I Got Laid Off. This Is Why Those First 24 Hours Were Critical.

And just like that, the curtain falls.

If you don’t follow me and weren’t aware, I was laid off last week. A new president was inducted, and about a week later, I was out, along with several others.

I was still new, only about two and a half months in, and certainly was not anticipating looking for work so soon. I didn’t do what I always tell everyone else to do: keep your resume updated, because you never really know what could happen.

Even after already going through a layoff earlier this year, I believed what I was told during the interview process, that there was a “lofty” three-year growth plan in motion. I operated under that assumption and started to settle in, thinking I was finally able to plant some roots.

Getting laid off sucks. At the end of the day, no matter how personal it feels, I know it’s just business. A company looking to survive the same capitalistic chaos we all are.

So all I can do now is focus on marketing myself and finding the next opportunity.

I might not have been ready to job hunt in that moment, but hiring runs on timing, and I knew the clock had already started ticking.

Here’s what I did within 24 hours of getting laid off, and why I moved quickly.

I acted fast on purpose

I was laid off on a Thursday afternoon, and that timing actually really mattered. Recruiters will often post new roles on Fridays so they can collect applicants over the weekend. I knew if I wanted to be in the early batch of resumes, I needed to move right away.

There’s also the other side of that. If a posting gets flooded with candidates, the recruiter or hiring manager might close it before Friday so they aren’t spending money on it over the weekend if its not a priority. Job boards don’t always run on fairness or logic; they run on traffic and money that the companies are willing to spend on them.

Could I have waited until next week? Sure. But the longer you wait, the more those early roles slip out of reach.

Thursday night alone, I learned that lesson firsthand. I saved a role on Indeed to apply to on Friday morning, and by the time I went back, the company had stopped accepting applications. It wasn’t the end of the world, but I remembered it. This time, I refused to let hesitation cost me another shot.

I updated my resume right away

I didn’t have an updated version of my resume ready to go, and that was on me. The first thing I did was add my most recent role, and then I made three separate versions of my resume so I could move faster going forward.

The first version was focused on recruiting roles, since that’s where most of my experience and interest lie. The second was geared toward HR positions that lean more generalist. The third was a master version that included everything in detail — every responsibility, every metric, every piece of context that might be relevant depending on the job.

The reason for this is simple: when you have tailored versions ready, you can apply faster and more accurately. You don’t have to rewrite the whole thing every time. You just tweak a few lines, maybe reorder a section, and you’re done.

The master resume ended up being close to three pages long, which I know makes some people cringe, but it’s intentional. That’s the version I upload to LinkedIn and Indeed because those systems run on keywords and search visibility. I want recruiters who are sourcing to see the full picture of my experience, not just a condensed summary. The shorter, polished versions are for applications, but the long one is for discoverability.

Most importantly, regardless of whatever role they are looking to fill, having my full experience out there will populate my profile if it aligns.

Once those were ready, I uploaded them, aligned the indeed version of my resume to match, and turned on “Open to Work,” and refreshed my profiles.

I found a way to stand out

There are a lot of people out there who do what I do. Some have the same certifications, similar experience, and even overlapping networks. I knew that if someone came across my profile or a post about me, I needed to be memorable for the right reasons.

I didn’t want to post the same “open to work” message with a green circle and three bullet points. There’s nothing wrong with those, but they don’t say much about who you are. So I wrote something honest instead. I shared what happened, what I’m looking for, and what I bring to the table. I wanted people to feel like they were hearing directly from me, not reading a template.

To go with it, I made a Canva graphic showing what I have to offer, what I am passionate about, and sprinkling in a bit of my humor. That post ended up reaching over 15,000 people and was shared more than 60 times within two days.

More importantly, it started conversations with people I’ve connected with over the past year who reached out to check in, share leads, and offer help.

I leaned on my network, and it showed up for me

When I lost my job earlier this year, I didn’t have much of a network. I hadn’t really built one yet. This time was different.

For the past ten months, I’ve been posting regularly, connecting with professionals across tons of industries, sharing advice, and trying to help job seekers feel less lost in this process. I’ve built real relationships in that time, and when this happened, those connections came through immediately.

As soon as I posted, people started resharing it, tagging hiring managers, and messaging me directly. Some just offered kind words, but others sent active job leads or referrals. It was overwhelming; people I barely exchanged words with had encouraging words to say about me and the work I have done.

When you’ve built a community, it shows up for you when you need it most.

I stayed available

By Friday morning, I got a call from a recruiter at a local staffing agency about a recruiter position and an email from another. I hadn’t applied to either job, but they found me because I had updated my resume the night before. (Legit ones, too. Not a “choose your own hours and make $2,000 a week” situation.)

That one action of uploading a new version pushed me higher in the search results and advertised me as being available since I had recently updated it. From my own recruiting experience, I know how much that can make a difference. When I see a “recently updated” profile, I’m more likely to reach out because I know the candidate is active and more likely to respond. It’s a better use of time and has a higher ROI when sourcing.

Now that I am on this side of the search, I know what those hiring managers are looking for when sourcing. Even two applications I sent out Friday had already triggered next steps like cultural index assessments by the end of the day. Whether those were automatic or not, it means things are already in motion when someone logs in Monday morning.

That call didn’t turn into an immediate offer, but it was very encouraging to have heard from recruiters and to see other movement so soon after becoming available. It proved that what I was doing was working.

If this happens to you

Take the time you need to sit with it. Getting laid off is a strange mix of quiet and panic, and it takes a minute for your brain to catch up. Be frustrated. Be tired. Be mad about it if you need to. Then, when that energy runs out, start moving again.

Update your resume, and get it uploaded, even if you’re not ready to start applying yet. Turn on your visibility and write a short, honest post that says what happened and what you’re looking for next. It doesn’t have to sound inspiring, just sincere.

Every day you stay still, another role gets filled. You don’t need to overhaul your whole life overnight, but you do need to keep yourself in the mix. People can’t reach out if they don’t know you’re available.

Losing your job doesn’t take away your experience or the work you’ve put in. It just changes what’s next. You still have the same skills, the same drive, the same perspective that made you good at what you do. You’re still that person, just with a slightly messier backstory now.

That’s where I am right now. Updating, applying, staying visible, and trying to remember that this isn’t an ending, it’s just the plot twist I didn’t plan for.

Shameless plug to the post I am referencing. If you have a lead, I would love to hear about it!