Techie laid off from Microsoft after 14 years shares how she landed a job at Meta

Hendersen stated hypothesis concerning the layoffs had been widespread internally. She stated it will definitely turned the “worst-kept secret” that further layoffs have been coming, and that her group was more likely to be affected.

“It wasn’t a lot like watching a automobile wreck,” stated the 45-year-old, who lives in Seattle. “It was extra such as you have been within the automobile, figuring out it was going to wreck,” she informed Business Insider.

Hendersen stated that earlier rounds of layoffs had been shrouded in silence. “It’s simply very uncomfortable, in my expertise, to not know who has been affected,” she stated. So this time, she selected transparency. Within an hour of receiving the invite that signalled dangerous information, she posted about her layoff on LinkedIn and commenced messaging colleagues internally.

This transfer proved pivotal for her as it will definitely helped her land a brand new position at Meta two months later.

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Hendersen’s journey

The 43-year-old shared that her journey to a brand new position started lower than an hour after she study she had been laid off. She immediately messaged colleagues on her group, letting them know she had misplaced her job. As folks replied, she began a Teams group of laid-off workers – an area that rapidly turned a help hub for recommendation on unemployment, severance, and morale.

“I’d vastly have most well-liked that I’d have been the one one that was laid off. But the truth that we may instantly construct group was simply extremely useful,” she stated.

Hendersen revealed that she additionally ready financially, promoting inventory forward of time when she first sensed layoffs coming. After her severance phrases have been finalised, she and her husband additionally sat down to transform their finances. “There was very a lot a way of gorgeous nervousness,” she stated.

(Also Read: ‘2,000 workers clapped for layoffs’: HR govt’s submit about radical transparency sparks debate)

How did she discover a job with out making use of for it?

The 43-year-old additional shared that originally she needed to take a while to decompress and get organised earlier than starting her job search. However, she didn’t decompress fairly as a lot as she had supposed.

By sharing her state of affairs overtly, she started receiving leads from her community inside days of her LinkedIn submit. Many got here by way of referrals relatively than job portals, which meant she bypassed the usual software pipeline totally. “It was identical to this ocean of heat hugs and kindness that got here from individuals who have been right here to assist me,” she stated.

One of these referrals then led to a consumer expertise researcher position at Meta’s Reality Labs division. After interviews, she obtained a suggestion in late August and joined full-time in October.

Hendersen shared that her largest takeaway from the transition is the significance of group help. “Everybody will get turned down and will get their hopes up,” she stated. “It’s so useful to have the help of different people who find themselves going by way of it — each the highs and the lows. Because all people will get turned down, will get their hopes up, and is simply determining how you can stay sane in a very difficult time,” she stated.