“Unfortunately, your role at this company has been eliminated.” These are the words none of us want to hear, but it’s a reality many in tech are facing. What would you do if that unexpected call came tomorrow? This week’s episode is one we all need to hear.

Jason Gass returns (this time as a guest) in episode 342 to share his story of navigating a layoff. You’ll hear about Jason’s initial reaction to the news and what he did next to take action.

Listen closely to hear how Jason treated the job opportunities he was targeting like a sales pipeline to remain focused, where he looked for emotional support, the tools that helped sharpen his resume, and how nurturing and leaning on his professional network made all the difference along the way.

Original Recording Date: 08-07-2025

Topics – Jason Gass Returns, When a Phone Call Changes Everything, Sources of Support and Maintaining Connections, Emotional Balance and Job Opportunities as a Sales Pipeline, Helpful Tools in the Job Search Process, The Network Effect

2:20 – Jason Gass Returns

• Jason Gass joined us as a guest host for a series of episodes reviewing the book Finish by Jon Acuff and is back this week as a guest.
  • The book series on Finish was published in episodes 272 – 275, and you can listen back to them using the link above.
  • The book series idea came from Jason, and so did the idea for the discussion today.
• We wanted to take this opportunity to tell Jason’s story through the lens of layoffs across the technology industry.
  • Many of our friends and colleagues in the industry have been met with unexpected job loss over the last couple of years. Jason says it’s been a journey going through this same process, and he’s here to share what worked and what didn’t work.

3:32 – When a Phone Call Changes Everything

• What type of role was Jason in before the layoff happened, and what did he like most about it?
  • For about the last 5 years, Jason has worked in a sales engineering / technical pre-sales role for different technology vendors.
  • As part of the role, Jason has greatly enjoyed working with both customers and partners to solve problems and improve the day-to-day lives of technology professionals. The work is dynamic, and each customer has a different problem.
• What was the day of the layoff like, and what was Jason’s immediate reaction?
  • Jason was working at a company that had been previously acquired. There were changes happening, and Jason and his teammates knew they might be impacted by these changes but had no idea of when.
  • Jason remembers getting a call to let him know his position was being eliminated. It was a very quick call and very formal.
  • Once Jason’s phone rang that day, he knew exactly what was going to happen.
  • “I was prepared as much as I could. It’s still a gut punch. Man, I can’t believe I didn’t make the cut. What’s wrong with me? Why was it me vs. somebody else?” – Jason Gass, on what goes through your mind in a layoff situation
    • There was still negative self-talk despite expecting that layoffs were going to happen.
  • Jason tells us he was laid off a couple of times during the 2008 financial crisis.
    • “Looking back, that’s probably a good experience because I’ve gone through it once before. The one thing…I learned from that experience is these things happen, and a lot of good things happen afterwards. But it’s hard to have that lens when it first happens…. Everything emotionally hits you. All of those thoughts start going through your head….” – Jason Gass
    • People who get laid off are worried about paying the bills, supporting their family, and how long it will t

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      Published on 2 weeks ago