After a successful annual review, Amethyst Polk, 30, was feeling confident about her job as a NASA project analyst. Her boss praised her performance, assuring her that, despite the organization’s recent budget cuts, her position was secure.
So Polk was floored when — just a few months after her review — she was suddenly laid off in another round of furloughs.
Since she knew that her chances of finding another job were best if she acted quickly, Polk hit the pavement.
“I tried all of the usual tactics to find a job — Indeed.com, Idealist.org, job fairs — but none of my interviews were leading to offers,” Polk says. “I knew that recruiters frequently relied on LinkedIn, so I beefed up my account, adding photos, work samples, and direct contact information. And almost immediately, I began getting calls.”
