Have you ever been laid off?

[Davidko19]

1. In brief, what was the explanation?
2. Did you get severance package? What was it?
3. How long did you wait until you began looking for work again?
4. How long was it before you started getting interviews again?
5. How long was it before you started a new job?
6. Did your new job pay as much as your previous one?
7. Outside of job hunting, what did you do in your free time to keep your mind occupied?
8. Any other silver linings I should know?


Im 26 and I was laid off last Friday from a decent marketing job. I was bored at it but I certainly didnt want to get let go out of the blue. Im not taking it too hard though, I see this as an opportunity more than a pitfall.

I just want to know a few of your experiences and how you handled it so I can tell myself Im not a loser.

 

[Davidko19]

1. In brief, what was the explanation?
-"Position Elimination" they called it

2. Did you get severance package? What was it?
-4 weeks paid plus all my PTO paid out (35 hours).

3. How long did you wait until you began looking for work again?
-3 days

4. How long was it before you started getting interviews again?
-tbd

5. How long was it before you started a new job?
-tbd

6. Did your new job pay as much as your previous one?
-tbd

7. Outside of job hunting, what did you do in your free time to keep your mind occupied?
-Looking for volunteer opportunities so I can spend my time wisely when interviews ask. Thinking of joining toastmasters. Taking the free time as a way to FINALLY buckle down and study for the GMAT so I can get to a decent grad school and not have this happen again!

8. Any other silver linings I should know?
-I see this as a perfect chance to evaluate my career and make a change since its early. Im studying for the GMAT and should apply to grad school. I can visit the farmers market on weekdays. I can visit my girl during the day. Plenty of time for excercise.

 

[KBW]

1. I got laid off as manager of a large retail store when I was 18 because I refused to send somebody home. It was a very slow day but the girl needed money, lived 25 miles away, was when gas was high, and I had plenty of things she could work on that would make it worth her being there. When I took the job I was told to look out for my employees and I was not going to send the girl home.
2. I didn't get a severance package but I did get my annual bonus which wasn't given out until the next month and I received the maximum I could have gotten.
3. I had a new job the next week as my grandfather owns a competitor of the company I worked for and I immediately was making more $.
4. see above
5. see above
6. see above
7. Went to Charleston for a golf trip
8. There's always a job out there so no need to worry. Just do a thorough search and you'll be fine.

I'm 22 now and I have two cleaning companies (one cleaning/detailing boats, the other cleaning pretty much anything that can be cleaned with a pressure washer) as well as a job. I didn't need the job I had when I was 18 and got laid off but it kept me busy and I met a lot of friends I'm still close with.

 

[Gus]

I haven't been laid off but I have had to lay off a lot of people over 28 years of owning a company. Don't take it personally. Nothing good comes from that.

Tune up your resume, network and go for practice interviews before going for your dream job.

Good luck!

 

[Hawkeye]

Next Friday is my last day at my company. They gave me two months severance, all PTO about 80 hours.

I see it the same way, an opportunity, I've been at my job 2.5 years and it was definitely time to move on. I'm gonna do some traveling and visit friends from college out west for about a month.

The recruiter who got me this job called me the other day and I'll probably go see him before I leave and hopefully something might come up when I get back.

 

[visionology]

I was a contractor at a company when they were bought by another company and dissolved which resulted in the elimination of everyone except for the engineers who were the valuable commodity.

No severance since I was a contractor, no anything. Just a goodbye and don't let the door hit you on the way out. I didn't take it personally but it was pretty awful seeing the management getting $1mil+ pay out packages and perks and the engineers getting fat signing bonuses with the other company which included pretty much getting whatever they asked for.

I started freelancing full time after and have done so ever since. Took a while to get into the swing of things but it has worked out in the end.

During that year I was laid off I admit I really goofed off. I was making pretty good money there so I basically took the rest of the summer off and just hung out with friends, partied, did some work here and there, etc. It worked out great, met some friends and my girlfriend and life is good.

 

[tiecollector]

Every private company I've worked for (two large corporations) as a programmer has layed me off.

And every time I go back to the university I was working at for job security and flexible hours so that I could find time for my own business that I'm working on (I've had a few failed attempts in the past).

I did get a number of interviews ASAP after having been layed off but I got very few offers.

 

[sho'nuff]

I got laid off last october and did not find employment until april this year. I took the time off to not only look for work but to lose excess weight (shed weight from 205 to 165) by exercising like a mad guy, and enjoy my hobbies like practice piano, and spend more time with my wife and family.

It was a blessed time during the unemployment. My work now is even more a blessing with a much higher pay and excellent benefits (last job no benefits because contractor).

 

[Joffrey]

Originally Posted by KBW

1. I got laid off as manager of a large retail store when I was 18 because I refused to send somebody home. It was a very slow day but the girl needed money, lived 25 miles away, was when gas was high, and I had plenty of things she could work on that would make it worth her being there. When I took the job I was told to look out for my employees and I was not going to send the girl home.

I'm curious. What did she do?

 

[forsbergacct2000]

I've been laid off from a temp position and another time as the accounting manager of a non-profit.

I spent a lot of time looking for new jobs. Fortunately, when I was younger, I also played keyboards and sang in bands, and found enough musical work where I could not collect unemployment insurance a lot of weeks. The musical work kept me busy and afloat, although once I blew an interview because a couple circumstances forced me to interview after I got in from an out-of-town gig at 5:30 AM.

