Job searching after a layoff: a 30-day plan

After a layoff, spend the first week protecting your runway: file for unemployment benefits, sort out health coverage, read the severance agreement before you sign, and work out how many months your money lasts. Use weeks two to four for your story and materials, your target list and outreach, and a steady daily rhythm.

A layoff hits money, health coverage and confidence all at once. The instinct is to start applying that afternoon. Hold off a few days. The first week is about protecting your runway. The search goes better once that's done.

This plan assumes a US layoff, with notes for the UK and Canada. Benefit rules vary by state and province and change over time, so check the official pages linked below. Nothing here is legal or financial advice.

Week 1: What should you do first after a layoff?

File for unemployment benefits right away

In the US, unemployment insurance is a joint state-federal program. Each state runs its own program and sets its own eligibility rules. The Department of Labor says to contact your state's program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed, and to file in the state where you worked. It also says the first payment usually takes two to three weeks after filing (US Department of Labor).

In the UK, you can apply for New Style Jobseeker's Allowance if you've paid Class 1 National Insurance contributions, usually in the last 2 to 3 years. Your savings and your partner's savings don't affect the claim (GOV.UK eligibility). It can be paid for up to 182 days, and you could get Universal Credit at the same time or instead (GOV.UK).

In Canada, apply for Employment Insurance regular benefits as soon as you stop working. The Government of Canada says that if you delay your claim more than 4 weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits. You can apply before your Record of Employment arrives (Canada.ca).

Sort out health coverage (US)

If your employer had at least 20 employees, you'll likely be offered COBRA. After a job loss, it generally lets you keep the same plan for up to 18 months. You have at least 60 days to decide, and the premium can be up to 102 percent of the plan's total cost (DOL, A Worker's Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA). That last part surprises people. You now pay the share your employer used to cover.

Compare it with a Marketplace plan. Losing job-based coverage can qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period, which runs from 60 days before the loss to 60 days after it. Dropping COBRA voluntarily later doesn't qualify, so decide with care (HealthCare.gov). Marketplace savings depend on household income and size, so a lower income this year can change the math. Price both.

In the UK and Canada, public health care isn't tied to your job. Ask HR what happens to any workplace extras, like private medical, dental or drug cover.

Read the severance agreement before you sign

US federal wage law doesn't require severance. The Department of Labor describes it as a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee (DOL). So the terms are whatever the document says. Questions worth asking HR:

• How much is it, and is it paid as a lump sum or over time?
• When does my health coverage end, and will the company cover any COBRA premiums?
• What happens to unvested equity, bonuses and unused paid time off?
• What does the release waive? Is there a non-compete or non-disparagement clause?
• Will you confirm my dates and title to reference checkers, and can we agree on how my departure is described?
• How does severance affect unemployment benefits? Ask your state agency too, since rules differ.

If you're 40 or older and the agreement waives age discrimination claims, the EEOC says you must get at least 21 days to consider it, or 45 days if you're part of a group layoff. You also get seven days to revoke after signing, and the agreement must advise you in writing to consult an attorney (EEOC). If the money is significant or the terms are unclear, talking to an employment lawyer is sensible at any age.

In the UK, you'll normally be entitled to statutory redundancy pay after 2 years with your current employer. For redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, weekly pay is capped at £751 for the calculation and the statutory maximum is £22,530 (GOV.UK). Your contract may give you more.

Work out your runway

Add up your cash, severance and expected benefits. List your fixed monthly costs. Divide the first number by the second. That's your runway in months, and it decides how picky you can afford to be. Write it down. Calm decisions are easier when the number is on paper.

Week 2: How do you prepare your story, materials and references?

How do you explain a layoff in an interview?

Keep it short, true and neutral. Two sentences is plenty: what happened, and what you want next. For example: "My role was eliminated when the company restructured the product team in September. I'm looking for a senior product role where I can keep building B2B tools." Interviewers mostly want to hear that you're not bitter and that you know what you want.

Practice it out loud until it sounds boring. Then use the same version on LinkedIn, in outreach and with recruiters.

Update your resume and LinkedIn

Add results from your last role while they're fresh: numbers you can stand behind, scope, tools. Put the end date in. Leaving it off doesn't hide anything and can look evasive. Change your LinkedIn headline to the role you want next, not just the one you had.

Line up references now

Ask two or three people to be references while your work is fresh in their minds. A former manager is ideal. Get a personal email or phone number, in case they leave the company too. Tell them which roles you're targeting so they can speak to the right things.

Week 3: Who should you target and contact?

Pick a clear target

Choose one or two role types and the level you're aiming for. A narrow target makes every other step faster. Your resume gets sharper, your outreach gets shorter, and your network knows exactly what to refer you for.

Build a target company list

List 30 to 50 companies that hire for that role. Note who you know at each one. Check their career pages weekly, since a role can appear there before it reaches the big job boards. Apply early when something fits.

Tell your network, specifically

Post once on LinkedIn that you're looking. Name the role, the level, your location or remote preference, and two or three things you're good at. Then message people one by one. A personal note gets read. A broad "let me know if you hear of anything" rarely turns into a lead. Ask former managers and colleagues who's hiring and who they could introduce you to.

Apply with outreach attached

For each strong application, find the recruiter or hiring manager and send a short note: the role, one relevant result, and why this team. If you hear nothing after about a week, follow up once.

Week 4: How do you keep a steady pace?

Set a weekly rhythm

Treat the search like a part-time job with set hours. A simple weekly shape:

• Applications: tailored ones, to roles that genuinely fit
• Outreach: new contacts at target companies, plus recruiters
• Follow-ups: anything that's been quiet for a week
• Prep: interview practice and company research
• Review: what got replies, what didn't, and what to change

Track everything in one place

Use a sheet with company, role, date applied, contact, last touch and next step. Review it every Friday. If you've sent plenty of applications and heard nothing, the issue is usually targeting or materials, not effort. Why am I not getting interviews covers the common causes.

How long does a job search take after a layoff?

Plan for longer than a month. In September 2026, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median unemployment duration of 11.5 weeks and a mean of 24.8 weeks, seasonally adjusted.

In September 2026, 43.6 percent of unemployed people in the US had been unemployed for 15 weeks or longer. The median duration was 11.5 weeks. (BLS, Table A-12: Unemployed people by duration of unemployment (September 2026, seasonally adjusted))

These are national figures for everyone unemployed, not just people laid off from professional roles, so your timeline may differ. More on what drives it in how long a job search takes.

Protect your energy

A layoff is a loss, even when it wasn't about you. Keep regular hours. Stop at a set time. Get outside. Keep one thing in your week that has nothing to do with the search. Rejections will come, so count your inputs, not just the replies. A slow week isn't a failed week.

If money stress or low mood starts to take over, talk to someone: a doctor, a counselor or a friend you trust.

Can a reverse recruiter run the search for you?

Some people want to run this themselves. Others would rather save their energy for interviews and hand off the daily execution: the target list, tailored applications, outreach, follow-ups and a live tracker. That's what the done-for-you job search covers.

Searching in a specific field? See the reverse recruiter pages by field.

Want the search run for you? See how the done-for-you job search works, or compare the plans and prices.