A survival guide to the modern job hunt
Just following up…
The year-long job search nobody warned me about, and what finally worked.
Read an excerpt ↓
Laid off. Let go. Impacted. Downsized. Eliminated. Reorganized out. Restructured out. Reduced. Discontinued.
9 phrases. One emotion.
Corporate America has never met a firing it couldn’t rename.
The book
On an ordinary Wednesday morning, a vice president of marketing walked into a conference room that wasn’t on her calendar and walked out without a job. She’d been laid off before and always landed within a couple of months. This time she gave herself 3. It took a year.
Just Following Up is what came out of that year, in print, on Kindle, and as an audiobook. Hundreds of applications. AI screens that never let her through. Recruiters who vanished after 3 rounds. A network that ran dry. A muumuu. And, eventually, a job, landed for reasons that had nothing to do with the advice she’d been given.
Each of the 13 chapters pairs the story with what it means for you: what no longer works in the modern job search, what surprisingly does, and how to stay standing while your confidence dissolves. It’s written for the person sitting alone with something they aren’t sure they’re allowed to say out loud.
There’s always a moment when your body knows something bad is coming. Not your brain. Your body.
Your mouth goes dry. Your stomach starts doing interpretive dance. Your heart begins pounding like it’s trying to exit through your forehead. Fight or flight. Except in corporate America, there’s a third option: sit in a conference room and nod politely while your livelihood disappears.
I’d been laid off before, so I considered myself something of a professional.
It was a regular Wednesday morning. I was wearing a denim jumpsuit and looked fantastic. Hair: great. Makeup: great. Energy: high. I caught my reflection in the elevator mirror on the way up and thought: You look great today. This should have been my first warning. Nothing good ever follows the thought “You look great today,” unless you are on your way to brunch.
Keep reading on AmazonInside the book
This book is for you if…
You were let go, and it’s been longer than anyone said it would be.
You still have a job, and you’re quietly doing the math on how long you could go without one.
You coach, recruit, or run outplacement, and you need something honest to hand a client on day 1.
My name isn’t Beth.
Beth is a pen name, and the name matters a lot less than the story. I spent nearly 20 years in entertainment and media, working my way up from publicity assistant to vice president of marketing at a major film studio, a broadcast network, a professional sports league, and a streaming platform. Then my position was eliminated on an ordinary Wednesday, and the fast landing I was counting on took a year.
I wrote this book when my life was in the dumps. It started as a journal, which is generous, since it was really just me typing furiously and complaining. Somewhere in there it turned into the book I wish someone had handed me on my way out.
I live in Southern California with my husband and two daughters. I did get a job. You will too.
Who is Beth Howel?
Beth Howel is a pen name. The layoff, the year, the muumuu, and the job at the end are all real. At some point I’ll tell you who I am. Join the list and you’ll hear it first, along with what I’m learning from readers who are living the same year right now.
You’re on the list. Now go take a walk. You’ve earned it.
Recommend it
If you coach, recruit, or run outplacement, this is the book to hand someone before the first coaching session. Bulk orders and speaking requests: hello@bethhowelbooks.com.