People you know

Once I got laid off. I told my close friends from grad school and undergrad right away. Most of them are in the same industry as I am. In the beginning, I was ashamed of announcing it to the public, but one of my friends told me "The more people knew about it, the more can help you". So many people were trying to help me out once they knew about my situation - not only the ones I was close with but also the ones I rarely talked to at school and even at my previous company. I also reached out to my professors and the career center at school.

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In addition, by talking with others, their warm and cheerful words sent me positive energy that helped me get out of the negative mood I had very soon.

People you don't know

For people you don't know, they can also be your resources. There is a saying that by connecting 5 people, you can get to know everyone in the world. 

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My most direct method during my job search is through LinkedIn, I can find who is in the company that I am interested in. If there is a mutual connection, I reach out for an introduction.

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Moreover, I got help from my friends' friends and once my friends told their friends, they all helped me to keep an eye the market and introduce me to any potential opportunity

Third-party career services

There are free and paid third-party resources you can use:

• Third-party career services that help you to put yourself in the market and provide resources/platforms you can utilize - this website can count as one of them

• Third-party recruiters that help your targeted industry/companies recruit employees; you can find them through LinkedIn, Google, or ask around