Advice please Forum

[Anonymous User]

So to make a long story short.... I am at a small firm and my supervising partner said there are no guarantees about the future and layoffs could be coming.

Now I am trying not to freak out. I have been applying to firms and reaching out to contacts all over my state. I now have an interview scheduled tomorrow and another one Monday. I already got a silent ding from one big firm and may have been dinged on another firm I interviewed with a couple weeks ago.

So trying to stay calm and keep job searching. Any advice is welcome. I really want one of these next interviews to turn into an offer....

Thank you...

[QContinuum]

Sorry to hear this. At least your supervising partner gave you a heads-up. Not much you can do at this point aside from continuing to apply & work your network. If you do get The Talk before you land an offer elsewhere, negotiate for more time on the firm website.

Best wishes!

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to hear this. At least your supervising partner gave you a heads-up. Not much you can do at this point aside from continuing to apply & work your network. If you do get The Talk before you land an offer elsewhere, negotiate for more time on the firm website.

Best wishes!

Thanks. He claims our department should be ok... but I honestly do not trust him. I am trying to network and interview as much as I can so I can give my 2 weeks notice. Hopefully will land something soon...

[QContinuum]

Sorry to hear this. At least your supervising partner gave you a heads-up. Not much you can do at this point aside from continuing to apply & work your network. If you do get The Talk before you land an offer elsewhere, negotiate for more time on the firm website.

Best wishes!

Thanks. He claims our department should be ok... but I honestly do not trust him. I am trying to network and interview as much as I can so I can give my 2 weeks notice. Hopefully will land something soon...

Yea if it's a small firm and he's already warned you of impending layoffs... I think you're right to be looking urgently. Best case scenario, you find something and leave, and your boss gets another associate to fill your spot instead of laying him off.

[malibustacy]

You got a heads up from a guy who thinks his department will be okay. Chill out and do good work instead of looking like a deer in the headlights interviewing/applying for every job in the state; basically means you're one step out the door and guarantees you'll be fired if there is firing.

Are you actually willing to move anywhere in the state, just so you can say "you can't fire me I quit"? That's a huge disruption. Your situation sucks, but you just gotta see where things go before freaking out and making drastic moves.

[Anonymous User]

You got a heads up from a guy who thinks his department will be okay. Chill out and do good work instead of looking like a deer in the headlights interviewing/applying for every job in the state; basically means you're one step out the door and guarantees you'll be fired if there is firing.

Are you actually willing to move anywhere in the state, just so you can say "you can't fire me I quit"? That's a huge disruption. Your situation sucks, but you just gotta see where things go before freaking out and making drastic moves.

I’ve been in a similar situation at another firm and was laid off. The managing partner said don’t worry you won’t be laid off (laid off weeks later). I also want to be looking regardless because my growth is limited at my current firm.

[QContinuum]

You got a heads up from a guy who thinks his department will be okay. Chill out and do good work instead of looking like a deer in the headlights interviewing/applying for every job in the state; basically means you're one step out the door and guarantees you'll be fired if there is firing.

This is bad advice. OP wrote, "my supervising partner said there are no guarantees about the future and layoffs could be coming." The fact that the partner then caveated the warning by saying that "our department should be ok" (emphasis mine) isn't terribly reassuring. All the caveat really means is that the firm has not yet - as of right now - decided to let OP go. It's a very weak caveat.

Why do you assume other firms will tip off OP's current firm that OP's seeking other opportunities?

Are you actually willing to move anywhere in the state, just so you can say "you can't fire me I quit"? That's a huge disruption. Your situation sucks, but you just gotta see where things go before freaking out and making drastic moves.

The answer to your question is actually - or should be, in any case - yes. Quitting for another job on OP's own timeframe is infinitely preferable to being forced out on their current firm's timeframe without anything lined up. OP should absolutely not wait until s/he's given The Talk before starting to look. It's infinitely easier to lateral when employed than when unemployed.

[Anonymous User]

You got a heads up from a guy who thinks his department will be okay. Chill out and do good work instead of looking like a deer in the headlights interviewing/applying for every job in the state; basically means you're one step out the door and guarantees you'll be fired if there is firing.

This is bad advice. OP wrote, "my supervising partner said there are no guarantees about the future and layoffs could be coming." The fact that the partner then caveated the warning by saying that "our department should be ok" (emphasis mine) isn't terribly reassuring. All the caveat really means is that the firm has not yet - as of right now - decided to let OP go. It's a very weak caveat.

Why do you assume other firms will tip off OP's current firm that OP's seeking other opportunities?

Are you actually willing to move anywhere in the state, just so you can say "you can't fire me I quit"? That's a huge disruption. Your situation sucks, but you just gotta see where things go before freaking out and making drastic moves.

The answer to your question is actually - or should be, in any case - yes. Quitting for another job on OP's own timeframe is infinitely preferable to being forced out on their current firm's timeframe without anything lined up. OP should absolutely not wait until s/he's given The Talk before starting to look. It's infinitely easier to lateral when employed than when unemployed.

Op here... thanks for this advice... the struggle is real out there. I have an interview coming up at a regional big law firm... wish me luck ...

[Anonymous User]

Op here... I just lost my job tonight.... wow... what a scumbag.

[Anonymous User]

Op here... I just lost my job tonight.... wow... what a scumbag.

Wow. So sorry to hear. Apply for unemployment immediately and ask if you can stay on their website. Otherwise, apply anywhere and everywhere.

[QContinuum]

Op here... I just lost my job tonight.... wow... what a scumbag.

Holy shit. I'm so sorry. When I wrote about your supervising partner's "not our department" caveat being "weak," I did not remotely imagine that he'd turn around and lay you off within a week. That's some moxie right there. At worst, I feared you might get the news in December/January.

Are you out already, or are they at least giving you some lead time? If they're giving you any lead time at all, try to go back and negotiate for a longer runway. If they refuse, at least try to negotiate for more time on the website.

I know it's hard, but try not to let this get you down too much. You've already been actively interviewing. Good news may be around the corner!

[Anonymous User]

Op here. Didn’t get any sleep last night. Thanks for the support. I just got married a couple months ago too. Just wonderful.

How do you apply for unemployment? How much do you think I’ll get from that?

They gave me 3 weeks with no mention of a severance package.

Should I even bother to ask if I will get a severance package? My last firm gave me 2 months of pay.

[QContinuum]

How do you apply for unemployment? How much do you think I’ll get from that?

It really depends on your state. Google is probably the best place to start - you should be able to file online, as well as find out a rough estimate of how much you can expect to receive. In general, I don't think you can start getting benefits until you're actually unemployed.

They gave me 3 weeks with no mention of a severance package.

Should I even bother to ask if I will get a severance package? My last firm gave me 2 months of pay.

Yes, ask! Worst they can say is no. And also ask them to keep you up on the website beyond the 3 weeks. If you land a job within the next 3 weeks, you don't want to disappear off the website while going through background checks at your new firm.

[Anonymous User]

Op here. Filed for unemployment! So should hopefully be getting over $600 every week. I’ll take it!! Lol. Just need to keep my head up and put this all behind me.