I was laid off by Amazon and am struggling to find work. The job market feels like a brick wall, and I'm worried about my finances.

James Hwang

James Hwang

• James Hwang was laid off from his IT role at Amazon in October.
• He said he's struggled to find a new job and is growing worried about his finances.
• His advice for recently laid-off Amazon workers is to lean on your connections and apply steadily.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with James Hwang, a 28-year-old job seeker who lives in southern Michigan. He previously worked for Amazon as an IT support engineer until being laid off last October.