Nick grew his career, in part, by getting good at doing things that nobody else wanted to do. As he climbed the ladder in human resources — that meant excelling at laying people off. In this episode, we chat with an expert to understand what goes on behind the scenes when companies decide it's time for a layoff.

When a layoff ends, it’s easy to look back and see the big lesson learned. But when you’re in the thick of it, with no end in sight, it’s really hard to see how you’re growing. A few months into his layoff journey, Derek shares how his perspective and approach have changed as it continues to drag on.

In her last job, Sarah knew that her talent and skills weren't being utilized to the best of their ability. It's fair to say that it wasn't her dream job. So when the opportunity came up to volunteer to be laid off — she took it. And if you think volunteering to be unemployed in this job market is courageous — wait until you hear what she did next.

Sometimes getting laid off gives you the freedom you need to follow your heart. At the start of his career, Dan was laid off from back-to-back jobs. When he reflects back now, nearly a decade later, he can see how it all worked out for the best.

Maggie landed a new role just four weeks after getting laid off. Hear how she did it — and why she’d do it differently if she had it to do over.

When Craig got laid off alongside 9,999 of his colleagues, he immediately closed his work laptop and went right to work updating his resume. And in his subsequent job search, when he gets rejected he just archives it and moves on. One foot forward at a time. This all sounds good in theory, but how does he actually do it? For decisions that feel so personal, how does he put it behind him and leave it there?

Surviving a layoff often teaches you big lessons. For Karissa, among other things, she learned that she could get through it. So when her new job shifted some policies that impacted her ability to work remotely — it was that lesson of resilience that was top of mind. Fueled by the belief that her career goals and her life goals could live in harmony, she did what she felt she had to do.

Sarah was an A-student. A hard working, over-achiever who had thrown herself into her career for over a decade in social media marketing. But, when the pandemic hit, it crystallized for her that work was not as important as she had made it out to be. Plus, she didn’t see a future for herself in the field. So, when she got laid off for the second time, just days before her 30th birthday, she decided to make a change.

When Acacia got laid off last summer she was just days out from a cross country move and a brand new mortgage. As the primary earner in her family, she was terrified. So she channeled her fear into her job her search and she managed to land a new role in just five weeks.

Ryan has been laid off an incredible eight times. After the eighth time he decided to make a change. What he didn't know, was how hard it would be to hold out.

Jamie was out of work for over a year and wondering if she’d ever find a job at the salary she wanted. That is until she used an unconventional method to make landing her dream job a reality.

Becky got laid off at the tail end of the great resignation. By all accounts, she was grateful to make a financially supported exit from a work environment she no longer wanted to be a part of. But getting laid off is never easy — even when you want it.