The Hunt Blog

I wasn’t much of a fiction reader, but a few weeks after my first layoff (there have been 4), I decided to “improve myself” with some literature.

The only book that truly stuck with me was Albert Camus’ The Stranger. I knew nothing about this 1940’s novel except that it had a cool cover, so I was pleasantly surprised when it delivered a shift in perspective, bringing me encouragement during my layoff.

Here’s how a touch of existentialist thinking can help you navigate your layoff:

• Layoffs are absurd. Camus might say a layoff is not “fair” or “unfair” in any cosmic sense. Business and the economy are indifferent entities. In our search for stability, it’s natural to ask “Why me? What does this mean for my life?” There is no ultimate answer, and the universe doesn’t care, but you do. So what next?

• Assert your freedom to rebuild. There is a strange kind of freedom in not expecting life to deliver ultimate answers. Losing a job, while destabilizing, also removes constraints. The routines, identities, and obligations tied to that role are gone. This is your opportunity to tackle the problem with newfound freedom and create a new path.

• Small acts clear the way forward. For Camus, the appropriate response to absurdity would be revolt—not resignation. How do you apply that after a layoff? You search for your next job not because it guarantees meaning or fairness, but because asserting your agency in an indifferent world is itself a form of dignity. Updating your resume, networking, applying—these are small acts of rebellion.

• Acceptance is rebellion. Like the mythological Greek King Sisyphus eternally pushing his boulder up the hill with no chance of ever reaching the top, you must see the reality for what it is—painful, arbitrary, beyond your control—and yet you keep going. Camus might add that your life is not a myth, and unlike the cursed Sisyphus, you will succeed. What you can take away from his determination is that simply acknowledging the absurdity of your situation is to rebel against it. 

• One must imagine Sisyphus happy. Camus suggested that Sisyphus might even be seen as happy with his uphill battle by finding joy in the struggle. Relating this to the job hunt, there will be ghosting, bad interviews, and other setbacks. That’s when you have to seek moments of meaning—time with friends, the pleasure of writing a sharp cover letter, even the absurd humor of corporate rejections. Affirm life without demanding that it justify itself.

So, what would Camus say if he were advising you? It might sound something like this:

A layoff is neither curse nor destiny; it simply is. You are free, perhaps more than before, to shape your next step. Refuse despair, embrace your freedom, and revolt by continuing. Even in struggle, claim joy where you can. The world is silent, but your persistence gives it voice.

A Practical Letter in the Spirit of Camus

You have lost your job. This fact is not a judgment upon you, nor a sign of destiny. It is only the collision of your need for stability with the indifference of markets and chance. Do not waste yourself asking “why me?” The world does not answer. Instead, face what is in your hands.

Begin with clarity. Take stock of your skills and your achievements without illusion or self-deception. Write them down; these are your tools. Update your resume and your profile with simplicity and honesty. The act itself is a declaration that you are still present, still capable.

Reach out to others. Speak openly of your search. Networking is not begging but a form of revolt; you refuse invisibility. Each application, each interview, even each rejection, is not humiliation but action—proof that you continue to push forward in a world that would prefer you remain silent.

Do not neglect your strength. A layoff exhausts not only your finances but your spirit. Create a routine: mornings for applications, afternoons for learning or exercise, evenings for rest. The balance itself is resistance against despair.

And in the midst of effort, do not overlook joy. Take the walk, share the meal, laugh with friends. These moments are not distractions but reminders; life is larger than work, and it continues to offer beauty even when security is uncertain.

You are not reduced to this layoff. You are free to build again, and your persistence is already a victory.

—Albert Camus [via ChatGPT]