A tech executive (call her Kim) was preparing for a layoff. Her company was stable, but it sold to public institutions, and she could see budgets shrinking.
She asked a question that comes up constantly: does she really need to worry about a gap?
Since the pandemic, gaps under a year are rarely the red flag they once were. The quieter problem is muscle memory. After enough time out of work, people forget what it feels like to use their strengths. They present from a thinner place, and they negotiate from a thinner place.
Coach for two timelines. The best case is that a departure follows a better offer, with materials and network already warm. Timing is rarely that clean. For clients already laid off, keep them connected to competence while they search.
Routine is self-care. Unstructured time turns into doomscrolling. Help them put external structure around the week: a standing morning call, a class, a fitness buddy. Name it as part of the search, not a luxury.
Do not wait out the severance. Treat the search as a marathon that starts now: accomplishments, STAR stories, former colleagues. If they will need a coach or workshop, account for waitlists.
Use talents every day. Paid projects, informal help for friends, or volunteer work all count. It does not have to be the exact professional skill. It has to be something they are good at, used on purpose, so they do not lose the feeling of being useful.
The resume gap is the smaller issue. The coaching job is to keep the person recognizable to themselves while the market catches up.