Laid off 8 months into my first dev job. How do you talk about it in interviews without sounding like damaged goods?
Company did a round of cuts, last-in-first-out, and I was gone. It wasn't performance — my manager even offered to be a reference — but I still feel this weird shame about it.
Now I'm interviewing again and I freeze up when they ask "why did you leave after 8 months." Do you just say "layoff, business reasons" and move on? Do you volunteer the reference unprompted? I don't want to sound defensive but I also don't want them assuming the worst. What's worked for you?
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AnonymousAnon Keep it short and factual, zero bitterness: 'the company restructured and my role was cut.' Layoffs are so common right now that it barely registers unless you make it weird or sound resentful. Then pivot fast to what you actually shipped in those 8 months. You're not damaged goods — you're someone a business decision happened to.
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AnonymousAnon Got laid off at 10 months in the 2023 cuts, same LIFO thing. What worked: one clean sentence, no apology energy. "The company did a reduction and my role was cut — my manager's happy to be a reference." Say it flat and pivot to what you actually did there. Interviewers see layoffs constantly now; the shame is way more in your head than in the room. I'd keep the reference line, it does a lot of quiet reassuring.