When Layoffs Hit: A Smart Job Hunt Checklist for Internationals in the Netherlands and beyond

One of the most disorienting things about layoffs is the way they mess with your sense of confidence and agency.

You can be competent, committed, and well-liked — and still be impacted by a restructuring that has nothing to do with your performance.

That’s not a personal failure. It’s one of the uncomfortable realities of economic cycles:

• Organisations expand, and contract;

• Strategies shift;

• Costs rise;

• Leadership changes;

• AI sweeps in;

• Entire departments get redesigned;

• ...

So here’s a grounding reframe I often come back to (especially when you’re living abroad and the stakes can feel higher):

• What you can’t control: the market, internal politics, shareholder expectations, reorganisations, hiring freezes, and the timing of change.

• What you can control? Your focus, your narrative, your relationships, your visibility, and the consistency of your actions.

The goal isn’t to pretend uncertainty doesn’t exist.

The goal is to build a job hunt that is steady enough to hold you through uncertainty.

If layoffs are increasing across sectors, it usually means a few things at the individual level:

• Competition can rise quickly (more strong candidates on the market at the same time).

• Hiring processes can slow down (more approvals, more steps, more internal reshuffles).

• Referrals matter even more (because many roles are filled through networks before they ever become public).

• Clarity becomes a differentiator (generic profiles blend in; specific positioning stands out).

This is why I’m a big believer in a smart job hunt: structured, relationship-led and designed to protect your energy.

When uncertainty rises, many smart, capable people do 1 of 2 things:

• They freeze (because the stakes feel high).

• They get into CV-Spamming application mode (because doing something feels better than doing nothing).

Well, neither is a strategy!

A smart job hunt is calmer than that. It’s structured. And it protects your energy — which is a real resource, essential yet limited.

• Write a one-sentence target: “I’m looking for [role] in [sector] where I can use [top strengths].”

• Pick 1 primary direction and 1 secondary option (not 5!).

• List 10–15 'right fit' organisations (not just job titles).

Why this matters: clarity makes you referable.

• Draft a simple explanation for your layoff: “My role was impacted by restructuring. I’m now focusing on…”

• Identify 2–3 proof points (results, outcomes, projects) you want to be known for.

• Update your LinkedIn headline so it signals direction, not distress.

Why this matters: people don’t hire CVs. They hire narratives they can trust.

• Set a weekly target: 10 outreach messages and 3 conversations.

• Start with warm contacts (former colleagues, clients, classmates, community).

• Ask for insight, not a job: “Could I ask you two questions about how hiring works in your team right now?”

Why this matters: many roles are filled through internal movement and referrals long before you see a public vacancy.

• Lead with impact and scope (numbers help, but clarity matters more).

• Remove anything that reads as generic: “hard-working”, “team player”, “dynamic”.

• Tailor your top third/'above the fold' section (profile + key skills) to the role family you’re now targeting.

Why this matters: in a tighter market, your first impression has to do more work.

• Create a simple tracker file: role, company, contact, date, next step.

• Review every Friday: what moved, what stalled, what you learned.

• Adjust your strategy every two weeks — not every 2 hours.

Why this matters: consistency beats intensity.

If layoffs are in the air, the goal isn’t to become 'more aggressive'. The goal is to become more intentional.

A smart job hunt helps you:

• regain a sense of agency,

• communicate your value with calm confidence, and

• build momentum without burning out.