Digital Disruption: Surviving the lay-off as a marketer
Wishing a joyful Women's History Month to all the amazing women! 💃✨
My new series, "Digital Disruption" is commencing, in which I will engage in discussions with thought leaders in the tech marketing realm to gain insights from the brilliant minds and trailblazers of the industry. Throughout the process, I will share the inquiries I posed and the knowledge gained from these conversations with you.
With this inaugural post, I want to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of women throughout history, culture, and society this month by engaging with some of my friends and colleagues in the #marketing and #tech sectors to discuss the obstacles they may have encountered in their professional journeys.
Sadly, one of the most prevalent concerns is the issue of being laid off.
One of my closest friends, Ashley Lose, a full-time UX writer, wife, mother, and avid lover of life, was recently affected by a large-scale layoff at her previous organization. She composed a compelling article on Navigating the Transition: From Marketer to UX Writer, outlining the measures she took immediately after being terminated.
Today, I would like to pose a few additional questions to her that you may also have if you find yourself in this unfortunate circumstance.
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What were your priorities and goals?
“My first priority was to grieve. I loved my job. I was growing in my role. I respected my peers and truly believed in the company's mission. And so, when I was laid off, it was much like a breakup, and I knew I needed time to process things. Fortunately, because so many other tech companies were laying off at the same time, my community was there with open arms.
After a couple of days, I set some small goals for myself: file for unemployment, meet with a career coach, mind map what I wanted to do next with my career. A couple of years before, I started taking a course in UX design and I figured this layoff was an opportunity to move out of marketing and into user experience (UX) design. I updated my LinkedIn profile, requested recommendations from former co-workers to boost my professional network, and started following thought leaders in the UX industry.
My biggest goal then was to pull together documentation of the projects I'd worked on that I was most proud of and start migrating that content into my UX portfolio. I had to start thinking about the WHY behind these projects and why I wrote the copy I did for these landing pages, emails, social media posts, and blogs, and also begin to understand how that copy impacted the user experience. I knew storytelling was important for UX positions and I wanted solid portfolio pieces that could showcase my skills and experience.
How have your skills and experiences changed, if at all?
Transitioning from marketing to UX required a shift in mindset and skillset. While I'd done many things in marketing as a copywriter that were similar to UX writing, the approach is different. To help with my knowledge gap, I read up on UX research and design principles on Medium to better understand how to empathize with users and document processes.
I also read "Writing is Designing" and "Strategic Writing for UX" which helped me wrap my brain around how to approach writing in a product and increased my awareness of how user-focused a great UX writer needed to be. Doing research really helped me skip the imposter syndrome stage and just soak up all the knowledge to prepare myself for interviews.
What types of support have you required during this time?
It takes a village, no matter what your endeavor in life is.
Everyone on Linkedin during these layoffs could witness to this; there was definitely a community feeling, no matter what company you came from, and I leaned into this.
One of the first Linkedin social events I attended was hosted by Basecamp Outdoors; they hosted a layoff/networking party for dozens of people who worked in the intersection of tech and the outdoor industry. Some participants had already been out of work for months. We did a virtual meditation together, shared our fears, and connected on Linkedin and Instagram to support one another on this journey. This reminded me that I am not what I do for a living. I am not my job. I am a person of value and intelligence.
I walked away from that event knowing that the best thing I could do for myself during this transition was to take care of my mental health, breathe, and show up as my best self every day, just as I did when I was employed.
Another way that I found support was through my therapist. I've been working with her for almost a year. She helped me manage my anxiety and alleviate the opportunity for negative self-talk. During this time, I also worked with a career coach to revamp my resume to appeal to UX recruiters. My coach also looked over job offers before I accepted them to ensure I was walking into a healthy new work environment and getting everything I wanted in terms of pay and benefits. Additionally, I utilized online resources like ADPList to help me find mentors to review my portfolio, give feedback on my resume, and guide me through the interview process.
For anyone else experiencing this type of transition, I think it's so important not to take things personally. Yes, you will need time to grieve the loss of a job but then start prioritizing your next steps, learn new skills, and seek support. You can turn this experience into a valuable opportunity for growth and advancement in your career.”
- Ashley Lose
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I appreciate your willingness to share the steps you took to regain your footing after a mass layoff. For many, the natural response would be to seek new employment immediately. I was particularly intrigued by the emotional aspect of coping with the grief of job loss and the uncertainties that arise from feeling as though you might be at fault.
The truth is, anyone can experience this, especially in the current climate.
Today's key takeaways are:
Give yourself time to grieve your job loss before diving into the search process. Consider taking a full week off to let your emotions and thoughts stabilize, allowing you to be in the right mindset for networking and interviewing.
Use this time to reevaluate your professional skills and objectives. Ask yourself if you still want to continue in your current line of work, or if you're open to learning new skills and exploring different paths.
Often, we resist change out of fear of the unknown. Events like these can serve as catalysts for necessary change. If you decide to continue pursuing your passion, you can seize this opportunity, like Ashley did, to enhance your skill set through advanced or supplementary courses. This will boost your confidence as you transition into a new role, alleviating any anxiety or apprehension that may arise.Finally, seek support from loved ones, colleagues, and professional resources. Your mental well-being is crucial during this vulnerable period. Trust the process and don't hesitate to ask for help.
If you are like me (a Taurus), you might find it difficult to ask for assistance or feel like you're burdening others with your problems. However, the majority of people genuinely want to help, if only you would ask.
Remember that offering a reference or sharing job leads with someone in your network takes minimal effort, but can significantly impact their life.
I hope you found Ashley's story insightful and can use this segment as a personal repository of peer lessons. If you find this helpful, fantastic; if not, thank you for reading and hopefully, you'll find value in my other articles.
If you have a personal story about a pivotal moment in your career, I'd love to hear from you.
Jello
