coming 2 months earlier when we were acquired by a private equity firm (my entire department got laid off, and a lot of other departments as well). So I had already been aggressively applying.

Luckily for me: When it happened, three days later I got a job offer. I was lucky and understand it doesn't work out that perfectly for everyone. But I ended up with double salary for a month (with severance) and a $40,000 a year raise.

Tips:

1. You'll get rejected a LOT. Don't let it worry you.
2. Don't have images or design on your resume. Make it a simple .docx file. Hiring managers use software that scan and filter resumes for them. If you have a complicated one with images and design, it will often be rejected immediately because the scan software can't read them.
3. Send out 14 resumes and cover letters a week. At least (I did more). Keep a spreadsheet going of which ones you like, which ones are live, etc.
4. Use LinkedIn to find jobs. It was easiest for me. You can filter by jobs that let you live in a location. I live in Utah, for instance, so I only applied for Utah jobs or remote jobs.
5. Pathrise was a big help for me. I only did their free trial, but even their paid platform is helpful. Do the free trial for sure. They'll give you some tips. If I hadn't found a job so fast, I would have done their actual platform. It's expensive, but they guarantee you'll get a job within a year or you don't have to pay.

If he has severance, a three-week runway, and even unemployment+savings, he'll be fine.