<prompt> Human: Without giving too much away, some of my coworkers use reddit Im an engineer at a small company thats currently laying people off. I started 7 months ago, so Im one of the obvious choices for the layoffs. I came here out of college, so I only have 7 months relevant experience. Should I be applying for jobs now? Or will that look bad to potential employers? Should I be applying for entry level jobs still? What should I do if the layoff happens? Can I collect unemployment while I hunt for a new job? Im in Minnesota. I have 1.5 months salary saved right now not very much, but student loan payments are a bitch.Please let me know if you need more info; Ill be checking back every 30 minutes or so.Edit: Thank you for all the responses. I dont have time to respond to each of them, but I am reading them.  <response>: How you feel about yourself is very important when youre looking for a job. Interviewers, like dogs, smell fear. The first rule of looking for a job is that it is always easier to find a job when you have a job than to find a job when youre unemployed. There are several reasons for this. First, historically employers have seen being laid off as a negative. Most companies dont layoff their best and brightest unless they have no other choice. Another reason is your mental state. Being laid off, even for the best and brightest, feels like a negative to the person who was laid off; one questions their value. Every day you go without a job adds to the feeling of reduced self-worth. You will find it much easier to tell a potential employer that your reason for the job search is that your present employer is reducing the force and you dont want to get caught up in it. 