If you haven't been impacted by a layoff, we'd bet you know of people who have been. It's a tough pill to swallow.

But you're a natural at grinding. That's part of why you got into the industry in the first place. That being said, if you've been recently laid off, don't just dive back into the first sales role you can find (if you can help it).

Instead, use that time–and severance–to make sure the next role you land is one you can be happy in for a long time. Here's what you need to do while you're on the market to make that happen.

Re-evaluate what you want

No job is complete sunshine and rainbows. So as you start to scan new listings, think about what you liked and disliked from the last role. Here are a few things to consider:

• Compensation: Comp isn't everything, but you should still aim for a structure that makes you feel valued and motivated. What does that look like? Accelerators? Per-activity quota? Uncapped commissions?
• Values: What kinds of company values do you appreciate? Reasonable work-life balance? Transparency? Task ownership?
• Coaching culture: Do you prefer to be a bit of a lone wolf in your pipeline? Or do you like regular group coaching sessions?
• Growth opportunities: Does the company encourage an accelerated growth plan? Is that something you'd want?

If money is tight and you can't spend too much time looking for roles that check all your boxes, we get it. Even if you have to compromise a little on your list, it's good to keep focused on what you ultimately want while you earn money in a stepping-stone role.

Dust off your job-hunting assets

When's the last time you updated your resume? What about your LinkedIn profile? In any job in tech, but especially in sales, your network is your net worth. Companies want to see you posting, engaging in communities, and being an active voice in the industry. Get active online, and reach out to the people in your network who can vouch for you and connect you to the right people.

When it's time to edit your LinkedIn bio and resume, opt for a data-forward approach. By how much did you grow your last company's pipeline? What were the deal sizes you consistently closed? Any numbers to back up your accomplishments are going to look great to recruiters. Show people you're results-driven, with the receipts to prove it.

Lean into tech (yes, we're talking AI)

Today's landscape is more competitive than ever. One of the best ways to edge out the competition is by being a tech expert. Teams are slimming down, so you need to kill it on all fronts.

If you land an interview but don't know how to leverage the latest in sales tech, it sends a message to the company that it might be a lot of work to get you up to speed. But if you go in knowing how to use AI deal coaches, ChatGPT, transcript integrations, auto-diallers, and more, you'll look like the self-driving expert we know you probably are.

To dive deeper into the full suite of AI agents to help you handle the most complex deals, book a free demo with the Pod team!

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