Laid off as a software engineer: your first two weeks, before you send an application

If you've just been laid off as a software engineer, don't apply yet. Spend the first days on whatever has a deadline: the severance agreement, health cover, unemployment benefits. Then count your runway in months, line up references and a contact list, and start applying in week two with every application logged from the first one. You're not behind. A short, ordered list beats a frantic one.

This is a plan, not legal or financial advice.

What has a deadline in the first week (US rules)?

Three things can expire while you're still catching your breath. Put each on a calendar today.

Your severance agreement and its review window

Don't sign on day one. If you're 40 or older and the agreement asks you to waive age-discrimination claims, the EEOC says you must get at least 21 days to consider it, or 45 days if you were laid off alongside at least one other person. After signing you get 7 days to revoke, and that can't be waived. Your agreement may cover other claims too, so ask what yours says and ask for it in writing. Then read it, or have a lawyer read it, before the window closes.

Health cover

If you had job-based insurance, two separate 60-day clocks start. The Department of Labor says you have 60 days to enroll in COBRA, which usually runs up to 18 months, and you usually pay the full premium. HealthCare.gov says losing job-based coverage in the past 60 days (or expecting to in the next 60) can qualify you for a marketplace special enrollment period. Dropping COBRA voluntarily later doesn't open one. Price both before you pick.

Unemployment benefits

The Department of Labor tells you to file with the program in the state where you worked as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Do it this week, even if you expect to find something quickly. Waiting only delays a claim you may need.

Check your country

Where you worked	First thing to do
US	The three steps above
UK	Read gov.uk's redundancy rights
Elsewhere in the EU	Look up your national employment agency and your contract's notice terms

In the UK, gov.uk says you're owed a notice period and a consultation, and redundancy pay normally needs 2 years' service. On a work visa, check your grace period with USCIS or your immigration lawyer today, not next week.

How long can you afford to search?

Count runway in months, not in savings. Add your severance, savings and any benefits you expect, divide by your monthly spend, and you have the number of months you can search before money decides for you. Work backwards from that end date.

Ashby's May 2026 data reports about 10 weeks for companies to first fill a technical role. That's hiring-side time, not how long your search takes; we'd use it as a rough planning anchor. Your own numbers will tell you more by week four, once you can see how many applications turned into replies.

Cut recurring spending now rather than later. Subscriptions, a second car payment and the gym you don't visit all shorten the end date. It takes an hour and it adds weeks.

Who do you ask for references, and what do you tell people?

Ask before your access ends. Your manager, a teammate and someone from another team will never be easier to reach than this week, while the work is fresh. Ask each one if they'd be a reference and write down what they'd say about your work, so you can match them to roles later.

For everyone else, two lines is enough: "My role was cut in a company-wide layoff. I'm looking for [kind of role], and I'd value an introduction if you hear of one." It's true, it's short and it asks for something specific.

Build your contact list wider than LinkedIn. Former colleagues, vendors you worked with, recruiters who've written to you, people from meetups. Log each name with the last time you spoke. People who already know your work are the easiest to ask.

When do you start applying, and how do you avoid spraying?

Start in week two. By then the paperwork is done and the record exists. Set up a job search spreadsheet with these columns before the first application, and add the role, the date, where you applied and the stage. Then count stages by source, so in week four you can see whether your channels reply and where you stall.

Pick a short list of companies you'd actually take, and apply on the employer's own careers page. Fewer, better-chosen applications are easier to track and to follow up on. When one goes quiet, following up after you apply is a short, polite message, not a nag. Once screens start, tracking several interview loops keeps the dates and names straight.

How to spend your first two weeks, with an example

Priya is a backend engineer, laid off on a Monday (all her figures are illustrative).

1. Days 1-3: deadlines

Her letter says to sign within 21 days, so she writes the date on her calendar and asks HR for the agreement in writing. She files for unemployment and prices COBRA against the marketplace. Nothing gets signed yet.

2. Days 4-10: money, references, people

Her severance is $4,000 (two weeks of pay in this example), with $18,000 in savings and $4,000 a month in spending. That's $22,000 over $4,000, or 5.5 months. Against Ashby's 10 weeks, which is under 2.5 months, she has room, but not unlimited room. She cancels three subscriptions and asks her manager and two teammates to be references. She lists 40 contacts.

3. Days 11-14: the record

She builds a sheet with 12 target companies and applies to the first two, logging each the day she sends it. She hasn't promised herself a number of applications, only that none go unrecorded.

Set up your search record this week

You decide two things before you apply: when to start and where the record lives. We'd start in week two and keep every application, contact and reply in one place, a sheet or a tool, so week three doesn't lose count. More guides are in our job search tracking guides.

Where this runs in HighCircl Job Search

If you'd rather not keep the sheet by hand, HighCircl Job Search keeps a pipeline of Saved, Applied, Interviewing, Offer and Closed, with the applied date on each job. It's free during the open beta, which is open to 300 people in the US. Clear recruiter emails move the application, and anything unsure waits for you.

FAQ

What should I do first after being laid off?

Read your severance agreement, put every deadline on a calendar, and file for unemployment. Then work out your runway in months. Applications can wait a few days.

Should I sign my severance agreement right away?

Usually you don't have to. For waivers of age-discrimination claims, the EEOC requires workers 40 or older to get at least 21 days to consider it (45 if laid off alongside at least one other person) and 7 days to revoke. Ask for it in writing and get it reviewed.

How long should I take before I start applying?

We'd start in week two, once the deadlines are handled and a record is set up. Starting earlier is fine if you're ready, and starting later is fine too.

Do I tell recruiters I was laid off?

Yes, briefly and plainly: your role was cut and you're looking for a specific kind of role. We'd keep it short.

How long does a software engineer search take after a layoff?

No published figure covers how long a laid-off engineer's search takes. Ashby reports about 10 weeks for companies to first fill a technical role. Your own stage counts after about four weeks will tell you more.