Navigating a layoff as a product designer
Issue 7: Stories, and practical tips that I wish I had known at the time
As I roamed the Scottish Highlands, the call came—I was laid off. I remember feeling like the rug was pulled under my feet, a mixture of disbelief and concern churning within me.
It was the first time I had ever experienced this in my 15-year career, and it was truly awful. The journey that followed was a turbulent one, filled with a mix of worry for the future and the potential for new opportunities.
I’m sharing my personal experience, not with unfounded positivity, but with a realistic ray of hope.
As the news hit me, a wave of emotions engulfed me: shock, disbelief, anger, and worry. Why me? Hadn’t I just shipped a few critical projects? Didn’t I receive two positive performance reviews?
I needed to create space to acknowledge that I had just lost something I cared about and allow myself to grieve.
It is important to allow yourself to feel these emotions. Silence the inner critic that urges you to “stay strong” and, instead, embrace vulnerability. This is when I realized it's okay to not be okay. It was a moment of true vulnerability, reaching out to my network, which became my emotional backbone during this time.
During this time, the following helped me cope:
Daily journaling to work through my feelings.
Conversations with my partner, friends, and mentors.
A few professional counseling sessions in the first two weeks.
Connect with your old coworkers
Companies often have a Slack or Whatsapp group for ex-employees, or you can message your old team via LinkedIn or email.
Connecting can be helpful to:
Share your feelings and experiences, which can be cathartic.
Seek closure—exchange the farewells you missed and gain additional insights into the situation.
Ask for help with your job search journey.
Deciding on the severance agreement
Before you decide to sign the severance agreement, take the time to read through the entire document. If there’s any uncertainty, it might be wise to seek legal counsel.
Signing the agreement often comes with benefits like:
Extra financial compensation
Extended insurance benefits
Perks like access to learning resources or retaining company equipment
If you’re an expat, like me, you might be eligible for additional benefits, like flights back to your home country.
However, it’s crucial to realize that in signing, you’ll be waiving certain rights. Fully understand these implications and consider if agreeing is the best choice for your current situation. While there’s no universally correct decision, there could be one that’s most suitable for your specific circumstances.
Financial planning
After processing the initial shock of a layoff, it’s important to assess your financial health. You may have child care and monthly bills that won’t stop because you’ve been laid off.
Take a close look at your expenses, tighten your budget where needed, and make sure you understand your severance entitlements. This isn’t about being overly frugal but rather creating a safety net that provides peace of mind and allows you time to plan your next career move.
Having newly relocated to Germany, I wished I had started building that 6-8 month financial buffer sooner. It would have eased the initial panic. However, the severance package helped alleviate some of that stress.
Next Steps:
Review and adjust your monthly budget.
Understand your severance package in detail.
Start building a financial safety net if you are still employed.
Create a realistic schedule
Avoid creating overly ambitious plans soon after a layoff—rest, apply for jobs, and follow your instincts. After a week or two, start crafting a balanced schedule.
I made the mistake of going full throttle with job applications, and I came close to burnout. Luckily, I was able to catch some of my signals and slowed down.
Prioritize daily self-care—disconnect and indulge in activities like reading, exercising, or catching that matinee show or anything else that works for you.
Consider a realistic job search timetable—how many hours each day or week? Mix in enjoyable activities to make the most of the flexibility you have now.
I divided my job search efforts into segments:
40% for applications, updating my portfolio and résumé.
20% for networking, like coffee chats or LinkedIn outreach.
20% for upskilling through online courses.
20% for relaxation and fun
Figure out your job search criteria
We all have unique must-haves for our dream job, team, and workplace—no one-size-fits-all. Reflect on what clicks for you:
Pinpoint what sparked joy in your last role—and what didn’t.
List your non-negotiables for a team, company, and manager.
Decide your ideal work setup—remote, on-site, or a mix, plus the geographic spread of your team.
Determine your salary expectations
Remember, the longer your list of essentials, the longer the hunt might take. But being picky can mean landing a job that fits like a glove, one you’ll want to stick with. It’s about balancing your priorities and patience.
