"It seems really amazing to go from laid off to "have a job offer" in an afternoon." Really depends on how small the particular world is. When I was in Hollywo

"It seems really amazing to go from laid off to "have a job offer" in an afternoon." Really depends on how small the particular world is. When I was in Hollywood, it wasn't uncommon for a high-level exec to be fired from Paramount one morning and walk into work at Warner Bros the next day. Of course, that business is particularly incestuous, everyone knows each other, and the same people trade jobs the way schoolchildren play musical chairs. Of course, things are probably a little bit more rigorous in this case. There might be a big talent grab in the wake of mass closures or layoffs -- but it seems unlikely that just anybody walks off with a legitimate job offer in supershort order. Known commodities and highest performers? Maybe. Those with great networks and recruiter relationships? Also possible. Anyone else? They'll get some halo and attention from the announcement, but they're not going to auto-convert that attention into an offer in a few hours. I suspect the part about "...had new jobs lined up by the time they left the building" is a slight exaggeration.