How to Navigate Layoffs and Reenter the Job Market
I'm managing my expectations as I look for work. It seems like companies are tighter with headcount and more picky about who they want. There are definitely fewer positions. Companies are doing more with less. These agents are automating some tasks and are slowly improving at understanding concepts. The compensation is definitely lower. We're hearing across the industry that stock grants are lower than they used to be. Refresher grants are lower. Bonuses — if they exist. Once you get in, it's stack-ranked performance management. Your output is compared to your peers from day one. It's definitely tougher. You've got to check your ego. That might be the part people struggle with more than their technical ability. ## Separate your identity from your job [...] Now we have these tools, the industry expects you to move fast. You can shift your mindset from that rigid engineering, step-by-step, to more of an exploratory "attack the problem, solve it, refine it later." Don't get too trapped in the domain that you're working in. Block tended to hire specialists who could also generalize when needed. So, be flexible. Using these tools allows you to get context in areas that you might not have had the opportunity to work in. Do you have a story to share about tech layoffs? Contact this reporter at cmlee@businessinsider.com or on Signal at cmlee.81. as told to Layoffs ## Read next ### Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know ### Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know [...] Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . A former Block engineer reflects on adjusting his expectations as he reenters a tougher job market. Isaac Casanova tells BI job seekers have to check their ego since companies are tightening head count. Software engineers need to be more of an experimenter and builder in the AI era, he said. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Isaac Casanova, who has worked at Block for nearly three years as a senior software engineer. It has been edited for length and clarity.