After Ethan Olkovikas misplaced his advertising communications job within the third spherical of firm layoffs earlier this yr, he confronted a typical resolution: To publish or to not publish about it on LinkedIn.
“As a advertising communications skilled, I knew how vital it could be to regulate the narrative round my expertise,” he says. As well as, he says he has all the time favored to assist others by sharing his experiences and being a useful resource. So, he determined to go public.
By the top of the week, he posted the information about his layoff. However, then Olkovikas took issues one step additional: He posted a sequence of updates that included private tales, methods for skilled headshots, and insights from his personal experiences. Finally, the posts result in a contract artwork directing gig and a wave of assist. The ultimate publish within the sequence introduced his new function, which he landed in Might. Altogether, His posts earned greater than 30,000 impressions.
“I didn’t really feel that the layoff mirrored on my efficiency,” he says. “It felt like posting on LinkedIn and being very open and sincere and clear about my expertise from the beginning would sort of enable me to regulate the narrative round my story.”
Whereas deciding whether or not to make layoff information public or not is a private resolution, getting there’s a course of that requires thought and, maybe, some preparation.
To share or maintain quiet?
Whereas Olkovikas had a constructive expertise asserting his layoff on LinkedIn, recruiter Jacob Binke isn’t as captivated with sharing. The managing accomplice of The Birmingham Group, a Berkley, Michigan recruitment agency specializing within the building {industry}. Binke says he has a more difficult time putting individuals who announce that they’re unemployed. “The notion, at the very least in my {industry}, is that if you happen to get laid off, there’s a purpose why you get laid off,” he says. He says potential employers could supply decrease salaries as a result of they suppose the laid-off candidate is determined for work.
Human-first management advocate Paul Wolfe, a former chief human sources officer (CHRO) and human sources govt for Certainly, Match.com, and Condé Nast says that kind of feeling could also be industry-specific. He believes the “stigma” of going by means of a layoff or job loss is fading. “I’m a giant believer, each as a CHRO and as a person, in transparency,” he says. Wolfe believes it’s simpler to be clear a few layoff—particularly if an organization has introduced a giant layoff—than making an attempt to fake it didn’t occur.
Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn profession professional, agrees. LinkedIn analysis discovered that 85% of customers who publish that they’re open to work get assist from their networks.
Put your greatest foot ahead
Should you do resolve that you simply’re going to publish, there are a number of issues to think about. Crucial, says Wolfe, is to make certain you’re in the correct way of thinking. A layoff could be emotional—and also you don’t need to let these feelings get one of the best of you.
“It’s sort of just like the grieving course of you undergo,” he says. “Don’t publish something when you’re pissed as hell.”
Then, be certain your LinkedIn profile is “full, correct, and lively,” Olkovikas advises. Fisher provides it’s additionally time to overview the abilities you need to showcase and ensure your LinkedIn profile is reflecting them. Make sure that any expertise or expertise you’ve acquired in your final job are correctly highlighted. And, earlier than you resolve to go public, you can also signal to recruiters only that you simply’re open to work.
Make your publish give you the results you want
Whenever you publish about your layoff on LinkedIn, “be vivid, be temporary, be gone,” Wolfe says. In different phrases, maintain your publish constructive and brief. Fisher provides that it’s vital to be considerate about what you’re asking of your community.
“What’s actually vital is to say what you’re searching for, what expertise that you’ve got that make you proper for what you’re searching for, after which how your community will help,” she says. Are you searching for introductions? Are you searching for recommendation about the way to strategy the job search? Being particular about what you want will assist make sure that you get it.
The ‘Open to Work’ badge
Whether or not you publish or not, there’s one other resolution: Should you use the “Open to Work” badge?
Some people have robust opinions concerning the inexperienced badge, unveiled throughout pandemic-era layoffs, as Quick Firm has beforehand reported. Some imagine the badge appears “determined” and will even result in employment scams. Others say it’s only one extra software to get the phrase out. Fisher says individuals who sign that they’re open to work ultimately get roughly 40% extra Inmail messages than those that don’t. The inexperienced badge is only a seen means to take action.
Should you do resolve to go public on LinkedIn together with your layoff, Wolfe says dealing with it in a elegant, skilled method is the best way to go. He says he’s usually known as on by pals to take a look at a publish earlier than they put it out into the world. “Multiple set of eyes is all the time good on one thing you’re going to publish publicly,” he says.