It's pretty much certain that RIFs will happen this week. As someone impacted by a recent RIF, here is what I can share. What's done is done already. Regardless of what you colleagues or business partners think of you, your manager has already decided that you are gone. Brush off that resume. Research competitors who may value your skills. Apply to positions where your skills fit and/or where you want to go in your career. If you get an interview, even for a position you don't really want, don't turn it down. Some of the best advice I got was from an old manager who had recently separated from the military who told me how he had been applying to positions he knew he couldn't accept because he still had a year left but he wanted the interview experience and hadn't interviewed anywhere in almost 20 years. When the time came, he was a pro and landed a job in his first interview after his military retirement. Optum isn't the military and you can leave whenever you want. If that amazing offer comes before severance, don't hesitate to take it. Best case, you line up both at the same time and walk away with a nice bonus that you earned for all the stress and BS this place has put you through. Good luck to everyone. It will all be okay.
3 replies (most recent on top)
@c3 Solid advice. Find and learn a skill that actually cannot be outsourced.
@b2 you obviously haven't been in the job market recently and experienced going through three rounds of interviews up to a regional VP only for the position to be eliminated at the last minute due to budget constraints, wasting everyone's time. Or applied through Workday only to have their AI system reject you at 2am on a Saturday before a recruiter even gets the resume in their hands. Nowhere in there does it say to apply for positions you cant get. Trust me, those applications will be screened out long before you get an opportunity to talk to anyone about it. The amount of time companies waste on applicants is miniscule compared to the amount of time applicants waste reformatting resumes, filling out forms with information that is clearly in the resume, multiple rounds of interviews, salary negotiations, etc. How about you provide some solid career transition advice yourself or get the he-l off these forms?
The LAYOFF - the place I always come for solid career advice and to boost my self confidence. Go to interviews you know you cannot get - wow! Any other tips on totally wasting your time and blackballing yourself?