How to handle being laid off (as data scientists), severance negotiation, full-time employment vs independent consultant - The Data Scientist Show #080

We are joined by two data scientists who have firsthand experience with layoffs. We’ll talk about how to negotiate severance packages, how to handle stress, strategies for job hunting post-layoff, and how to reduce risks in full-time employment.

Working with Daliana on personal branding: https://forms.gle/heNuZzaHjaAMQwLu6

Her email: daliana@dalianaliu.com

Guests:

Susan Shu Chang:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-shu-chang/

Newsletter: susanshu.substack.com

Sundar Swaminathan

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sswamina3/

Website: https://www.sundarswaminathan.com/⁠

(00:00:00) Introduction(00:06:13) Severance Negotiation(00:20:29) Identity crisis(00:26:22) Job search after layoff(00:30:21) Networking(00:35:23) Risk at pre-seed startups(00:37:03) How should data scientists pick companies(00:40:43) What to ask hiring managers(00:45:01) Does GenAI change interview processes?(00:47:17) Are data science teams getting leaner?(00:48:56) Future of data science roles(00:50:37) Full time employment and job security(00:53:46) Benefits of full time jobs(00:58:14) Reduce risk of being laid off(01:00:43) How to sell yourself(01:02:43) How to plan your finances(01:05:09) How to become an independent consultant