Commentary: I was retrenched after nearly 6 years at a tech firm. This is how I got through it

WHAT I DID AFTER BEING RETRENCHED

After I was retrenched, I took my time to say a proper goodbye to colleagues I had worked with for years, giving me the closure I needed. It also gave me the opportunity to ask them to endorse my skills and write a short recommendation for me on LinkedIn.

Like many others facing financial or visa issues after being retrenched, I needed to find a job as quickly as possible. I decided to make a positive announcement on LinkedIn about the change in my employment status, sharing what I was looking for next. This brought in many opportunities.

With plenty of free time after being laid off, I decided to invest in myself by signing up for a professional project management course. I also updated my profile on LinkedIn and rewrote my resume to summarise what I had accomplished over the last few years. When sending out resumes, I customised my cover letters, showing the companies I applied for jobs with that I understood what they needed and that I was the ideal candidate. 

Most importantly, I tried to keep my confidence up.

Was I really in the bottom 5 per cent at Zendesk? I don’t have the answer to that. I probably will never know why I was let go, but that’s okay. Companies need to make cost adjustments to survive. They have to make hard decisions and let some brilliant people go; it is just business.

With referrals from friends and colleagues, and unconditional support from my wife, I was fortunate enough to have several leads and have had multiple successful interviews. If everything goes according to plan, I will join a new company this month.

Yes, it still stinks that my time with Zendesk ended so abruptly. But nothing lasts forever, especially on a business level. I choose to think of being retrenched in a positive manner: Being retrenched is our last yet greatest contribution to our companies. We have helped them to cut costs; we have saved them from failing. We are heroes.

Han Li is a localisation enthusiast and specialises in bringing tech products to the world.