When Ian Carter opened his email at a Panera Bread on May 13, he didn’t expect his lunch break to end with a layoff notice. The 33-year-old technical program manager from Redmond, Washington, had worked at Microsoft for nearly four years. “When I read it, it felt like a gut punch,” he said.
At first, his mind raced with questions: Could I have done something differently? Could I have been better? But as the shock settled, he realized it wasn’t personal. “It was simply a business decision,” he said. “I’d seen the company lay off a lot of people in recent years, and it felt like it didn’t matter if you were a great worker or not everybody was at risk.”
The timing was especially difficult. Carter was on medical leave for a personal health issue and was preparing to return to work within days. He received his last paycheck in mid-July, along with severance pay, but began applying for jobs almost immediately. “My mindset was: I can cry while I apply,” he said.
He posted about his layoff on LinkedIn, where his story resonated widely drawing more than 115,000 impressions and messages from recruiters. He landed interviews with major companies including Disney and Nintendo. But as months passed, no offers came through.
Now, five months later, his savings are dwindling. He pays $2,700 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, relying on what’s left in his account to stay afloat. His lease ends the week of October 20. If he doesn’t secure a job offer before then, he plans to move across the country to Florida to live with family. “Rent is expensive,” he said. “But rent without income coming in is doubly expensive.”
A tougher job market than ever
Carter says the current job market feels “daunting.” Like many tech professionals laid off in the past two years, he blames overhiring during the pandemic and companies’ rapid reallocation of resources toward AI development. “Finding a job in tech has become significantly more difficult,” he said. “Before my layoff, I regularly heard from college students struggling to break in. Now, I’m seeing that firsthand.”
With nearly four years of experience, Carter feels caught in the middle not entry-level, but not yet senior. Many companies, he says, seem to prefer one extreme or the other. “Some are looking for very specific skill sets,” he explained. “Mine can sometimes be viewed as more generalist.”
To stay competitive, he’s been learning new AI skills and updating his résumé to reflect them. His experience at Microsoft also underscored how much AI proficiency is valued internally. “During my last year, I didn’t feel like performance expectations had changed too much,” he said. “But I did feel some pressure to find ways to incorporate AI into my work.”
Networking, but no breakthroughs
Carter’s job search strategy mirrors the same methods that helped him build his career. After dropping out of high school in 2009 due to health issues, he earned his GED and worked his way through community college before transferring to Florida State University. Along the way, he built a strong network on LinkedIn now totaling more than 8,700 followers which helped him land interviews and eventually an internship at Salesforce.
That internship opened doors to full-time opportunities. After college, Carter applied to Microsoft without a referral and got the job. In 2021, he joined as a program manager, working remotely during the pandemic before relocating to the company’s Redmond headquarters the following year. He was earning a six-figure salary before the layoff.
Today, his networking continues to generate conversations but not results. “When I see a role that interests me, I reach out to a recruiter or someone in a similar position at the company and ask what they think the company is really looking for,” he said. “Then I tailor my résumé accordingly.”
With LinkedIn Premium, he can see who’s viewed his profile and reach out to them directly. “Most of the time they respond because they remember visiting my page,” he said. “That leads to conversations sometimes even interviews.”
While these efforts have produced opportunities, they haven’t yet led to an offer. “I usually ask people for advice, not referrals,” he said. “But if someone offers, I gladly accept.”
The emotional toll of uncertainty
The financial strain of unemployment is only part of the challenge. Carter says layoffs take a serious emotional toll, too. “It’s hard not to question yourself,” he admitted. “Even when you know it wasn’t your fault, it shakes your confidence.”
He’s found comfort in connecting with others going through the same experience. “I sometimes visit the private ‘MSFT Survivors’ Facebook group,” he said. “It includes people who’ve been laid off throughout the company’s history. Reading their stories reminds me I’m not alone.”
He also reaches out to others in his network who’ve been laid off to trade advice and encouragement. “It helps to talk to people who get it,” he said. “There’s a shared understanding there.”
Looking ahead
Carter plans to keep applying and expanding his skills in the coming weeks. If his search continues much longer, he’s considering returning to school possibly for an MBA or a graduate program focused on artificial intelligence. “I want to make sure I’m positioning myself for where the industry is headed,” he said.
For now, he’s focused on staying hopeful even as the days until his lease ends tick away. “I never thought I’d be in this position,” he said. “But all I can do is keep trying, keep learning, and keep moving forward.”
