How to Prepare for Job Disruptions Due to Technology

You may not lose your job to AI, but it’s very possible you’ll lose your job because of it. “Streamlining” and “cost cutting” by slashing management or cutting entire teams full of dedicated, highly productive people has become commonplace. A lot of my clients hit by these recent cuts live outside major tech hubs, in lower job density areas, forcing them to compete with hundreds locally, or if remote, thousands nationwide. Or face relocation. If you walked away with a decent severance, that helps. It gives you time in a market where landing something is taking five to seven months for many people. But what about the rest of you? Can you make it through a month or more once unemployment runs out? If not, what’s your game plan? Everyone should aim high. Reach for their dreams. But do it with clear eyes. The market is changing faster than I’ve ever seen. Some roles that were viable yesterday, are now over saturated. Others are just gone. Start by figuring out what you want and where you want to land. Then dig into the market. Who else is out there looking? How many jobs are being posted? Where are they? What does the competition look like? Then go for it. People are landing great roles every day. That could be you. But you have to be practical. You have to be informed. Don’t assume the market you knew still exists. Research it. Understand what’s changed. And build a plan. One that includes both best and worst case scenarios. Some once coveted jobs are now flooded. Remote roles are thin. You need to know what you’re walking into. What happens if you’re still searching after month six? Is a bridge job on the table? There is zero shame in that. And when it comes to bias, a short term role versus a year long resume gap is a toss up. Do what you need to do. What will healthcare cost after COBRA? What do you need to stay afloat? This is a down market. It’s unpredictable, but not surprising. So how ready are you for a job search that might take a while? Some people land fast. I’ve recently spoken to quite a few people about scheduling time for coaching, that ended up landing so fast, they didn’t need my help. But others take months. Some take a year or more. You have to be prepared. And that colleague or friend or former coworker who’s been out of work so long that people are starting to whisper and give them that endless unneeded advice no one asked for? That could be you. Be ready. Get your resume and LinkedIn updated NOW! Warm up that network and build on it proactively! Create a game plan NOW! Have that conversation with your sig other and make sure you are both on board. It’s the Wild West out there. Make sure you’re stocked up on supplies and prepared for a long fight. If you land fast, no harm, no foul. If it takes a bit, you’re ready for it.

More than 155,589 workers in US based tech have been laid off so far in 2023, according to Crunchbase News Tally. 74% of Americans said they believe AI layoffs are going to occur within the next six months to two years according to a Checkr survey of 3,000 American professionals. Here are 4 tips ( 2 for advancing in your current role and 2 to make you more marketable externally ) to be unf***able with as a professional:👇 1️⃣ Understand what your company considers "the future" and seek out experts and knowledge in this space. Is your company talking about AI a lot? Is your company building nanotechnology for future health issues? Even if it's completely out of your scope of work – get involved. Talk to people in the space. Read up on it. Watch videos. Become an asset. 2️⃣ 10% Better Every Week. I recently heard this advice about 10% Better Fridays from Tom Chi at Google X and loved it. Every Friday at 10am, he reflects on the week's accomplishments and notes 3-5 crucial tasks for himself and his team. Besides each task, he writes down ideas to improve it by 10% the following week, like prototyping or better communication. By doing this on Friday, he can share his intentions with the team and start experimenting for improvement. If you get 10% better at these tasks every week, it compounds so that by the end of year, you are 137x better at the end of the year. Showing that rate of improvement will make you VERY valuable to any company. But even if you do the above, it doesn't mean you can't be impacted by a layoff or change in direction at your company. So here are 2 tips that will make you more valuable to potential future employers and/or get you new work when you need it.👇 3️⃣ Expand your professional network. Reach outside your core team at work to build a rapport with leaders in other functions. Reach out to people on Linkedin with similar positions but different companies to get coffee. Go to trade shows/conferences/events and put yourself out there to meet people in a similar space. You have commonalities with all of the people I just mentioned; use that as an intro and start to build a base of people whom you know and, more importantly, know YOU. 4️⃣ Build a personal brand. What is something professionally you care about? What is your area of expertise? What is something you know that others may want to learn about? Draft a branding statement of who you are professionally and as a leader, and start to post 1-2 a week on Linkedin on things that you care about. You'll be amazed at the community you start to build and who is reading, even if they are not liking or commenting. These are the people that, when you are ready for your next opportunity, can really help you. Being laid off doesn't have to be the end of the road for your dream career - it can be a powerful redirect too. Let me know if this was helpful!

I’ve been mentoring for some years now, and in the past year I’ve seen a shift in the conversations I’m having. The focus is now mostly on layoffs, hiring freezes and the economic uncertainty that is shaping the industry. Many companies were previously hiring at an astounding rate, and are now slowing down so looking for a job in a highly competitive location and skillset that's had a lot of layoffs recently, yes, it's going to be rough. No need to sugarcoat it. In the past few months I’ve heard so many stories of folks that are so frustrated with sending out dozens of applications out on Indeed and LinkedIn and getting absolutely nothing in response. What I try to do in my mentoring sessions is never to be toxically positive and focus on the best-case scenario (“I’m sure you will find what you’re looking for”), my goal is to discuss how time and resources can be best used while we face the challenges and frustrations tied to the current state of the job market. Of course, on the bright side it’s not crazy to think that things could be drastically different in 3 months or a year from now. And that even in a downright depression, there will be certain companies that grow and hire. But for someone who has been laid off in the tech industry, focusing on learning new skills, improving their portfolio, and networking with others can be an excellent strategy for getting back on their feet and finding new opportunities. As long as you're not taking on a huge amount of debt or putting yourself into any risky financial situations (which is something you have to decide for yourself), and you're ok with the worst-case scenarios, my advice is to identify in-demand skills in the tech industry and consider online courses, tutorials, and certifications to acquire these skills. That, along with enhancing existing projects and create new ones to showcase skills and experience, will contribute to ease the pressure of not having a purpose (which happens a lot when we don’t have a job) and build a strong personal brand. So invest some of your time and begin training and learning. Spend the down business cycle building your knowledge and skills so when the wave builds up, you are there. Don’t wait for the industry to be growing to start. Start now and you’ll be better off the next major expansion. Happy to chat with everyone that needs support now: https://lnkd.in/gdcnwee