The Lost Art: Marketplace Heartbeat and Finding Closure after a Layoff with Jason Gass (2/2)

Remember all the times someone took a moment to help you in your career? This act of support is what Jason Gass calls a “lost art” in the tech industry.

Jason returns this week in episode 343 to share the conclusion of his layoff story. Listen closely to understand why he’s so committed to helping other people in the industry as a result of going through this process and eventually finding closure.

You’ll hear suggestions and practical examples for how to keep in touch with colleagues after a layoff, and we emphasize the importance of staying on top of the job marketplace in terms of trends and skill sets. Jason will also share how managing finances carefully can provide peace of mind when it comes to unexpected job loss.

Even if you haven’t been impacted by a layoff, stay tuned for practical ways of supporting people who have, and learn why keeping a pulse on the job marketplace can boost your career at your current company.

Original Recording Date: 08-07-2025

If you missed part 1 of our discussion with Jason, check out Episode 342 – Planting Seeds: Networking and Maneuvering Unexpected Job Loss with Jason Gass (1/2)

Topics – The Lost Art of Supporting Others, Marketplace Analysis and Skills Gaps, Things That Brought Peace of Mind, Reaching Closure and Openness to New Opportunities, Parting Thoughts and Final Lessons Learned

• 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.

3:16 – The Lost Art of Supporting Others

• What other types of support does Jason wish he had been given by others that he did not receive, and how can listeners better support others in a layoff situation?
  • Jason says when people announce being laid off on LinkedIn, for example, there are a lot of responses from people. Many times, people say something like “I’m so sorry. Let me know how I can help. I’ll keep an ear out for you.”
  • “They mean well. They absolutely do, but then shortly afterwards, they forget. They have their own lives. They are working their own jobs. They forget that you are on the market looking.” – Jason Gass
  • Jason tells us there were a handful of friends and colleagues who were on the lookout for opportunities on his behalf.
  • At the same tech event where Jason met a hiring manager that we discussed in part 1, Jason reconnected with personnel from a partner he had worked with in the past. By the next week, Jason had lunch with a hiring manager from that partner. Though there were no openings at the time, Jason highlights the unique role of partners that work with multiple vendors and customers.
    • As a result of being in this position, personnel at a partner may know about open roles across many companies. In fact, Jason got a call about a possible job opportunity that originated from a partner contact while he was on vacation.
  • Jason tells us there is a lost art in our industry. All of us started at a junior level and worked our way up to more senior roles, but it took help from others to get there.
    • “I can map it out and pinpoint each and every person that helped me along the way in the career…. They saw something in me. They helped me. They mentored me…just taking a moment and helping out. I try to do the same thing now… We all are in the same boat. We’re all going in the same direction. Things change. Things happen. People are going to go through this, and it’s a tough situation. My thought is that…I had help getting where I’m at, especially though this transition. I should give it back to the next person that’s going through it.” – Jason Gass
    • Jason has been known to reach out to people about job openings in a specific area if he knows about something and feels the person is a strong candidate.
• Is there a way to stay in touch with colleagues who stayed without it being weird and awkward?
  • Some people think co-workers are not friends, but Jason disagrees with this. He’s found there will be a handful of work colleagues with which we stay in contact after leaving a company, but it depends on the relationship we had with that person while we were at a company.
    • Would certain co-workers be people you would want to hang