I finally did find employment.

 

[Lucky7]

1. In brief, what was the explanation?
2. Did you get severance package? What was it?
3. How long did you wait until you began looking for work again?
4. How long was it before you started getting interviews again?
5. How long was it before you started a new job?
6. Did your new job pay as much as your previous one?
7. Outside of job hunting, what did you do in your free time to keep your mind occupied?
8. Any other silver linings I should know?

1. The company I previously worked for was bought out by an investment company. Within 7 months they had bankrupted my company due to piss poor management.
2. No, I showed up and the doors were locked, it was the day before Thanksgiving and I had just finished my undergrad the previous year.
3. 45 minutes, I went home and started drinking, heavily. I started writing a business plan and started my company that very day.
4. I worked the next day, Thanksgiving, until about dinner time, then went back to writing my business plan.
5. See Above
6. At first, ABSOLUTELY not. I was working double the hours (still am) and all of my earnings went back into the company for growth. <-----Most IMPORTANT part of any start up. I continue to invest heavily in my company. I'm not the highest paid at all, but my benefits are long term. A slow nickel is better than a fast dime.
7. I was working so much and wanting my company to grow I never had an idle mind. If I was out for dinner, or out at the pub I was constantly marketing for clients.
8. Silver lining can not even begin to explain. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I knew in the long run I would branch off and do what my previous company did, and much more efficiently. The time has flown by, and even in the "recession" that this country is in we are thriving. Take this layoff in stride and go kick some butt!

 

[Nouveau Pauvre]

The true breadth of my income comes from private engagements, but I supplement that, and gain exposure from regular performance in bars and restaurants, I've been at a good amount, and they tend to get in trouble before I do (Copelands, anyone?) but I have certainly been "let go" from these performance gigs and it sucks.

I'm usually pretty understanding though. It's hard for a restaurant or bar in the economic climate, and the first thing to go when costs are being cut is usually the entertainment budget.

 

[dtmt]

I worked for a startup. They ran out of money and weren't able to raise more.

Anyway, this can be an excellent opportunity for you if you use the time wisely.

The most important thing you need to do is to keep looking for jobs, and just as importantly, keep preparing for an interview even if it doesn't seem like you'll be having one anytime soon. Trust me on this, once you get an interview it will feel very sudden and there won't be enough to prepare if you weren't already. Read books and reasearch what's going on in your field. Google for people's experiences of similar interviews and prepare answers for common questions. Go for any certifications or classes that might be helpful.

Other than this, there are many productive things you can do with your time. Learn a musical instrument or a foreign language. Come up with new ideas for starting your own company, even if you don't intend to follow through it will be a useful exercise. Get in shape and work out more -- studies have shown that exercising helps your mental acuity as well.

Don't fall into the trap of laying on the couch all day feeling sorry for yourself. Get up early and get to work doing *something*. Trust me, once you do get a job, it will seem like the time went by so quickly and there is so much more you could have accomplished, but no longer have the time for.

 

[jyook]

1. In brief, what was the explanation?
Every single time, the plant or business was closing or ended up closing within 8 months of the downsizing... As a matter of fact, I'm going to be laid off in a month from my current job... My job is being outsourced overseas...


2. Did you get severance package? What was it?
This will be my first time... It's huge... Let's put it this way... I have a year and a half to find another job or figure out my next move...

3. How long did you wait until you began looking for work again?
Before this one, I started looking right away... Back then, I was living check to check...

4. How long was it before you started getting interviews again?
Longest was about 2 months...

5. How long was it before you started a new job?
Longest was 3 months...

6. Did your new job pay as much as your previous one?
Paid more... But I did have to take a step down from one to another before going up again 15 years ago...

7. Outside of job hunting, what did you do in your free time to keep your mind occupied?
Back then, play guitar, play video games, drink, and smoke pot... But that was 15 years ago when I was young, irresponsible, and just plain dumb in most cases... This time, I plan spending some time looking at options other than my current career... For the first time, this severance package will allow me time to think about a lot of stuff... Maybe even self employment... I agree with dtmt's advice above...

8. Any other silver linings I should know?
If your life is better now than it was ten years ago, I believe that this trend will continue... Just don't do anything stupid... This too shall pass...

 

[dave]

1. In brief, what was the explanation?
My company downsized and eliminated the production/post-production department

2. Did you get severance package? What was it?
yes. it was in my contract so it was better than most got. I got 2 weeks per year served. totaled 14 weeks + their standard 2 week minimum.

3. How long did you wait until you began looking for work again?
i started putting lines out the next day. began freelancing a few weeks later. I was still getting paid so I didn't work often or hard for a few months though.

4. How long was it before you started getting interviews again?
within a few days of my hard and fast dedicated search.

5. How long was it before you started a new job?
6 months until my next FT gig but I freelanced a bunch between the 2

6. Did your new job pay as much as your previous one?
more.

7. Outside of job hunting, what did you do in your free time to keep your mind occupied?
Appreciation. keeps the hands occupied as well. I also built a fence and redid my bathroom.

8. Any other silver linings I should know?
depending on what exactly you do, you may end up with a MUCH better job because of this. Familiarity can make you complacent. I stayed with the same company for 7 years prior to being laid off. since then I have switched companies 3 times and ended up in a MUCH higher market segment doing far superior work for unbelievably more appreciative people. so what I'm saying is it was the best thing that has happened to me since the .com boom.