Getting laid off from tech broke my heart. A job seeker support group helped me bounce back with a senior Fortune 100 role.

Summary

Amy Ma, a data scientist in her 30s from New Jersey, was laid off while five months pregnant. After giving birth she joined an online “job search council” inspired by Phyl Terry’s Never Search Alone. The small Slack-based group met weekly, completed structured tasks and shared practical tips (résumé keywords, calming tricks, interview feedback). Over about five months of active searching she accepted a senior software engineer role at a Fortune 100 company and started in May 2024. The peer group provided emotional support, objective feedback and concrete job-hunting tactics that Amy says she wouldn’t have survived without.

Key Points

Amy was laid off during pregnancy and began job hunting after maternity leave.
She joined a job-search council (small groups organised from Phyl Terry’s playbook) on Slack and met weekly.
Group activities included shared tasks, mock discussions and accountability — which built confidence and resilience.
Members shared practical tactics: using keywords for ATS optimisation and techniques to stay calm during interviews.
Amy landed a senior software-engineer role at a Fortune 100 firm after about five months of searching and accepted the offer with input from her group.

Content summary

Amy recounts being called into HR in May 2023 and losing her job while pregnant. She focused on health during the remainder of her pregnancy, then restarted the job hunt in November 2023 after giving birth. The book Never Search Alone led her to a job-search council; she was added to a Slack group that followed five tasks per chapter and held weekly check-ins.

Although her first group experience was rocky, she found a second group of mostly parents at a similar life stage. The group provided empathy for interview setbacks, shared tactical advice (for example, adding a personal photo to the screen to stay calm and highlighting keywords for applicant-tracking systems), and helped her weigh multiple offers. She accepted a senior role at a Fortune 100 company in April 2024 and started the job in May 2024. Amy emphasises that strangers in the group offered more objective feedback than friends or family and that she would join another council if needed.

Context and relevance

This personal essay sits at the intersection of several timely issues: post‑pandemic tech layoffs, return to work after parental leave, the growing use of peer support and structured cohorts for career transitions, and the increasing importance of optimising applications for ATS. For people navigating redundancies or career changes — especially parents returning to the workforce — the story highlights low‑cost, practical ways to get emotional backing and tactical help during a stressful search.

Why should I read this?

Short answer: because it’s a real‑world how-to, not just feelgood fluff. If you or someone you know is job-hunting after a layoff (or returning from parental leave), this piece shows how tiny, practical changes and a supportive crew can actually change the outcome. We read it so you don’t have to — quick lessons: join a small peer group, use keywords for ATS, get objective feedback, and bring a bit of calm into interviews.