I found a new job within 2 months of being put on a layoff list. Five actions helped me transition smoothly and quickly.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Steve Prokopiou, a 58-year-old head of data literacy and enablement, based in London. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I had been at my previous company for around three years. In January, when I logged into a meeting with my boss and an HR business partner, I knew what was going to happen within two seconds: my role was up for redundancy.

In my over 35-year career in data and analytics, I’ve experienced the redundancy process multiple times and have also had to make people redundant.

A few weeks after I got the news, while I was still with my old job, I contacted my now-boss, who was in my network. I asked him if we could grab a coffee because I was looking for a new role. My previous job ended in February, and I started my new one in the middle of March.

Based on my personal experience being on both sides of a redundancy process, I created a list of five lessons I used to help me transition and land my next role quickly.

1. Look after yourself and take the time to pause and reflect

When I have been in this situation before, I’ve tried to carry on as normal and show the company that it has made a mistake. But this time around, I realized the decision had been made, and I needed to accept that.

I deleted all noncritical meetings, answered only essential emails, and delegated appropriately. This gave me the headspace and brain capacity to deal with what is never a nice situation.

I’m in my fifties, so I wondered about what I wanted to do next. What’s important to me? I wanted to make sure I gave myself the space and the time to think about that.

You have to accept that this has happened to you rather than because of you. It’s the role that’s been made redundant, not you.

2. Take a balanced view when negotiating your exit

I did my job well and made lots of strong relationships, so I felt I earned the right to have a sensible conversation about what an elegant exit looks like.

Go through your contract line by line, make a list, and use that as a starting point for a negotiation. The company is typically obliged to make certain payments due under that contract. If you’ve got a notice period and they want you to leave sooner, ask for the money. If you’ve got an outstanding holiday or a bonus that you feel is due, you might put those on your list.

Don’t be afraid to ask, but take a balanced view; don’t bang your fists on the table. Ultimately, you should seek an outcome that allows you to exit graciously and professionally.

3. Seek support while you work out what’s next for you

I’m lucky that I’ve met and kept in contact with a lot of people over the years, who I trust, who have been in similar situations. I went out for coffee and lunch with them to talk about my situation. It was great to have that support network while figuring out my next steps.

I went old school, got a pen and paper, and asked myself, “What does my next job need to have? “What would give me joy? What are the must-haves and must-not-haves? What have I already achieved that is transferable to a role that I want next? “

4. Reach out to people who can help you get to where you want to be

I’ve gotten most of my career roles through my network. There are job boards and LinkedIn, but because the application process is so simple now, standing out from the crowd feels impossible.

Look at your network and work out who can help you get there based on the criteria you’ve defined. I would send messages like, “I’m looking for a new role. I thought you might be able to help. Can we arrange a coffee or a Teams call? If you can help, great. If you can’t help, that’s also OK.”

I created three columns of people to reach out to: now, next, and later. I put everybody that I thought of somewhere on that list. I started with the now column and then deviated into the next, and I even reached out to some people on the later list.

5. Ask essential questions in interviews when looking for new roles

You should have fundamental cultural and organizational questions written down that will help you understand the right next job for you, and how the role you’re pursuing came about. Is it a new role? Is it a replacement for somebody who has already left? Why did they leave?

I think about why people join the organization. Why do they leave? What’s the working environment? How do things get done? What are the blockers for getting things done? What are the key initiatives over the next 12 months? What would be the No. 1 thing that they’d want me to deal with in my first six months?

I used these five lessons to get my new job

The role I have now almost feels custom-made for me.

Each time I’ve had to transition out of roles, it’s been an emotional roller coaster, but I found that other doors opened that I wouldn’t have necessarily considered if I weren’t in this situation. After a layoff, it’s definitely possible to be in a better place than you would’ve been otherwise.

Do you have a career story to share? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

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