This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Aaron Laniewicz, a 40-year-old job seeker who lives in North Carolina. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Before getting laid off, I worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as a digital transformation consultant supporting government contracts. Last year, my team began shrinking as our project got closer to completion, and I was eventually taken off the project and put " on the bench ." Which, in consulting, means I was no longer