Laid off? 10 things to do before you update your résumé.
Your résumé is not the first emergency. Protect the deadlines, money, benefits, work records, proof, and relationships that can get harder to recover after your access disappears.
If the meeting is happening now, start with three questions: What is my separation date? When does my access end? When will I receive the written separation and benefits information?
A layoff creates urgency, and urgency makes the résumé feel like the first task.
It usually is not. The résumé can wait a day. A benefits deadline, disappearing system access, or a severance document may not.
Protect the record, the money, and the people. Then rewrite.
Handle the information that expires first. Once those pieces are secure, you can build the next search from facts instead of panic.
Secure the information you may not be able to recover later.
Do these first if you still have access to email, HR systems, pay records, or people inside the company.
Get the decision and timeline in writing.
Ask for the official separation reason, effective date, last active-work date, system-access cutoff, benefits end date, equipment instructions, and the person handling follow-up questions.
- Ask whether the company will call it a layoff, position elimination, or reduction in force.
- Ask whether you are eligible for rehire and what employment verification will include.
Thank you for meeting with me today. Please confirm my separation date, stated reason for separation, final day of system access, benefits end date, equipment-return steps, and when I will receive the complete separation documents.
Read the severance agreement as a contract.
Find the acceptance deadline, what you receive, what you release, and which obligations continue after employment. Pay attention to confidentiality, non-disparagement, cooperation, restrictive covenants, bonus, commission, equity, and benefits language.
If you are 40 or older and the agreement asks you to waive federal age-discrimination claims, individual ADEA waivers generally must provide at least 21 days to consider the agreement and 7 days to revoke after signing. Group termination programs generally require at least 45 days to consider, along with additional disclosures.
Reconcile every dollar the company may owe.
List final wages, unused paid time off, approved expenses, commissions, bonus eligibility, severance timing, equity, retirement contributions, and company-paid health coverage. Ask which amounts are guaranteed and which depend on a separate plan or state rule.
Keep the employment records you are allowed to keep.
That may include your offer letter, separation notice, job descriptions, performance reviews, award notices, pay statements, benefits summaries, training certificates, and public-facing work.
Do not take company property.
Do not forward client data, internal strategy, private employee information, source files, trade secrets, or other confidential material. When you are unsure, ask what you may retain.
Protect coverage, income, and the evidence behind your work.
Write down the proof behind your accomplishments.
Record the problem, what you owned, the scale, the decision you made, the result, and how the result was measured. Numbers and context disappear from memory faster than job titles.
- Revenue, cost, time, risk, adoption, quality, retention, or customer outcomes.
- Budget, team size, regions, products, systems, or audience.
- Leadership moments, difficult decisions, recoveries, and stakeholder influence.
Compare your health coverage options.
Confirm the exact date active coverage ends. Compare COBRA, a spouse or partner’s employer plan, Marketplace coverage, Medicaid or CHIP eligibility, and any state continuation option that may apply.
COBRA generally gives eligible people 60 days to elect coverage, measured from the later of coverage ending or the election notice. Losing job-based coverage also creates a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period, generally allowing enrollment within 60 days after the loss.
Start the unemployment claim.
The U.S. Department of Labor advises contacting the unemployment program in the state where you worked as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Use the official state site, enter employment dates and the separation reason accurately, and keep required work-search records.
Also check free career and training support before paying for help.
American Job Centers and WIOA Dislocated Worker services may offer eligible laid-off workers career support and, in some cases, approved training assistance. Availability and eligibility vary locally.
Read The Corporate Curly guide to free WIOA career training →
Map the next 90 days of essential cash.
List available cash, expected severance, unemployment benefits, reliable household income, insurance costs, essential bills, debt minimums, and due dates. Review automatic payments and contact lenders or providers before missing payments if you need hardship options.
Bridge income, contract work, or temporary work can reduce pressure without ending your professional search.
If unemployment stretches longer, use You’ve Been Unemployed for Six Months. Now What? →
Secure the people who know your work and choose where you are going next.
Save personal contact information and ask for references.
Company directories disappear with access. Save contact details you are authorized to keep for managers, peers, clients, vendors, and cross-functional partners who can speak to your work.
Hi [Name], my position was eliminated today. I valued the work we did on [project]. Would you be comfortable serving as a reference for roles focused on [target work], particularly speaking to [specific capability or result]?
Choose the target before rewriting the document.
Pick one primary role family, the level, adjacent titles that genuinely overlap, location and work-arrangement constraints, compensation floor, and the business problems your strongest evidence solves.
Collect real current postings before rewriting. Look for repeated needs. Then build one strong base résumé around that target instead of trying to make one document fit every job.
Use How Many Jobs Should You Apply to Per Week? → to turn the target into a realistic weekly search.
Now you have the information the résumé actually needs.
Use accurate dates, factual accomplishments, and evidence tied to the role family you chose. Keep the layoff explanation for conversation rather than turning the résumé into an apology.
Do not post while flooded.
Write the public announcement offline first. Keep it factual, forward-looking, and specific about the work you want.
Do not erase the old role.
A layoff does not erase the work. Keep accurate dates, scope, and results.
Do not buy a panic certificate.
Pay for training only when target jobs repeatedly show a real skill gap. Check WIOA and other free support first.
Do not apply everywhere.
Separate immediate-income work from the primary career search so urgency does not erase fit.
Before your next interview, use How to Explain a Layoff in an Interview → to build a short, truthful answer.
Sources and scope
This guide provides general U.S. information, not legal, tax, financial, or benefits advice. Severance, final pay, paid leave, unemployment, health coverage, retirement plans, and restrictive covenants can depend on state law, plan terms, employer size, age, and individual circumstances.
General U.S. career information only. Confirm deadlines, eligibility, plan terms, and legal obligations with the relevant agency, plan administrator, employer, or qualified adviser.
What part of the first week after a layoff feels the most confusing?
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