←back to thread

A layoff fundamentally changed how I perceive work

(mertbulan.com)
1041 points mertbio | 3 comments | 27 Jan 25 08:22 UTC | HN request time: 0.682s | source
Show context
strken ◴[27 Jan 25 10:06 UTC] No.42839357[source]▶
After being laid off more than once, I think I'd adjust the advice a little:

- You're only obliged to work your contract hours. If you do more then make sure that you, personally, are getting something out of it, whether that's "I look good to my boss" or "I take job satisfaction from this" or just "I get to play with Kotlin". Consider just not working overtime.

- Take initiative, but do so sustainably. Instead of trying to look good for promo, or alternately doing the bare minimum and just scraping by, take on impactful work at a pace that won't burn you out and then leave if it isn't rewarded.

- Keep an ear to the ground. Now you've got a job, you don't need another one, but this is a business relationship just like renting a house or paying for utilities. Be aware of the job market, and consider interviewing for roles that seriously interest you. Don't go crazy and waste the time of every company in your city lest it come back to bite you, but do interview for roles you might actually take.

The last two points are fine, however.

replies(7): >>42839395 #>>42839701 #>>42840511 #>>42840982 #>>42842252 #>>42844998 #>>42846494 #
1. ghaff ◴[27 Jan 25 12:39 UTC] No.42840511[source]▶
I was laid off during dot-bomb and was lucky enough to land a good (actually better) job through someone I knew pretty quickly. Pay wasn't great and they barely came through dot-bomb themselves later. But whatever.

I can't say I was surprised when it happened. I knew things weren't going well and I wasn't really bringing in business. Was actually happy to move on except for the fact that the job market was really tough at the moment.

But, yeah. Under most circumstances knocking yourself out isn't worth it most of the time. I have had some product launches and on-job site projects where I sort of did for a while and that was OK. But don't make a practice of it in most cases.

replies(1): >>42845195 #
2. foogazi ◴[27 Jan 25 20:21 UTC] No.42845195[source]▶
> through someone I knew

The best interview hack

replies(1): >>42845336 #
3. ghaff ◴[27 Jan 25 20:34 UTC] No.42845336[source]▶
Yeah, I think the first email I dropped was to this guy who owned a small company we had been a client of in an earlier role. He invited me up to lunch and was there with his (later) COO. It was basically a casual interview. Later, we discussed some contract work but he basically decided to just hire me. Which was nice because it was basically nuclear winter during dot-bomb--nothing else that even vaguely resembled a lead.

I think this sort of thing bugs a lot of people here because they think that some sort of theoretical skill assessment should be what matters. But that's not how the world works for the most part.