How to Talk About Being Laid off in an Interview

Regardless of the circumstances leading up to it, being laid off is rarely a fun experience. This discomfort can be compounded when you're asked to explain it – especially if the person asking for it is the interviewer for a new job. If you're not prepared to talk about it when this comes up in a job interview question, it may feel like a bad day that's gone from being the end of a job to one that's haunting your career. But don't fear – layoffs are a common experience even among those with successful careers. According to INTOO, of 2019, 40% of American workers have been laid off or terminated from a job at least once. And with a little preparation, you can turn job interview questions about a past layoff into positive stepping stones in the present. Read on for job interview tips when you're expecting to face this question.

Make sure you're prepared emotionally

Getting laid off from work can be emotional, and that's OK. But by the time you're ready to discuss a layoff in response to job interview questions, you should be able to do so without feeling too uncomfortable or becoming upset. If recounting the story still feels raw, see what you can do to express your feelings about it beforehand so you won't have to juggle them while trying to focus on your interview. Try talking openly to a trusted friend or writing about your emotions surrounding the layoff to help.

Prepare a Concise Narrative

When you're ready to discuss the event comfortably, prepare a short narrative about how the layoff happened. Keep it short, concise, and matter-of-fact. The layoff really isn't about you personally, but about the circumstances of the company, so keep your focus there. Consider including when the layoff happened, why the company was laying people off, who was laid off, and how many others experienced the same thing.

It should be brief and not a major focus of the interview. In the big scheme of things, this is a common experience that the interviewer has heard many times and is likely to find relatively mundane. They're more interested in how you handle it than the layoff itself. They want to see that you can recount it calmly and confidently, don't take it personally or give up, and that you're ready to bounce back.

Don't Overshare

Details about why you were laid off personally are relatively unimportant – unlike a termination, which is being let go for poor performance, a layoff means you haven't fallen short at all.  If you're at all uncomfortable with the layoff, you may be tempted to try to provide extra detail about what you may have done wrong or to do the opposite and provide assurance that you were not at fault when no one asked. Stop. Don't. A layoff isn't an accusation of any wrongdoing, and answering accusations that haven’t been made only has the effect of showing a lack of confidence or creating the misunderstanding that you're hiding something or ashamed when there's no reason to be.

Remember that a common technique in interviews of all kinds involves the use of silence. After you're done speaking, the interviewer may intentionally wait an extra moment or two before speaking again to give you room to elaborate further if you choose. Don't mistake this for an obligation to say more or for skepticism about your answer and start looking for more to add.

Keep The Overall Tone Positive

A layoff isn't fun and that's fine to acknowledge, but keep the overall tone of the interview upbeat and positive. Don't dwell on the negative or allow the layoff story to derail your interview into a session of trash talk about your previous employer.

It's appropriate to have a lull in your enthusiasm while you mention it, and it's doubly appropriate to immediately show it again as you talk about moving on, what you've been doing since, and your excitement for the next stage in your life. This recovery is the main thing the interviewer hopes to see when discussing a layoff.  Not only does it show that you're ready to continue to do great work, but it also shows your resilience, turning the narrative of a bad day into a positive characteristic in your favor as a candidate.

Ready to bounce back after a layoff and find a new job? See who's hiring at CyberCoders.com.