I Got Laid Off
This happened about 2 weeks ago. I guess I didn’t want to announce it because, like someone who just got pregnant, I didn’t want to say anything in case I was able to land another job quickly.
Like so many others in the company, my entire team was laid off, not for performance reasons, but as a short term way to satisfy Wall Street so the stock price would maybe bump up half a tick next quarter. My wife: “That company’s like a dinosaur that will only last until it finishes eating all its internal organs.”
I’m a highly educated, highly skilled person. Since the layoff, I’ve applied to many positions. One had 22 finalists, and 6 interviewees. The hiring manager said so many high-quality people applied, it was like choosing between a Ferrari and a Lamborgini. I was the guy they picked.
Then the company had a hiring freeze, and the position closed, before they could get my hiring paperwork from HR.
From every corner comes bad economic news. I went into a national mensware store late today, to get some pants for interviewing, and the manager said that I was the first customer all day, and that it was likely the entire chain would shut down within a few months.
I say this all not to cry on anyone’s shoulder, or to brag about how unbelievably awesome I am, but to send out a warning– I am really, really good at what I do, I have a broad skillset, excellent communication skills, and have worked in small privately held companies as well as Fortune 500 companies. I regularly outperform management expectations, and have typically been “pulled” into new positions of greater responsibility.
Yet everywhere I am looking, networking, applying, all are saying this is the worst economic situation they’ve seen. And I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse. Even though I’m at the top of my game, the economy has been mis-managed and roto-tilled into a game of musical chairs where they’re suddenly removing 25%+ of the chairs.
This warning will hopefully not depress people, but stir you into action.
I’ve gone from being a supporter of Obama and a robust stimulus package to possibly a benefactor of it.
So, if for nothing else, please– for me, and my 3 little kids, please call senators Schumer and Gillibrand. If not for me, you all have friends and family likely going through the same thing–do it for them…and tell the staffer that you’re calling to urge your them to “support the Obama economic recovery plan and oppose all conservative amendments.” Call back and repeat for our other senator. The toll-free number: 866-544-7573.
If you were in a “eh, I could eat” kind of place about the stimulus, I’m asking you personally to call, right now, and let me know what they say, in the comments.
Thanks. The job you save may be your own.
PS: Got any leads? Email me.
Update: Here’s some additional points:
- 8 years of tax cuts and now the GOP want more tax cuts. How has that worked for us, and how does that work going forward? At least Obama is talking sense on this.
- Why weaken the buy American clause as corporations and conservatives want to?
- NY is projected to get over 200,000 jobs due to the stimulus. These are likely to be infrastructure-creating, green, sustainable jobs. What’s not to like?
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I wish you the best of luck in your job search. If it’s any consolation, you know you WILL find something at some point… maybe not as appropriate as you’d like - or deserve - but I have a feeling you’re far from alone in this regard.
Keep positive. Think of this time as a bit of a sabbatical… a chance to regroup and reassess. Don’t feel guilty about occasionally pampering yourself, enjoy some quality time with your kids and family,
They say “work is the curse of the leisure class”; permit yourself to enjoy the down-time - it won’t last and you’ll have decades to go before retirement.
Mind you, this Native never fully bought into the Puritan Work Ethic. “Live to work versus work to live” was a real conundrum as I always placed a higher premium on my personal time. But the need for an income forced me to at least make gestures at a ‘career’… while I saw it for what it was; a job.
You’ve got a lot of people pulling for you.
I live in Bklyn, not Rochester. But I found your site because I’m blogging about Xerox. I would like to see if I can help. I just did a post about getting some attention at Xerox or Kodak. I know from statcounter that people from both outfits follow my blog. Here’s the post link:http://toughloveforxerox.blogspot.com/2009/02/cmon-people-we-can-do-much-better-than.html
Meanwhile, keep on keeping on. It’s great for a NYC boy to understand what’s happening on the ground upstate.
That sucks.
I assume you mean the situation that btp describes. If not, please explain. If yes, never mind.
I ment the situation.
It sucks for btp and it sucks for his three little kids.
When you loose your job and have mouths to feed nothing else sucks quite as much as that until you get another job.
Now that you mention it though, Xerox kind of sucks too.
I feel your pain, it happened to me just over a year ago. I applied at all the companies that were supposedly hiring but nothing ever came of any of it. The pool of excellent workers in Rochester makes it that much tougher to find something. One recruiter told me she could get engineers to work in Rochester for $20K less than what I was making which was already less than the natianal average. I had to take a job in Connecticut and commute back on weekends. Real pain but I’m paying the bills.
Best of luck to you, it has to get better at some point.
I’m so sorry to hear the news btp. Hang in there. Hopefully this stimulus package will become law. I agree with you 100%. The only thing the Republicans seem to understand are tax cuts which do nothing to help the economy in the long term. The Bush years saw 2 big tax cuts at over a trillion dollars and look where we ended up - on our way to a 1930s depression and big deficits. All the tax cuts did was give the rich even more money and allow us on the bottom end to pay a few bills which does nothing for job growth. Our infrastructure which helped make this country great, is very old and in trouble. I believe Obama’s proposals are our best bet at job creation. Rebuilding our infrastructure is desperately needed and will also create jobs.
I am sorry to hear about your job loss. That reality is painful to imagine. The free trade, free market, global that the Republicans have spewed since Regan has given us this mess. “Shock Doctrine”, great read. Hopefully, the Republicans will stop worrying about gay marriage and shouting down public access, and get to work. I am only a blue collar hospital worker, but send me your resume I will be happy to pass it on to the white collar folks. roccolovesyou@yahoo.com
Take care, Gates own Ranting Rocco.