I burned out as a manager at Microsoft — then got laid off. Nearly 3 years later, I'm still looking for work.

• Karena Plepel was laid off from her manager role at Microsoft in July 2023.
• Nearly three years later, she still hasn't found work, which has been difficult both financially and mentally.
• Despite her challenges, she believes everything happens for a reason.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Karena Plepel, a 43-year-old job seeker who lives in Illinois. She previously worked for Microsoft as a senior hub manager until being laid off in 2023. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

My last few years at Microsoft were a roller coaster — one that ended with me losing my job.

On July 10, 2023, I was pulled into an unexpected meeting with some of my colleagues; we had a sinking feeling about what it meant. Then, we learned we'd been laid off. The news didn't come as a complete surprise, but at the same time, it was surprising since I'd survived so many prior layoff cycles.

In July, it will be three years since I was laid off, and I'm still looking for work.

I worked in many different roles within Microsoft

I started working for Microsoft in 2010 as a sales representative, later becoming a store manager at a retail location in Schaumburg, Illinois. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Microsoft closed its retail locations, and my responsibilities and titles rapidly evolved.

Over the next few years, I went from being a physical store manager to a remote store manager to a territory sales manager, and finally to senior hub manager, which I began in August 2022. In that position, I was a manager of managers, with five direct reports overseeing more than 50 employees.

In addition to my role changes, this period also felt like a roller coaster because of the turnover at the company. Some people left as part of the shift away from retail, and many people in the Xbox division lost their jobs. Overall, it was a high-anxiety time. You never knew if you would be next.

After waves of layoffs, mine came.

The first thing I thought about was my team members who had also been affected, and I went into "leader crisis mode." I set up a meeting with my team so we could process what had happened and talk through their questions. I also followed up with HR and helped organize a broader call, so people across teams could get their questions answered.

The layoff meeting had felt so sterile, and I wanted to help make the process feel more personal and human for those who were impacted. Microsoft had been such a caring company up to that point, and I just couldn't have that be the ending for people.

I was burned out at Microsoft, so I took a break before diving back into the job search

In the days after the layoff, I wasn't eager to jump back into the job market right away, so I took a year to reset and figure out what I really wanted next.

A few factors led me to delay my job search. For one, I felt I needed to reset and give myself a mental break. During the period when my roles were changing, it felt like every time I would start to master a new position, I was bumped into a new one. By the end of it, I was really burned out.

I was also in a decent place, financially. I received a couple of extra months of paychecks before getting my severance, and was also able to extend my health insurance. I was also privileged to have enough savings to get by for a while, and my husband still had his job.

I knew I'd eventually need to get back to work, though, and around July 2024, I started actively job searching.

Companies' hiring plans seem to constantly be changing, which is frustrating

When I dove back in, I started reconnecting with people and browsing websites like Indeed and LinkedIn for roles similar to mine at Microsoft, including leadership, sales, and account executive roles.

I've gone to a couple of in-person job fairs; I think I'm better in person than I am on paper. I've also shared my résumé with my network before applying for roles, which has helped me land interviews, but they just haven't worked out in the end.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the job search process has been the seemingly constant evolution of companies' hiring plans. Companies don't seem clear about whether roles will even exist for long after hiring people for them, and I've heard about people being laid off, finding new roles within the same company, and then being laid off again.

I'm exploring a career pivot

I also realized that the part of my job I loved most was leading and coaching people. Compared to the bonuses and acknowledgments I received as a leader, none of that compared to the fulfillment of helping my team.

I started considering building my own business and began working toward life coaching certifications.

I've applied for some coaching roles and worked on my own coaching business by earning multiple certifications and launching my own website. I've recently begun working on partnering with my mother, who's a clinical psychologist, to offer both our services together.

I believe pursuing an independent source of income is worthwhile, particularly with the tough job market and the seeming lack of job security these days.

I believe that everything happens for a reason

My job search has been hard for my husband and two kids, financially. We're in an OK spot thanks to my husband taking a lot of extra shifts, but it's hard not to contribute financially, the way I used to. We've also become more mindful of our spending, including budgeting for things we used to not even think about.

Mentally, it's been hard being in such a long career transition, but I know I'm not the only one. I regularly see posts on LinkedIn from former leaders who are still struggling to find work, as some companies cut leadership or manager roles in an effort to boost productivity.

Despite these challenges, I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and I have no resentment toward Microsoft. If I had never been laid off, I think I'd still be there today, and would be using some of my talent, but not all of it. Now, I think I'm on a track where I'm using more of myself than I ever have.

My advice for others who have been laid off would be to take what time they can — even if they can't take a whole year like I did — to reflect on what part of their last job gave them the most energy. Then, try to make sure their next role aligns with that.

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