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It has been a week. The shock is wearing off and the search has not started.

A week in is a strange place. The initial shock has thinned but nothing has been replaced with it. The texts have slowed. The condolences are mostly done. The calendar that used to fill itself is now blank in a way that is loud. This is the week most people make their first real mistake — either by panic-applying to forty roles before their resume is ready, or by going completely still because the size of it has finally landed. Neither is the answer. The answer is small, deliberate motion. You are not behind. The first week is not the search. The second week is where the search begins to take shape — not where it sprints.

What to do right now

In the next hours.

  1. 01

    Confirm your unemployment claim is active

    If you filed in the first week, log in and confirm the claim is active and that you have certified for the first eligible week. Most states require weekly certifications — missing one delays your first payment. If you have not filed yet, file today. The waiting period starts at filing, not at separation.

  2. 02

    Decide on COBRA or marketplace by the deadline

    You have sixty days from your coverage end date to elect COBRA — but the marketplace is almost always cheaper, and a layoff qualifies as a special enrollment event. Compare both before the end of week two. Healthcare.gov plus your state exchange. Do not wait for the COBRA notice to arrive in the mail.

  3. 03

    Write the one-paragraph version of what happened

    Three sentences. What the company decided, what your role was, and what you are looking for next. You will use this paragraph in every conversation for the next three months. Writing it once now, calmly, prevents you from rewriting it badly forty times in panic later.

  4. 04

    Audit your runway against the calendar, not your feelings

    Open a spreadsheet. List severance, savings, unemployment, and any side income. Subtract real monthly expenses — not aspirational ones. The number you get is your honest timeline. For most people it is between four and nine months. Knowing the number changes what kinds of decisions feel reasonable.

  5. 05

    Schedule three coffees, not thirty

    Reach out to three people who know your work and who you trust. Not for jobs. For conversation, signal, and the warmth of being known by name. The job search runs on weak ties later — but the first month runs on the people who already see you clearly.

A note before the search begins

Before any of that.

Week two is when the bottom can fall out a second time. The first crash was the news. The second is quieter — the realization that your days have no shape, that no one is expecting you anywhere, and that the version of yourself who was in motion last month is not coming back on Monday. That is grief, not weakness. You are not lazy because the day feels long. You are not failing because the work has not started. The week between the shock and the search is real, and most people walk through it. The fact that you are reading this means you are already moving — gently, but moving.

How CareerCanopy helps

What the companion does today.

A first thirty days that does not assume you are fine
Most job-search advice starts at week three of the search. CareerCanopy starts at week one of the layoff — when what you need is shape, not strategy. The first plan we build accounts for the week you are actually in, not the week a productivity coach wishes you were in.
Daily structure when the calendar is empty
Two or three small things to do today, calibrated to where you are emotionally and where the search realistically should be. Not thirty applications. Not a vision board. The actual next thing — and the one after that.
A clear read on whether you are early, on time, or behind
Most of the panic in week two is from not knowing what normal looks like. We tell you the truth — what week two should feel like, what should be done by week four, and where most people are in month three. The honest version, not the optimistic one.

Scripts for this moment

The exact words, if you want them.

  1. 01
    How to explain a layoff on LinkedIn

    The open-to-work post, the headline, and the about-section line for explaining a layoff on LinkedIn — without the performance and without the cringe.

  2. 02
    What to write in a layoff announcement email to your network

    A short, copy-pasteable email to send to your network after a layoff. Names the role you are looking for and asks for one specific thing.

  3. 03
    How to ask for a reference after being laid off

    A short email script for asking a former manager to be a reference after a layoff — with the framing, the bullets, and the heads-up text.

All scripts →

Questions

Common questions

Should I be applying to jobs in the second week?

Lightly, yes — but only to roles you are an obvious fit for and only after your resume reflects this layoff. Most week-two applications go out before the resume, story, and target list are ready, which means they get rejected and burn warm referrals. Two thoughtful applications beat twenty rushed ones.

Why do I feel worse this week than the day it happened?

Because the adrenaline has worn off and the structure of your week is gone. Week two is when most people hit the second emotional dip. It does not mean something is wrong with you. It means the shock did its job, and now the actual processing has started. Sleep, walk, eat real food.

Should I tell my LinkedIn network I was laid off?

Not yet. Tell three trusted people first. Update LinkedIn in week three or four, after your resume is ready and your story is tight. A public post in week two often comes from panic, not strategy, and it sets the tone for how recruiters and former colleagues will engage with you for months.

How long should the first month feel unproductive?

Most of it. The first month is for stabilising — paperwork, runway, healthcare, and your story. Real outbound search starts late in week three or in week four for most people. If month one feels mostly logistical and emotional rather than tactical, you are on schedule, not behind.

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