Laid Off

Expert replies

Marisa: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 25; Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:50 pm

by Marisa » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:10 pm

I really enjoyed my job and was loyal to the company when I was laid off in January (well actually asked to step down in position, which is a brick wall in Corporate America) so I decided to take the layoff. I left on good terms with everyone except my boss who I know made the decision. This is a blessing in disguise because I have been looking to go into b school part time for several months and now I can go full time. The questions I have are: Do I need to explain why I did not ask my boss for a letter of rec? If so, do I explain this in the extra essay option? I certainly do not want it to come off as venting or martyr-like. There is still a lot of pain associated with this and I do not want it to come through in my essays. Thank you.

Source: Beat The GMAT — The Application Process | Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:10 pm

mayonnai5e: Legendary Member; Posts: 1018; Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:19 pmFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 86 times

by mayonnai5e » Sun Mar 01, 2009 11:20 pm

Some schools will explicitly ask you to explain why your boss didn't write the letter so you'd have to do so in the optional essay. In any case, I'd explain it in the optional essay even if not explicitly asked for, but sidestep the anger/bitter/pain by reframing the layoff from a different angle. Why did you accept the layoff instead of the step down? Why would that have been bad for your career and how did your boss and his ideas play a role in that decision?

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Marisa: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 25; Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:50 pm

by Marisa » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:58 am

Thank you

Vitalina: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 116; Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:30 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:670

by Vitalina » Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:41 pm

Since we brought the laying off topic up, I wanted to ask for the community's opinion about the issue.
I was laid off, or rather retrenched this Friday (great day for me!

). I was aiming for LSB, with a couple of 'safe' schools on the list as well.
I stopped even thinking about LSB now, since it won't look nice on my CV, me changing jobs right before application.
Or shall i just forget about it and give it a try anyway, since there are hundreds of others in the same position?

Scottie@VeritasPrep: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 500; Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:34 amFollowed by: 6 members; Location: Florida; Thanked: 45 times

by Scottie@VeritasPrep » Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:09 pm

You definitely should not let getting laid off stop you from applying to your top choice. If nothing else has changed, then your application is essentially the same as before. You might consider using the optional essay to discuss your layoff (why it happened, what you learned from it, how it impacts your future goals, etc.).

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Vitalina: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 116; Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:30 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:670

by Vitalina » Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:37 am

VP_MBA Expert wrote:You definitely should not let getting laid off stop you from applying to your top choice. If nothing else has changed, then your application is essentially the same as before. You might consider using the optional essay to discuss your layoff (why it happened, what you learned from it, how it impacts your future goals, etc.).

thanks a lot for your reply. I will definitely re-think what I am doing

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