Was part of RIF after just 5 months despite hitting targets, whats the best interviewing strategy?
My longest stint is a little over 3.5 years. Which is the one before this RIF, is that long enough to look positive?
Honesty. Look at the job market, specifically in software. Every other week there is news of 10k+ layoffs. To get in the weeds, the AI hype train is forcing companies to lean to afford GPU's and other expensive hardware components as part of an AI race that is still not delivering revenue for these orgs. A good recruiter will understand. Come prepared with facts/data around your performance. If you had a good relationship with your leadership, get their buy-in to be a reference or to write a letter of recommendation highlighting this was part of a broader RIF and not performance related. Additionally, find the orgs you want to join, and then search up their sales leaders and hiring managers directly with a thoughtful note highlighting your interest in their company and ask for a conversation if timing is right.
So far I feel like most recruiters have been understanding, but the hiring managers less so.
That would suggest to me you need to tighten up your story around what you did accomplish in your time at the prior job. And I would also have great metrics/story for the role before that if it was longer.
Hey BowTiedCocoon here - a layoff is neutral until you narrate it in a way that's simultaneously honest while keeping your foot forward: 🤡 “Company struggled, I was cut. No one knew what they were doing. it was a complete mess...” 🐲 “Two months into the job, the Tariff hit - Budgets froze, product focus shifted and people were leaving. I took it upon me to find a way and so I doubled my outreach volume, tested new verticals , and eventually unlocked social proof with a pilot - marking [company name] first deal in [xyz] niche. Things didn't work out but when my back was against the wall, I have clear conscience knowing I tried my best."
If you're interviewing you should be 100% up front about your short stint there, in the following ways: 1. Why you joined that org in the first place, what excited you about it and why you thought it would be a good fit for you 2. Your performance while you were there (sounds like you did really well) 3. The reality of what happened and the fact that it was out of your control and you were disappointed in the outcome, but here's what I learned while I was there... It's not the time or place to drag that old company, it's really just fact based and focus on what went well there. Remember, I am always preaching that it's important to shoot for one long tenure, and if you get it, a few short tenures won't really matter. If you haven't had that long tenure yet, communicate that you're looking for it.