Job Hunt: Openings at Firms with Lay Offs
November 19, 2009 by Miranda Marquit
Filed under Business, Jobs, Work
This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but one of the best places to look for a job can actually be at a firm that just laid a bunch of people off. Depending on the reasons behind the lay offs, you might find that such companies are ready to do a round of hiring.
Recently, an acquaintance of mine was laid off — along with dozens of others — from a local company. Imagine our surprise when the Classifieds showed job openings in 
that company two weeks later! The reason? In the interest of cost-cutting, the company laid off around 50 of higher-earners and then posted job openings for about 20 jobs with entry-level pay.
This sort of practice is relatively common. The magazine SmartMoney points out the following: “Companies cutting jobs are often hiring in some areas, even as they shrink in others.” Instead of writing off companies that have announced lay offs, it is a good idea to check into where the lay offs are taking place, and then see which divisions of the company might be hiring.
Because so many people overlook businesses that recently laid off workers, it might be that you have less competition for new job openings. Of course, the company may be on the verge of collapse and there may not be any job openings. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Image source: Daylife
There’s certainly no harm in checking into companies that just had a round or two of layoffs. Even if you go as far as to apply or interview, you don’t have to commit. It’s once the offer comes in that you have to really assess whether or not the company or department is stable enough that you won’t have to repeat the new-hire process in six months.