WOL Pattern #3: From Layoff to Next Chapter

I was laid off when I was 52 years old. Looking back, I lost more than my job. I lost part of my identity and sense of purpose. 

I was prepared for it in some ways, in that I knew it was only a matter of time before my role was eliminated.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the isolation. Even if I had stopped liking my job, it was a place to go. Things to do. Meetings to attend. 

They say, “When one door closes, another opens.” But opens onto what? 

Part of my severance package included 90 days of outplacement services through Lee Hecht Harrison. Resume reviews, interview coaching, LinkedIn profiles, job-search advice.

I’m sure it helps many people. But I never went. A combination of shame and shock kept me from going.

A WOL Career & Life Circle gives people structure, shared accountability, and support during an unstructured, unsettling, lonely time. All of which I sorely needed but didn’t have. Your Circle can be, as one person described it, “a lifeboat in a sea of change.”

It's also specifically designed to help people build their network, something every outplacement firm and career coach will tell you is essential. But because it's based on generosity, it feels authentic rather than transactional. You're building relationships, not simply sending cold emails.

There is one caveat. It's difficult to reach individual job seekers and ask them to sign up for a 12-week program on their own. That's why I encourage WOL Coaches to partner with outplacement firms or companies going through restructuring.

Think of it as an extension of all the skills training. A social complement that can help them navigate the social and emotional turbulence that comes with a layoff.

Outplacement helps people prepare for their next job. A WOL Circle helps people prepare for their next chapter.