Just laid off
A quiet place to land.
You do not need to do anything right now. The emergency is emotional, not logistical. Almost nothing about your search is decided in the first two days. Almost everything about your recovery is shaped by whether you let yourself land first.
Datum is free. No card. Not a trial. Your runway calculator, severance guides, and zero-knowledge vault are included on every account.
The first 48 hours, mapped calmly
- 0–4h
Land
Do not sign anything. Do not announce anything. Tell one person you trust. Eat something. The goal is not productivity · it is signaling to your own body that you are safe enough to think clearly later.
- 4–24h
Secure the floor
Save personal files. Confirm health coverage end date. Note deadlines: severance review period, equity windows, benefits elections. Put deadlines on a calendar. Everything else can wait.
- 24–48h
One true thing
Choose one deliberate action · file for unemployment, read the severance agreement once through, or draft a private list of what you actually want next. Then stop. One real action beats ten anxious half-starts.
- Week 1+
Recalibrate at your pace
When you are ready, Datum's Stabilize pacing gives you one thing a day: a guide, a practice problem, a Coach conversation, or simply permission to rest. The plan moves when you complete work. No streak guilt.
Free tools for the season
Runway calculator
Exact numbers in. A calm zero date out. Nothing leaves your browser.
Severance guides
What is negotiable, how to ask, and when to call an attorney.
Benefits checklist
COBRA vs. marketplace, unemployment filing, and health coverage bridges.
Zero-knowledge vault
Your career debris, encrypted. We cannot read it. No one can without your key.
“A layoff was an event. The transition is a season. Seasons are survived with pacing, not sprints.”
What can wait · genuinely
Updating your resume. It will be better when written from steadiness, not adrenaline. The LinkedIn announcement. Days three through fourteen are all fine. So is never. Replying to every “let me know how I can help” message. A simple “thank you · I'll reach out when I've landed” is complete. Deciding what your career means. Big-picture clarity does not arrive on demand in week one.
If your employer offers Caliber seats: this is dignified transition support, not another job board. Your vault stays encrypted. Partners request access through time-bound keys you control. There is no browsable database. Learn more.
From the Field Book
Practical reference for the paperwork, the money, the story, and the nervous system. Written for people between jobs. No hustle, no forced cheer, no email wall.
You do not need to do anything right now.
When you are ready, Datum is here. One deliberate move a day. Premium included free.
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