What to do now that you lost your job?
A 4-step framework for taking the right actions
As most of you know if you've been following my journey since the start on Substack, I was laid off at the end of April. It was brutal. Although I consider myself super resilient and pretty creative in building my career, this one hit different. It was as if someone had stolen my entire life before my eyes: status, habits, work rituals, colleagues who'd become friends... and if you've been there, you know that hollow feeling in your chest.
It's now July 6th, Sunday morning in Paris. Rain is pouring after two weeks of scorching heat, and I'm alone in my local WeWork, sipping mint tea after another round of LinkedIn fury-posting. But here's the thing, I feel like I am finally not panicking anymore.
I managed to save enough and, do have an incredibly supportive husband but more importantly, I've pivoted so many times in the past 15 years that I've learned something crucial: every ending is actually a doorway. I've developed somewhat of a system that keeps me sane when things don’t go as planned or as quickly as I wish it to go.
Still, it's been a wild ride. The past three years have been so confusing (that’s a story for another time), that I decided to gift myself two months of real exploration not just job hunting, but soul searching.
Here’s what that looked like:
April: I started with absolute certainty that I'd consult tech companies in sales. Then reality hit, I didn't have enough expertise to be the next sales genius. Plus, AI basically stole my responsibilities in that department. So I pivoted to job applications.
May-June: I got deep into an interview process for the next unicorn in Paris. Four interviews in, I could taste the offer. Then they dismissed me. I was their second choice, and first place had just said yes, but you learn, you move on, and you get stronger.
But something interesting happened along the way. I met two incredible startup founders – one in arts, one in healthtech – where I could genuinely help them reach their next stage. These conversations lit something up inside me that corporate interviews never did.
July: The moment of clarity.: after visiting WeWork, after talking with friends who run their own companies, after weeks of soul searching, I realized what I actually wanted. Not another 9 to 5 job, I wanted to build something again on my own terms, where I could make a real difference in people's lives.
So here I am, rain-soaked Sunday morning in Paris, about to bet on myself again. And honestly? I can't wait to see what happens next and maybe this is how the magic of being laid off - without a choice - works.
Consume this instead of doomscrolling
Find your unfair strategic advantage (in 10 minutes) by Alex M H Smith, a brilliant strategist who uncovers and shares the strategy of different businesses regularly on LinkedIn and now on Youtube!
Siffat Haider’s interview with Julie Wainwright from the RealReal, which she started in her 50s! This is a chat about her reinvention and how she changed things around.
Leena Nair, CEO of Chanel, speech at Stanford about her journey, but also on how to build your resilience. It’s a masterclass in manifesting but also building the skills to grow, commit to your purpose and live your dream career.
Articles and Books
The 1 Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan
It is so well written and actionable with a lot of great stories, but mainly great guidelines to help you be more focused and plan your days according to what you want to achieve. If you want to bypass the read and watch a video about it, see Deya’s great summary!
100M Leads by Alex Hormozi
I thought I knew a thing or two about magnet leads and attracting leads to your offer, but please let me take that away… he is a master at tinkering offers and magnet leads that will get you leads. And the easiest read I’ve done in ages just because it reads like an instagram caption 😆
A 4-step framework to pivot careers
This is an overview of the kind of work I have done every time I decided to pivot careers and felt a pull toward a new industry, or new kind of role. Of course, there’s a lot more going into this but it should give you a guideline on the things you should focus on to make this transition smoother.
Step 1: Crystallize your WHY
Get brutally honest about what's driving this pivot. Is it escaping current frustrations or genuinely moving toward something meaningful? Define what success looks like in this new role and why this specific career aligns with your deeper motivations. Without a clear WHY, you'll abandon ship when things get difficult, and they will.
Step 2: Engineer your current but also future Exit strategy
Develop a concrete business plan for leaving your current role. Set financial benchmarks, timeline milestones, and transition protocols. This isn't just about when to quit - it's about how to leverage your current position to set up your next chapter. Build relationships, save strategically, and position yourself so you're moving toward opportunity, not running from problems.
Step 3: Values + skills alignment audit
Map your core values against what your target role actually demands, then honestly assess which skills transfer and which gaps need filling but not the usual skills or values, be creative and make a long list of every single skill you think you gained and mastered in your current job.
For example, My fashion modeling background gave me client relations skills useful for café ownership; your café experience taught me operations and customer service valuable for recruiting. Identify these bridges and the skill gaps that could derail you.
Step 4: Build in Public
Document and share your transition journey authentically on the platform you enjoy most - I personally picked LinkedIn but it could be TikTok or any other platform. This creates accountability, builds your personal brand in the new field, attracts mentors and opportunities, and helps others considering similar pivots. Your transparency becomes both a learning tool and a networking strategy, people want to help those who share their struggles and insights openly but they also want to learn from those who are doing the thing they dream of doing.
I’ve used this framework often and would be open to hear about anyone else’s framework or way of pivoting careers. Any ideas and suggestions are always welcome as this is how we all move forward with a lighter heart.