Watch out, Reader--they're baaackkk . . .

Yup, 'tis the season of la-la layoffs.

Ick.

Yes, through October this year, employers have already announced 1.1 million job cuts, the most since the pandemic shutdowns in 2020.

(cue the evil music)

Oh, and my crystal ball tells me we'll see more downsizing as the end-of-year/start of the year draws near, too.

The good news: since layoffs have become an accepted (albeit in my opinion, LAZY) business practice, a layoff is no longer the scarlet letter on your CV that it used to be.

But when it happens to you or someone you love, you feel like 💩 💩 💩 (I'll let the emoji do the talking here).

Knowing what may come, let's do some strategy work in advance.

Here are a few articles from my blog that'll help you prevent, prepare, and if necessary, pull yourself out of a layoff should it happen to you:

​How to Be More Valuable at Work (In Any Economy), including a free download of my "who & do what statement" worksheet

​How to Avoid a Career Disaster, with details on creating your "what's next" plan, now

​Laid Off, Furloughed, or Just Seeking Change? Don't Fall into These Job Search Traps​

​How to Help a Job-Searching Friend: Do's & Don'ts for the Modern Age​

(Love it when you share these articles with others, too.)

But what about YOU, Reader? Are you worried about a layoff—or already hit by one (I see you, CJ!)? I always want to hear from you, and all you need to do is hit REPLY.

Tell me your story, ask me your question, or just use this moment as an invitation to tell me more about you and your life at work. I'm all ears (or fingers, since we're chatting keyboard-to-keyboard).

Of course, even if you use all the strategies, no one can promise you'll never lose your job. But I'm here to help you do everything you can NOW to prevent you from having to make a decision to lay people off--or from being on the list yourself.

So no matter what, keep soaring, Reader, because we need YOU in our world of work, now more than ever. ❤️

Always, Darcy

P.S. Dayton (OH)'s WHIO recently interviewed me on how AI is changing job search. Watch the full TV segment here. --D