Career expert reveals how you can spin getting laid off into a positive during a job interview

During a job interview with a potential new employer, a career coach revealed how to turn a layoff around positively.

JT O’Donnell, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the founder and CEO of Work It Daily – an online platform that helps people solve their biggest job search and career challenges.

She spoke with Good morning America about the best way to discuss a layoff when applying for a new position.

JT, who has gained more than 1.1 million followers on TikTok by sharing her insights, said it was essential to “get your mindset right” and “give just the right amount of information.”

In a video, JT explained how to approach a job interview when questions arise about a layoff.

“The first thing to do if you’ve lost your job is to get your mindset right. So many people come to us and say, “I feel guilty. I feel like I did something wrong.” You didn’t do anything wrong,’ she said.

“Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs in recent months, and you weren’t alone at your company.

“And that data should remind you that this had nothing to do with you — it just had to do with the company.”

The expert continued, “Now, having said that, if you have to answer the question “why did you quit your last job or why did you get fired?” you really want to be prepared with your answer.

And the first piece of advice I want to give you is to always respond with, “That’s a good question.”

“So when you get into the interview, they’re going to know you don’t have a job and so how you respond to this question — that initial response — will say a lot about your career confidence.”

JT said the next trick was to make sure you’re giving “just the right amount of information.”

She revealed that there were three main steps to perfecting this.

“The first is experience, and in this case you’re just giving them the facts, so you could say something like, ‘I’m really glad you’re asking that question. As you know, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs recently.” and at my company, more than 100 people lost their jobs due to layoffs and I was one of them,” said JT.

She reiterated that people should not express an opinion on the situation and instead reinforce their point by sharing what they learned.

To give an example, JT said, “In this case, you would say something like, “This taught me that I should always be ready to look for a new job, that any job is temporary.” Simply.’

The entrepreneur then said to tie everything together with comments about how the situation helped with personal growth.

She said job seekers should express their appreciation for the opportunity to “meet new employers” and “acquire new skills.”

JT is not the only career expert who helps interviewees find a job.

Anna Papaliabased in the US, took to TikTok to suggest that job seekers lie about certain topics when talking to a potential new employer.

This included fiction about where they will be in five years, “why” they are looking for a job, and even how they feel about a current boss.

She also gave the green flag for people to lie about their hobbies and about their title, especially those who do work that is not compensated.

And viewers quickly flooded the comment section with praise before claiming they’d be “binging” all of her videos to prepare for their next interview.