I was laid off one day before my 2nd child was born. I landed a job at Meta in a month thanks to 5 habits I practiced even before the layoff.

• Vishwanath Eswarakrishnan joined Meta after being laid off from Cruise in December.
• His second layoff occurred following a Cruise robotaxi accident in San Francisco.
• Focusing on being a good engineer and what he could control helped him land a job within a month.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vishwanath Eswarakrishnan, a software engineer who joined Meta's Menlo Park, California office in March 2024. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment history.

I have been laid off twice, both during crucial times in my personal life.