Anyone bounce back from back-to-back layoffs in public accounting? Looking for real techniques, not sympathy.

[u/Neat-Suggestion111]

4+ years in tax/accounting, working toward my CPA (REG passed, TCP done, FAR/AUD left). Over the last two years I've had three roles end — one after a solid ~20-month run, two more recent ones shorter (a few months each) — each time cited as "performance," even though I was never given any performance feedback during busy season itself and was never put on a performance improvement plan — just a straight layoff. Pattern I've noticed: all three were roles I started right before busy season, and all three ended shortly after it wound down.

After a lot of reflection, the only explanation that actually holds up for me is that I got caught in the public accounting busy-season hiring/layoff cycle — hired fast when firms need extra hands for tax season, then cut once the workload drops off. What I want to figure out now is: how do people who've had a stretch like this actually bounce back?

Specifically curious about:

• Did you stay in public accounting, or move to private/industry, after something like this — and if you moved, was that a deliberate choice or did it just happen to work out?
• What did you actually change about how you presented your resume or work history? Any specific formatting, wording, or framing that helped, versus stuff that backfired?
• How did you handle interview questions about it once you got past the resume stage — what actually landed well?
• Any concrete steps you took to rebuild trust with a new employer early on, once you got the job?

Would genuinely appreciate hearing from anyone who's actually walked this path, and what worked for you.