Vass, who now works as a Sales Manager at subsea operations and manufacturer James Fisher & Sons, explains that her connection with energy relates to her hometown. ‘I live in Aberdeen, where if you don’t work in oil and gas, you don’t work. We missed the heydays of oil and gas in Aberdeen, when people were driving around in Lamborghinis and the money was amazing. I joined in the middle of another downturn, in quite a volatile time, and I’ve seen a lot of them. 

 ‘Although I had a lot of jobs, the start of my career was working at equipment supplier Proserv. I was there six to seven years, and probably went through one redundancy process a year, if not twice, because of how volatile the industry was. Everyone was feeling the crunch and the pressure, and that was the year just before COVID – and then the world changed again. I was close to being made redundant; when COVID happened I was, because the projects that the company was working on globally came to a complete halt or were cancelled.’  

‘After I was made redundant, I felt: “That’s me done, I’m out, I don’t want to work in energy anymore.” So I took a position in sales outside of energy, in a small family company selling mortgage protection and insurance. But something was missing. So I moved to Vallourec, initially on a six-month contract, and enjoyed the outside sales aspect of the job. But then geopolitical life changed again when Labour came into power and halted North Sea drilling. If there’s no drilling, not much need for drill pipe, and no new orders, so I lost my job again.’  

‘My friends and fellow members of the YPN kept me going, kept me really positive, sending me job vacancies, and even giving me interview tips. The community that we’ve built, not just in the EI; our focus on making industry better and more attractive to YPs and people coming through school and university; and also the community in Aberdeen – I saw how beautiful that was in the six weeks I was “funemployed” – unemployed but having fun. Because of that support, I rejected jobs that weren’t what I wanted. That was scary, to not have an income and turn down a future role, knowing that the company, role or part of the sector wasn’t exciting, and didn’t feel like the part of the next step in this industry. But I’ve been at my current employer for almost a year now.’  

‘My friends and fellow members of the YPN kept me going, kept me really positive, sending me job vacancies, and even giving me interview tips.’ – Nicki Vass, Chair of the Energy Institute’s Aberdeen YPN network 

Offering an external perspective on redundancy which is perhaps similar to Vass’ friends is former Vice Chair of Community Outreach at the London YPN Karolina Zieba, an Offshore Wind Associate at the Carbon Trust. She reflects: ‘I’ve never been made redundant, but I know many people who have. It’s a very daunting prospect, as most of us rely on a stable income and many of us (even subconsciously) attach our worth to external approval. However, redundancy is rarely personal or a reflection of your abilities. It often reflects market conditions or the company’s inability to plan and anticipate resource needs. Resilience is a crucial part of life. I’m very proud of the people in my life who faced redundancy, processed it in their own time, and didn’t let that moment define them. A person’s value is far greater than their current circumstances.’  

A redundancy very early in his career became a formative experience for Shamus Hardie, Chair of the WPC Energy Young Professionals Committee and Senior Analyst at Canada’s Inter Pipeline. He recalls: ‘Years ago, in a different industry, I was laid off from an electronics retailer that had merged with a larger company. I worked in sales through my undergrad education, which gave me practice with soft skills and confidence interacting with people. When the layoffs came, part-timers like me were the first to go, followed by the remaining sales team when the business closed a year later. While the initial shock was tough, that experience turned out to be one of the best things to happen for my career. It pushed me to apply my education and move into the energy sector. Like a breakup, it came with uncertainty and self-doubt, but also the motivation to move forward and pursue better opportunities.’  

‘The energy business carries more risk than many industries, with exposure to commodity price swings, investment cycles, and mergers or acquisitions that can shrink headcounts. To manage this, you need to prepare for downturns before they happen. One sage piece of advice from a former senior leader has always stuck with me: “Live within your means”. That financial buffer buys you time to find the right job, not just one to pay the bills.’  

‘Once you steady yourself, the next step is to realign your skills with market demand. I’ve helped students and colleagues revise their resumes, often cutting out well-meaning but irrelevant content. A strong, current and well-formatted resume and cover letter are critical to getting back into the workforce.’  

‘Still, the reality is that returning can be harder than expected. A soft labour market, talent saturation, skill mismatches, or a broader economic slowdown can delay your next opportunity. That’s why financial and emotional readiness are so important.’  

‘Over time, I’ve come to recognise early signs of potential layoffs: slowdowns in work, delays in new projects, budget cuts, and M&A activity. There’s also the quiet tension with leadership going silent, rumours swirling and colleagues suddenly disappearing. In these moments, you can’t control the uncertainty, but you can choose how much you let it affect you. Focus only on what’s within your control and not the infinite possibilities that will create unnecessary stress.’  

‘Like many of life’s challenges, job loss is a transition. You will land somewhere. The question is how you plan to stay resilient and adapt to what comes next.’  

The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the authors only and are not necessarily given or endorsed by or on behalf of the Energy Institute.  

• Further reading: ‘Generation 2050: How to up your game to connect with senior managers and executives’. Hear from five dynamic young energy professionals, who describe how they are climbing their own personal career ladder. 
• Find out what issues are being faced by young professionals working in the energy sector and why three prominent members of the EI’s Young Professionals Networks are volunteering their time.