The instinct after a layoff is to start applying immediately. Update the resume tonight, get it out there by the weekend, show everyone, including yourself, that you’re handling it and handling it well.
That instinct is understandable and almost always counterproductive.
A job search started from panic, before you’ve had time to stabilize and think clearly, produces panic decisions. You apply too broadly, pursue targets that aren’t right for you, and risk taking the first offer that comes in just because something coming in feels like relief. The first two weeks after a layoff are not wasted if you don’t spend them applying. They’re an investment in a better search.
Here’s what to actually do with them.
Handle the legal and financial pieces first
Before anything else – before you update your LinkedIn, before you call anyone, before you start thinking about what comes next – deal with the paperwork.
If you’ve been offered a severance agreement, have a lawyer review it before you sign. Severance agreements often contain noncompete clauses, nondisparagement language, and other terms that can meaningfully affect your options. Most people sign them quickly because the layoff is disorienting and the document is sitting in front of them. Take the time. The cost of a legal review is almost always worth it. I am a big fan of Dan Goodman’s, an employee advocate. You can learn more about his work here.
File for unemployment if you’re eligible. Look up COBRA and understand what your health insurance situation actually is and for how long. These are not fun tasks, but they’re the ones that determine your financial runway, and your financial runway determines how much time you have to run the search well rather than reactively.
Use your insurance while you still have it
If your employer sponsored health insurance is still active for the next few weeks, use it now.
That doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. The dental visit you’ve been rescheduling. The prescription refills you’re running low on. Get these done while the coverage is in place, and the cost is manageable. COBRA is expensive, and the gap between losing coverage and finding new insurance can be longer than you expect. Taking care of your health now is not a luxury. It’s logistics.
The first two weeks are not for applying. They’re for making sure you have the stability and runway to run the search well when the time comes.
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Write down everything you can remember about your work
This one is easy to skip and you will regret it if you do.
Sit down and do a full brain dump of your work history: projects, metrics, accomplishments, situations you handled, things you built, problems you solved. Write it all down in a document, without editing or organizing. You still have access to the details right now. In three months, you won’t. Memory fades faster than people expect, especially for granular specifics like budget numbers, headcount you managed, timelines, and outcomes.
This document is not your resume. It’s the raw material your resume will eventually be built from. Getting it down now, while everything is still fresh, is one of the highest value things you can do in the first week. It takes at most a few hours, not a few days.
Stay connected to the people you want to keep
Reach out to colleagues and vendors you want to stay in touch with. Not to network in the transactional sense, just to maintain the relationships before everyone disperses and the connections become harder to keep.
People you worked with closely are also potential references, collaborators, and sources of information about what’s happening in the field. Keeping those relationships warm doesn’t require a long conversation. A short message acknowledging the situation and saying you’d like to stay in touch is enough. Do it while the layoff is recent, and the outreach feels natural.
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Take care of yourself! This is not optional.
Sleep. Go for walks. Journal or meditate if those things work for you. Spend time with people who make you feel like yourself.
This is directly connected to your ability to get hired.
A layoff is disorienting even when you saw it coming. It hits the sense of self in ways that are hard to predict because most people’s professional identity is more part of how they see themselves than they realized until it was suddenly removed. The confidence you project in an interview, the quality of your thinking when you’re figuring out what you want next, and the ability to hold uncertainty without spiraling depends on being in reasonable shape personally.
The search is coming. It will require energy, resilience, and the ability to present yourself as someone a company would want to bring in. Give yourself the two weeks to get there before you start.
If you want to keep reading about what comes after the first two weeks including the strategy, the search, and what actually gets traction, the newsletter covers this in detail. You can sign up below.
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P.S. When you’re ready to start thinking about what comes next, Where You Are is where that conversation begins.
FAQ
What should I do immediately after being laid off?
In the first two weeks: have a lawyer review any severance agreement before signing, file for unemployment if eligible, use your health insurance while it’s still active, and write down everything you can remember about your work history before the details start to fade. These steps protect your financial runway and set you up for a better search, which matters more than starting to apply immediately.
How long should I wait before applying for jobs after a layoff?
A week or two to stabilize is not time wasted. It’s time invested in a search that will go better for the breathing room. The exception is if you’re in serious financial distress and need income urgently, in which case stabilization and job searching have to happen simultaneously. For most people, the first two weeks are better spent on legal, financial, and personal groundwork than on sending out applications from a place of panic.
Should I negotiate my severance package after a layoff?
Often, yes, and at minimum you should have it reviewed by a lawyer before signing. Severance agreements frequently contain noncompete clauses, confidentiality provisions, and other terms that can affect your options in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Many people sign quickly because they’re disoriented and the paperwork is in front of them. Taking a few days and getting a legal review is almost always worth the cost.