Laid off? 10 things to do before you update your résumé.

During the meeting

Get the decision and timeline in writing

Ask for the official reason for separation, effective date, last active-work date, access cutoff, benefits end date, equipment-return instructions, and the person handling follow-up questions.

• Confirm whether the company will describe the separation as a layoff, position elimination, or reduction in force.
• Ask whether you are eligible for rehire and what the employment-verification policy covers.
• Send a written recap if an answer was only verbal.

Before signing

Read the severance agreement as a contract

Ask for the acceptance deadline. Identify what you receive, what you release, and which obligations continue after employment. Review confidentiality, non-disparagement, cooperation, non-solicitation, restrictive covenants, return-of-property terms, and any treatment of bonus, commission, equity, or benefits.

• Do not assume the meeting itself is the deadline.
• Consider legal review when the language, claims, restrictions, or amount are material.
• If you are 40 or older and the agreement asks you to waive federal age-discrimination claims, the EEOC says you generally must receive at least 21 days to consider it and seven days to revoke after signing. A group termination program generally requires 45 days plus additional disclosures.

Read the EEOC severance-agreement checklist

Get dates and amounts

Reconcile every dollar the company may owe

Create a written list of final wages, unused paid time off, approved expenses, commissions, bonus eligibility, severance timing, equity, retirement contributions, and any company-paid health coverage. Ask which items are guaranteed, conditional, or governed by a separate plan.

• Save recent pay statements and plan documents you are allowed to retain.
• Compare the written amounts with your records.
• Final-pay and paid-leave rules vary by state. Federal law does not require every employer to issue a final paycheck immediately.

Check U.S. Department of Labor final-pay guidance

Before access disappears

Preserve the documents you are allowed to keep

Collect personal employment records through approved channels. Useful records may include your offer letter, separation notice, job descriptions, performance reviews, award notices, pay statements, benefits summaries, training certificates, and public-facing work.

While the work is fresh

Capture the evidence behind your accomplishments

Before résumé language, build a private fact bank. Record the problem, your decision, collaborators, scale, constraints, outcome, and how the result was measured. Exact evidence is easier to lose than a job title.

• Revenue, cost, time, risk, adoption, quality, retention, or customer outcomes.
• Budget, team size, regions, products, accounts, systems, or audience.
• Leadership moments, difficult decisions, recoveries, and stakeholder influence.
• Names of public launches, reports, talks, or portfolio items you can cite.

Benefits clock

Compare health and other benefit 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. Compare premiums, deductibles, networks, prescriptions, current treatment, and start dates.

• Eligible people generally receive at least 60 days to elect COBRA, measured from the later of the election notice or loss of coverage.
• Marketplace enrollment after loss of job-based coverage generally has a 60-day window.
• Ask about flexible-spending deadlines, health-savings access, life insurance conversion, disability coverage, and employee-assistance benefits.

Compare Marketplace and COBRA options at HealthCare.gov

File promptly

Start the unemployment claim

Do not wait for the résumé. The U.S. Department of Labor advises contacting the relevant state unemployment program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Claims are generally filed with the state where you worked, although multi-state work can require guidance.

• Use only the official state site and keep confirmation numbers.
• Enter employer names, dates, and the separation reason accurately.
• Ask the state agency how severance, paid time off, contract work, or part-time income affects the claim.
• Keep the work-search records your state requires.

Find official state unemployment programs

90-day view

Build a cash map before making irreversible moves

List available cash, expected severance, unemployment benefits, reliable household income, insurance costs, essential bills, debt minimums, and due dates. Then calculate how many weeks of essential spending are covered.

• Review automatic payments so an old schedule does not create overdrafts.
• Contact lenders and providers before missing payments to ask about hardship options.
• Separate immediate-income work from the primary career search.
• Review retirement-plan choices before withdrawing. Cash distributions can create taxes and possible additional tax, while other options may preserve the balance.

Use the CFPB unexpected-job-loss worksheets

Relationship window

Secure personal contact information and references

Company directories disappear with access. Save personal contact details you are authorized to keep for managers, peers, clients, vendors, and cross-functional partners who know your work. Ask selected people whether they are comfortable serving as a reference or speaking to specific results.

Résumé comes next

Choose the target before writing the document

A résumé cannot be clear when the destination is undefined. Choose one primary role family and decide which adjacent titles belong in the same search. Define the level, business problems, strongest evidence, preferred industries, location or remote requirements, compensation floor, and non-negotiable constraints.

• Collect 15 to 20 real postings before rewriting.
• Mark repeated problems, skills, scope, stakeholders, and outcomes.
• Separate core requirements from preferences.
• Choose which accomplishments prove the recurring needs.