How to Spot a Layoff 3-6 Months Before It Happens (And What to Do)
Companies are doing more layoffs with less notice. Here’s how to spot them early.
Your company is planning layoffs. They just haven’t told you yet.
Most people only realize it when HR is on the call and their account is already disabled. Outdated resume, no pipeline, no plan.
After coaching hundreds through job transitions, I’ve seen the same script. Once you know the pattern, you stop being the victim of “surprise” layoffs.
The Timeline Nobody Talks About
Layoffs don’t happen overnight. They take 3-6 months to plan and execute.
That’s your window.
The difference between someone who sees this coming and someone who doesn’t?
One walks out with severance, healthcare, and their next job lined up. The other freaks out for 6 months with no income.
3-6 Months Out: The Quiet Signals
Watch for these shifts:
Sudden hiring freeze with vague explanations about “strategic growth”
Leadership using new words: “efficiency,” “doing more with less,” “operational excellence”
Outside consultants showing up (especially big firms)
New executives joining, especially a new CFO or CEO
Training budgets disappear - no conference approvals, no certifications
Small perks vanish - holiday parties get canceled, team outings stop
Your yearly raise gets “postponed”
Open positions on your team quietly close
One more thing: when “we’re a family” messaging gets louder, that’s when you know the family is about to get smaller.
1-3 Months Out: The Obvious Ones
These are harder to miss:
Your manager acts weird in one-on-ones - distant, vague, canceling meetings
Big cross-team projects suddenly get shelved
Teams get reorganized in ways that make no sense
Senior people leave and don’t get replaced
Contractors and temps disappear first - always the canary
HR starts “checking in” more than usual
Everything needs documentation now - attendance, minor issues, all of it
If your manager suggests you “update your LinkedIn,” take the hint. They’re trying to help you without saying what they can’t say.
Do This Today: Fix Your LinkedIn Profile
If you’re seeing any of these signals, stop reading and do this first.
The system I teach in how to get findable and land recruiter callbacks within 90 days works because it makes you visible before you’re desperate.
Here’s the starter version.
Right now:
Open LinkedIn
Update your headline to reflect what you actually do, not your job title
Add your last 2-3 wins to your experience section with numbers
Turn on “Open to Work” - set it to recruiters only (your company won’t see it)
Reconnect with 5 people you haven’t talked to in a year - just a quick “been thinking about you, let’s catch up”
This takes 20 minutes. Do it before lunch.
When the layoff happens, your LinkedIn will already be working for you. Recruiters will already be seeing your profile. Your network will already be warm. You’ll have momentum, not panic.
You’ve fixed your LinkedIn. That’s step one.
Not sure if you’re at 1-3 months out or 2-4 weeks? The difference matters. 2-4 weeks means you have days, not months - and most people miss the crisis signals until it’s too late.
Now here’s the part that decides whether you walk out with 4 weeks of severance or 16 - and whether you have health coverage or a $2,000 COBRA bill hitting in 30 days.
Paid members get:
The 2-4 week crisis timeline (so you know if you have days or months)
Complete prep checklist I give $2,000 coaching clients
Word-for-word scripts for severance negotiation (added average of 6 weeks to packages)
The exact questions to ask before you leave the room
Gaps in standard advice that leave people broke, without healthcare, or accidentally destroying unemployment eligibility
Upgrade now to get the full playbook.