Officially unemployed

[P5se Camelback]

Hang in there, Nacho Kev! I 'm pullin' for you!!

I sincerely hope a good position is offered to you soon!

[cn nutbar]

Good luck Kevin

[Gary S]

Go kick some butt, Kevin!

[ngauger]

Yes - best of Luck -- Break a leg!!!!

[RobertInOntario]

After being reassured that this wouldn't happen (by some key people at my work), I just found out yesterday that I am being officially laid off after 22 years!

I have been offered a layoff package so my termination isn't immediate. I can work and be paid for a few months while searching for new work.

I may post more later on, as I'm still digesting this & can't believe it's happening.

Rob

[nachoman]

I'm sorry to hear that., especially after 22 years. Unemployment can be extremely tough emotionally, and my best advice is to stay busy and do whatever it takes to stay positive about yourself. If a company passes you over or neglects to politely call you back - it has nothing to do with you - it has to do with them being a bunch of jerks. Right now I am dealing with a company I interviewed with TWICE, and since given me the cold shoulder for 4 weeks. Now I am starting to call them, and all I get is voicemail. If you are lucky, you will know someone who can help quickly get you a job somewhere else. Otherwise, it could take awhile - and hobbies like this one definitely help to keep your sanity.

[P5se Camelback]

I wish you the best of luck! I have first hand knowledge of your situation and I know that it isn't easy, but ...

Keep your head up! Stay proud of your accomplishments to this point ... being positive gives you an unseen but somehow perceived aura when job hunting that interviewers can sense, even though they're not quite sure why they have a good feeling about you, your qualifications and experience! 8-)

I'll mention you tonight when I have my "evening conversation."

[RobertInOntario]

I'm sorry to hear that., especially after 22 years. Unemployment can be extremely tough emotionally, and my best advice is to stay busy and do whatever it takes to stay positive about yourself. If a company passes you over or neglects to politely call you back - it has nothing to do with you - it has to do with them being a bunch of jerks. Right now I am dealing with a company I interviewed with TWICE, and since given me the cold shoulder for 4 weeks. Now I am starting to call them, and all I get is voicemail. If you are lucky, you will know someone who can help quickly get you a job somewhere else. Otherwise, it could take awhile - and hobbies like this one definitely help to keep your sanity.

Hi Kevin,

Sorry to hear about that company giving you the runaround. I've been told a couple times that it's who you know that counts & I will really need to work my connections.

Yes, hobbies like ours certainly help to keep our sanity -- they're nice diversions.

Take care and maybe we can keep each other updated. My severance details are still being worked out.

Take care, Rob

[RobertInOntario]

I wish you the best of luck! I have first hand knowledge of your situation and I know that it isn't easy, but ...

Keep your head up! Stay proud of your accomplishments to this point ... being positive gives you an unseen but somehow perceived aura when job hunting that interviewers can sense, even though they're not quite sure why they have a good feeling about you, your qualifications and experience! 8-)

I'll mention you tonight when I have my "evening conversation."

Thanks -- I really appreciate your concern and encouragement.

I also think I know what you mean by your "evening conversation"! I really appreciate that as well.

Rob

[P5se Camelback]

Thanks -- I really appreciate your concern and encouragement.
I also think I know what you mean by your "evening conversation"! I really appreciate that as well.
Rob

[BR60103]

I'll mention what one of my friends felt about job applications: the personnel department may have little feel for what a company needs. He send applications out but didn't get an interview until someone he knew brought him together with his supervisor.
If you are specialized, you may have to find someone who works in a similar field.

[nachoman]

I'll mention what one of my friends felt about job applications: the personnel department may have little feel for what a company needs. He send applications out but didn't get an interview until someone he knew brought him together with his supervisor.
If you are specialized, you may have to find someone who works in a similar field.

Yes, that definitely helps. If you already know someone who works for someplace and can put in a good word - that is a huge leg up. Unfortunately, it is no guarantee. Right now, I am getting the could shoulder from a company a friend of mine works for. I was interviewed twice, I sent them a thank you and forwarded some additional information they requested, and haven't heard anything from them for 4 weeks. I called them the beginning of this week to see if they were still interested or not, and all I got was a voice mail and no return phone call. My friend has been working out of town this summer, and got back into town today. I asked her what was up, and she said she would ask around and find out for me. Unfortunately, it is not like a store that gives bad service - I have no option to take my business elsewhere. I worked for the state government for two years, and while the government is notorious for inefficiency and slow service - at least we had the courtesy to call people back. Sorry for the rant - but this situation is starting to tee me off.

[P5se Camelback]

If it might help in some way ...

When I was looking for a new place of employment after a plant closing, or a cutback due to changes in Medicare laws, or after a hostile take-over, the first task was to identify a company that had an opening in my field (advertised or unadvertised ... through web sites or networking) The second task was to identify the person in that company that I, as the new hire brought on to fill that opening, would report to. This is an important step in the process, as the schlub in Personnel, or as they politically incorrectly call it these days, Human Resources (as if we are a resource like office supplies purchased at Staples or Office Depot) is not the individual with the power to hire you! He is merely an obstacle to be overcome in your quest to get to the real decision-maker, the department manager, or Director, or Vice President (depending upon your reporting level.) This person is the one who will ultimately make the decision (he or she will have to depend upon your experience and expertise - he wants to hire someone who will be able to do the jobb that he needs done -- you may never see the schlub from H.R. again ... he doesn't really know much of anything about your job or even figure into the "getting employed" mix, except as someone to circumvent.

So you do some homework, arm yourself with the name of the individual to whom you would report (which you get by looking the company up and getting names of relevant people) and as much information as you can amass about the company. You'll need general knowledge about the company -- how big it is, where its facilitiies are around the country (and the world,) what it produces, who its main customers are ... you get the picture here? This is some of the ammunition that is valuable when "overwhelming" the schlub in HR so that you can sit in front of the ultimate decision-maker and wow him (or her) with your background, education, accomplishments, managerial skills, projects of note that you have worked on, etc.

The real main job of finding a new job is to determine the best way to get your face in front of the face of the decision-maker and convince him with your creative but subtle "I'm your man" personal presentation that his worries are over, his decision is now an easy one!

[nachoman]

The real main job of finding a new job is to determine the best way to get your face in front of the face of the decision-maker and convince him with your creative but subtle "I'm your man" personal presentation that his worries are over, his decision is now an easy one!

That is actually very good advice, and the direction I am taking with another company - and hopefully getting somewhere soon. But in large international companies, it seems more likely these days that you have to deal with a regional HR protocol. A few places I contacted an individual or manager, and was told they *ONLY* accept online applications through a certain handling service following a strict hiring procedure. In other words, the response was "Don't waste your time talking to me, because i have no control over such matters". On many job announcements, it specifically says how resumes may be submitted, and many cases these days it specifically says "paper resumes will be rejected" and "do not call". With smaller companies shmoozing your way in through a contact person could still be very effective. Larger companies? Who knows - but there is probably nothing to lose by finding an internal contact.

[ezdays]

Wow, the job market has changed appreciably since the last time I had to go look for one. To be sure, I've been on both sides of a poor job market, a few times looking for work, and a few times trying to hire someone for a business that we started because I got fed up with the politics and drudgery of working for large companies. I felt badly when I wanted to hire one part-time secretary and about 150 people showed up for the job. I remember being jobless myself, mailing in resumes and just stopping by a business to fill out or drop off an application. I guess though, making a job out of finding a job was the thing that kept me going.

Good luck to you both, I wish you the best in finding a good job that you will enjoy doing.