Update your LinkedIn and résumé
Update your LinkedIn bio and résumé to include a summary of your background, add recent projects to your work experience, and build a narrative that demonstrates resilience and readiness for new opportunities.
I had a former colleague and a career coach review my résumé and LinkedIn profile. Sharing my journey and learnings with them unexpectedly opened new opportunities.
At the time, I chose not to use LinkedIn’s “Open to Work” feature, as I’ve found can be controversial. Some recruiters view it as a red flag that suggests desperation. Although I don’t share this sentiment, I also didn’t want to go against the current.
Next Steps:
Optimize your LinkedIn profile based on keywords in job descriptions.
Prepare tailored résumés and cover letters.
Connect and engage with industry peers.
Share your journey and insights.
Update your design portfolio
I spent the majority of my time updating my portfolio. For the past decade, I’ve always struggled to keep my online portfolio updated. It was always a hectic rush during the interview season. However, the new freedom provided me with ample time and space to carefully plan and revamp my online portfolio and design deck.
Remember to curate your best work, but also make sure it tells a story—your story. Potential employers are seeking problem solvers, so emphasize projects where your design thinking made a tangible difference.
I decided to move from Webflow to Framer since it was faster to launch.
You can also check out this essay I published earlier:
Finding jobs
Creating a targeted list of companies and a systematic approach to applications brought clarity and purpose to my job hunt.
I set filters and alerts on LinkedIn jobs based on specific keywords and subscribed to a few job boards. Some job boards that I recommend are:
Product Disrupt - North America and Europe-focused job board.
Design Dept - Creative leadership-focused job board
Femke’s job board - North America-focused job board
UI UX job board - Europe-centric job board
I made a list of companies I found interesting that aligned with my values and career direction. I made a dashboard to help me stay organized (and sane) and track progress so I know when I need to follow up.
I totally understand how brutal rejections can be. But here's the thing—they're a normal slice of the interview pie. More often than not, you'll face a few 'nos' before getting that 'yes.' And, hey, it's not about you being inadequate. It's often just about timing or specific needs they have. Maybe your skills aren't what they need right now, or perhaps someone else is further along the interview pipeline.
Remember, job hunting is partly a numbers game, but it's not just about throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Next Steps:
Make a list of companies aligned with your values.
Use LinkedIn to find connections for referrals.
Create a “job application pack,” a folder that includes your latest résumé, company-specific cover letters, and a PDF design portfolio—everything you need to upload while applying.
Interview prep
When you first start your search, apply to many jobs in your field, even jobs you think you would be unlikely to accept. This will help you get practice at a few stages of the interview process before you dive too far in.
A typical interview loop would have between 3-5 interviews.
Recruiter screen
Hiring manager screen
Portfolio review
Whiteboarding/ design exercises
I won’t go in-depth about different interview formats in this article, but here are some excellent articles:
Product design interview process by
What to expect in a product design interview by Nishtha H. Dalal
Solving Product Design Exercises is an insightful book to help you handle whiteboard exercises by Artiom Dashinsky.
Next Steps
Do mock Q&A interviews with a mentor or Google’s interview warm-up
Practice behavioral questions using the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) format.
Practice the whiteboard challenge using a familiar framework.
Broaden your horizons
Take the opportunity to clear your mind while immersing yourself in new sources of creativity. I immersed myself in art, architecture, culture, and history while traveling to new places.
Establish a daily routine that includes job searching and personal hobbies.
Engage in activities that promote mental and physical well-being.
Explore new skills or hobbies for personal growth.
I took up digital painting again, a long-lost hobby that became my solace, reminding me that creativity flows in many forms.
Here’s what I had fun with:
Engaged with a few clients as a design advisor
Read non-fiction books about leadership, business, psychology, and dog training.
Finished the Framer Training course by
Completed an A2-level German test
Being laid off can be one of the most stressful moments of your career. You may start to doubt your strengths, fear the future, or struggle with creating a routine. There will be good days, and there will be a lot of bad days, but you will get through it.
Careers are marathons, and a layoff is just a small blip in your professional story, not the end. As you update your portfolio and conquer interviews, you’re shaping an entirely new chapter. ✌️
Thanks to Joseph Louis Tan for his perspective and for reviewing the drafts for this article.