 months ago
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4 Comments

How to deal with a career gap?

Systems Engineer at Taro Community profile pic
Systems Engineer at Taro Community

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend who graduated with a major in Information Technology in 2020. He is not part of the Taro community, so I thought of putting this question to help him out as he is going through a tough time.

He couldn't secure a job during campus placements. Due to COVID-19, he lost about 1-1.5 years. He then joined a BootCamp, paying a hefty amount, and got a job through the BootCamp, but the pay was very low. Unfortunately, he was laid off without any notice due to organizational restructuring.

After being laid off, he continuously looked for a job but didn't get any opportunities. After a few months, he started upskilling himself as a Full Stack Developer. During this time, he became proficient in DSA and built and deployed some side projects.

The timeline is as follows:

  • Graduated - July 2020
  • Joined the BootCamp - March 2021
  • Started Job - April 2022
  • Laid Off - November 2022

Now, he is facing issues due to the career gap after his last job. He has applied to almost 1.5k job openings and received only a few responses, which didn't go very far.

He is now considering a Master's Degree to cover the gap, but the cost is very high, and it's very competitive in India to get into a good college for a Master's.

He wants to make a career in Technology, so what are his options now? What are some things or methods he could try to get a job despite his career gap?

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Posted 3 months ago
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7 Comments

Laid Off Last Week - 3 paths at once?

Staff Software Engineer at Taro Community profile pic
Staff Software Engineer at Taro Community

After 10 years as a full stack SWE and eng manager, I pivoted into AI while working at Shopify, and was recently laid off as Head of AI at a collapsing pharma startup. Title is nice, but I only really have two years experience in ML. While it is high quality experience (training and shipping models and LLM apps at web scale)-- I'm feeling a bit scared. I don't have a ton of savings and two kids so I need something soon.

I'm deeply passionate about language models, for the first time in my career working with a particular technology has felt like a real calling-- staying up nights and weekends just to learn and build. My first research paper ever was published at NeurIPS last year.

However, I'm feeling fairly unconvincing as an ML engineer after the layoff. Probably the perfect role would be something in between web and ML. So now we're at the question:

Given that I'm pretty desperate to land anything (3 mos runway before pulling out of investments, wife really against this) I'm wondering how to approach my search:

  1. Go all out for AI Engineer Roles (passion forward)
  2. Go for senior / staff web dev roles (safer, maybe, given 10+ yrs exp)
  3. Go for 1 or 2 plus eng manager roles
  4. Go for all of it at once

Some confounders:

I have referrals at Google and Microsoft, but don't want to burn them on ML roles if I'm obviously unqualified having only 2 years ML. I know I can absolutely add value wherever I land, but these feel like precious gold to me, and I don't want to get tossed out of the running for playing it silly. I can likely get some at Meta as well, but again, I don't want to play myself going for stuff that's just inappropriate. This has never been an issue in the past, I've been able to land stretch roles or at least get the interview but stakes are different now and my confidence is lower.

I am a good eng manager, and would do it again, but I have a feeling it's an altogether different search. Is there a way to increase the surface area of possible roles by applying to manager jobs too-- without splitting my energy?

Anyway, its helpful just to think out loud, would appreciate any advice here. Current plan is to create 3 resumes, start blasting applications and networking to get the interview funnel spun up before the leetcode grind.

Thanks.

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Posted 5 months ago
178 Views
12 Comments

Recently laid off. I want advice on what to do next in my job search! Can someone help?

Entry-Level Software Engineer at Unemployed profile pic
Entry-Level Software Engineer at Unemployed

Hello, everyone. It is March 29, 2024 at the time I am creating my first ever post on Taro. This is the Friday night where as of now, I am no longer an employee of a Fortune 500 company I used to work for. I was, how one says in corporate talk, "impacted by a layoff". I was given news of this on March 7th that I had a few weeks before I needed to return all my work technology and leave. This is the night of my last day in the company. People in the company liked me, so they told me to apply and come back again. A LOT of people were willing to let me use them for referral. It was one of the top 10 worst feelings of my life. But, it should not be one of the top 10 worst things to happen in my life. It's on me to make sure of that. I'm only 24, so I'm confident I can bounce back. I was also given a severance package to last me until the end of July. My company provided me outplacement benefits (resume writing, interview prep, etc), but I heard they honestly weren't too helpful. That's why I'm here.

What I've done in the meantime is update my résumé. I also have a plan of action for how I want to handle this upcoming first week of the job search. I want to build small-scale projects of each programming language on my resume which showcase understanding of mid-level to advanced topics of the skills I list in my stack. I want to treat my job search like a 9-5 job, where half the work day is spent building meaningful connections, applying strategically, and interview prepping (I need a LOT of that now), and the other half is spent on coding, be it refining what I think I know and adding new skills: hopefully getting chances to contribute to open source and giving back to the community.

I think I need to work on things such as making my résumé stand out, ensuring my interview prep is rock solid, and finding opportunities to show what I can do.

In the meantime, I'll check out some content that Alex and Rahul have on Taro, but I want to ask everyone else how I can refine the best way to begin my approach. What do you all think I can do?

Thanks!

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Posted 6 months ago
236 Views
2 Comments

Learn About Layoffs

Layoffs in the tech industry are a common occurrence and can be a source of anxiety. They are a result of unforeseen adverse macroeconomic conditions or overambitious hiring. Layoffs are distinct from being fired, as they are generally not the employee’s fault and are part of a cost-cutting measure to restore the company’s economics. Layoff packages in the tech industry tend to be extremely generous and competitive, as tech companies are known for offering competitive perks, benefits, and pay.
There are many different reasons why layoffs can happen. Layoffs can be a cost cutting measure to ensure that the organization has enough cash to survive. Companies can undergo restructuring when they shift their strategic focus. This could be caused by mergers and acquisitions or shifts in business priorities. The rapid evolution of technology can render certain skills obsolete. Companies may have to reevaluate their technological needs and realign their workforce based on emerging trends.
It’s important to maintain a positive mindset in the face of layoffs. it’s best not to dwell on self-doubt or feelings of inadequacy. Layoffs are often done with incomplete information and can be random. Remember that being laid off is not a reflecting of one’s abilities or worth. It’s advisable to view the layoff as an opportunity for introspection and finding the next career move. The severance package that comes with layoffs can provide financial freedom and should be treated as a valuable resource.
Taking care of physical, mental, and emotional well-being is crucial after a layoff. It’s normal to feel stressed and anxious, so taking time off to examine your well-being and relationships is recommended.
When reflecting on the next move after being laid off, it’s important to think about career goals and where one sees themselves in the future. This self-introspection can take a few days or even a few weeks. Seeking support and talking to people during this time can be beneficial.
In the current climate, being out of work for more than 6 months after a layoff may or may not hurt chances of getting work. It’s important to emphasize the value one can bring to a company and be transparent about the job search and the time spent focusing on your career during the interview process.
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