Laid Off to Hired

The 30-Day Playbook for Severance, Unemployment, Health Coverage, an ATS-Ready Resume, Networking Scripts and Salary Negotiation in the AI-Era Job Market

Protect your money in the first 72 hours, then follow a clear 30-day plan to land your next job.

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What you get

A first-72-hours checklist with every deadline in one table
Step-by-step unemployment filing via CareerOneStop and your state
COBRA vs. Marketplace comparison with 2026 subsidy rules
ATS-friendly resume rules plus 7 before-and-after bullet rewrites
Honest AI prompts for resumes, research and mock interviews
Networking, referral and salary negotiation scripts to copy
Red flags and a 5-minute check to avoid job scams
A day-by-day 30-day job search sprint plan

Losing your job sets off a dozen deadlines at once: a severance agreement to sign, an unemployment claim to file, a COBRA notice that may cost more than your rent, a 401(k) you are tempted to cash out, and a job market where hiring has slowed and AI is changing how resumes get screened. Laid Off to Hired puts all of it in order.

Start with the first 72 hours: what to save, which severance clauses to read, what is often negotiable, and a polite email to ask for more. Learn how to file for unemployment in the right state using the Department of Labor's CareerOneStop finder, how severance and part-time work affect benefits, and how to handle taxes on them. Compare COBRA and Marketplace coverage with real 2026 numbers, including the return of the 400% subsidy cliff, and see what a 401(k) cash-out really costs.

Then get hired. Build a runway budget, pick target roles using current BLS data, and write an ATS-friendly resume with before-and-after bullet examples. Use AI tools honestly with copy-and-paste prompts that never invent facts. Fix your LinkedIn headline, send networking messages that get replies, and ask for referrals the easy way.

Finish with STAR interview stories, answers to the hardest questions (including 'Why were you laid off?'), word-for-word salary negotiation scripts, a guide to spotting job scams, free and low-cost upskilling, bridge income options, and a day-by-day 30-day sprint plan with a funnel check to fix what is not working.

Educational guide; not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and vary by state, so every chapter tells you where to check.

What's inside

Read This First: You Have More Control Than It Feels Like
The First 72 Hours: Triage Before You Touch Your Resume
Unemployment Insurance: File Right, File Fast
Health Coverage Without Panic: COBRA, the Marketplace and Your Other Options
Your 401(k), Final Pay and Benefits: Decisions Not to Rush
Budget Runway: Know Your Number Before You Need It
The Reset: A Practical Routine for Your Head and Your Days
Aim Before You Apply: Target Roles and a 30-Company List
The ATS-Friendly Resume: Before and After
Using AI Tools Honestly: Faster Applications Without Fake Ones
A LinkedIn Profile That Recruiters Actually Find
Networking Without Begging: Outreach Scripts and Referrals
Interviews and Offers: STAR Stories, Tough Questions, Salary Scripts
Job Scams That Target Laid-Off Workers
Upskill and Bridge Income: Stretch Your Runway the Smart Way
The 30-Day Sprint: Your Day-by-Day Plan

Read a sample

After a layoff, your retirement account can look like an emergency fund. Sometimes using it is the right call. Most of the time, cashing out early is one of the most expensive moves you can make. Here is how to think it through. Say you are 38 and have $30,000 in your 401(k). You request a full cash-out. The plan withholds 20% for federal tax: you get a check for $24,000. The full $30,000 counts as income this year. If it lands in the 22% federal bracket, the tax is about $6,600. The 10% additional tax for being under 59½ is $3,000. State income tax (example 5%): $1,500. Total cost: about $11,100. You keep roughly $18,900 of your $30,000, and you lose all future growth on that money. Because 20% was already withheld ($6,000), you would owe about $5,100 more at tax time. People often forget this and get a painful surprise the following April. (Your actual bracket and state tax will differ. Use this as an order-of-magnitude example, and ask a tax professional about your numbers.)