About To Get Laid Off - Any Tips?

[CaptainCrunch]

Seriously, I was laid off about three years ago. I wasn't sad about it, it was a company that didn't have direction and wanted to do what hundreds of companies did.

You have a unique possibility if you get a good package and you go on pogey. It gives you a chance to clear your head and be a little bit picky about who you want to work for.

Or if you want to keep doing the same thing.

I completely changed industries because the role that I was offered was interesting, and I've done something that I rarely do, I've stuck with a company for more then 3 years.

Set your goals, target the companies you want to work for, maybe even think about upgrading your education.

[Tyler]

Just had my meeting. They're going to be keeping me on until the end of March to ensure the transition goes smoothly. So I have at least have 6 week to try and find another job.

Set to receive 4 weeks severance + vacation days upon my termination. It's not the best, but they're broke, so I'm just happy I'm going to be getting something.

Sad day at the office today.

Watching Up In The Air last night was a pretty funny coincidence!

Thanks for everyone's advice and support

[Salt Water Cowboy #10]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Wait a minute you own a Mt Royal Mansion and 3 BMW's and you took your main squeeze to Humpty's for Valantines day.


I must paint you.

I'll take a copy of that. it'll go well above my Ghengis Khan

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Just had my meeting. They're going to be keeping me on until the end of March to ensure the transition goes smoothly. So I have at least have 6 week to try and find another job.

Set to receive 4 weeks severance + vacation days upon my termination. It's not the best, but they're broke, so I'm just happy I'm going to be getting something.

Sad day at the office today.

Watching Up In The Air last night was a pretty funny coincidence!

Thanks for everyone's advice and support

Even mechanics are getting 3-4 weeks per year of service notice or pay in lieu of notice (I know, surprised me too).

[BlackArcher101]

Man, this getting 4 weeks of severance makes me start to think I royally got screwed with my 2 weeks in lieu of notice + 1 week extra for over 3 years of service.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Been through a layoff twice. The best advice I can give is to not get in the mindset that something will come to you.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Been through a layoff twice. The best advice I can give is to not get in the mindset that something will come to you.

Hey - if you're in Calgary, you have a better chance thinking like that than pretty much anywhere else in Canada. I say look at the bright side. I quit my job at the end of January, and already had three interviews and two job offers by the second week of February, and I'm not an expert in anything.

The market is getting better, Tyler - keep your chin up and your ears open! Something will come soon.

[SteveToms]

Man, I read the title wrong. Thought you were about to get laid, and you wanted some tips.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Even mechanics are getting 3-4 weeks per year of service notice or pay in lieu of notice (I know, surprised me too).

Is that via the courts, or just negotiating with the employer?

I ask because I just took what my previous employer gave me (which was about a week per year) and was a good employee for my final few weeks. But I was also given good references. Another collegue fought them at every turn, and when called for references his supervisors asked callers to speak to HR to have them confirm hours worked- which in many cases means no offer from the new employer.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Is that via the courts, or just negotiating with the employer?

I ask because I just took what my previous employer gave me (which was about a week per year) and was a good employee for my final few weeks. But I was also given good references. Another collegue fought them at every turn, and when called for references his supervisors asked callers to speak to HR to have them confirm hours worked- which in many cases means no offer from the new employer.

Yes, it was based on court decisions and common law notice periods.

I should add that the courts will consider a number of factors such as the employee's age, years of service, level of responsibility, and others in determining a proper notice period. It's always open to negotiation and there is some value in avoiding costly litigation and, as you have pointed out, obtaining a favorable reference from your former employer.

[pylon]

Sorry about your luck, but the job market is starting to open up, so you will find something. I am starting to see a ton of people coming in and when I am getting to the employer part of their credit applications, I am getting a lot of "I just started with, or am starting at a new company right away." More than I can ever remember.

On a side note, is this company publicly traded? If so what is its stock symbol.... err...umm just curious for no particular reason.

[Shazam]

Do employers actually give out references anymore? I thought with the whole libel issue most companies now refuse to give them out.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Do employers actually give out references anymore? I thought with the whole libel issue most companies now refuse to give them out.

I believe the protocol now is you can only answer direct questions asked by the potential new employer, you cannot offer up damning information.

So if the guy asks, "Was Jim fired for theft?" you could reply "Yes". But you could not answer the question "Why was Jim fired?"

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by pylon

I believe the protocol now is you can only answer direct questions asked by the potential new employer, you cannot offer up damning information.

So if the guy asks, "Was Jim fired for theft?" you could reply "Yes". But you could not answer the question "Why was Jim fired?"

If you get fired for theft, you probably shouldn't be using them as a reference. Just saying!

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

If you get fired for theft, you probably shouldn't be using them as a reference. Just saying!

Fair enough, but I have seen it. If you have been with a company for numerous years, people sometime have no choice. It's tough to explain a 5 year gap on a resume.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Your checklist:

1. Listen to Vlad's advice. (You've thanked him, which is nice!)
2. Write your own (appropriate but flattering) letter of reference and have the boss sign it.
3. Get AS MANY references as possible. Include home/cell numbers if possible. Nothing worse than losing a great reference.
4. Take people aside and be blunt about the work and/or environment you're going to be looking for. Co-Workers on friendly terms make EXCELLENT headhunters. Obviously, reciprocate.
5. As suggested, consider the stationary closet. I don't condone stealing, but asking the boss if you can print off a dozen resumes on "The good paper" isn't unreasonable.
6. Since it's a software business, I'm assuming you're under an NDA or Non-Compete. If the agreements (or parts of them) are going to cause you job-hunting/interview trouble, consider getting applicable sections waived (in writing).
7. Talk to the powers-that-be about collecting a sample of your work. Contract writing skills, coding skills, budgeting and/or organizational skills are hard to prove - samples will go a long way in interviews.

Good Luck!

[10W30]

Some great advice here - WilsonFourTwo has a great checklist there.

I just passed the one year anniversary of my similar news. I had a very good severance package and they even set me up with a prep course for re-entering the job market. I almost didn't take the course, thinking I would find something, but it was free (part of the package) and after finding no immediate replacement role as my final month rolled to a close I figured "what the heck" and went for it... I wasn't doing anything else anyhow.

It was invaluable and really taught me that you have to change up when looking for a job (or I did anyhow). You always have to be selling yourself.. even if its not your nature. You can go back to being humble AFTER you get a job. You know you are a good employee and you know you are good at what you do, you know you excelled at whatever tasks you were given. Make sure everyone else knows this too.

Network, make sure everyone knows you are looking for work. I even made up contact business cards. Your name, contact info, maybe your degree or a designation. Just something you can give to someone when you say you are looking and you want to ensure they have your contact information just in case. A box of 250 is only like $25 at Staples. I probably only used about 50 of them in the end, but my current employer still has mine in his office so he can contact me at home if he needs to. They are also great to give out to friends and family members that you don't see that often as mine have my email, home phone and mailing address on them.

Don't be shy about asking for 20 minutes of someones time for an "interest interview". I did this about 4 or 5 times to grow my network, and also strengthen my interview skills. Although it didn't lead directly to my role I am in now, it allowed me to practice some skills, and ask some great questions that you wouldn't ask in a "real" interview because there is no job.

For example. A friend of my Dad's is pretty senior in a fairly successful little company, and I talked to him about getting a chat with their CFO (Finance is my field). I used my statndard lines: "I am not asking for a job if there isn't one available, I am looking for feedback on my resume, have some industry and field related questions and am looking to expand my network. Can I have 20 minutes.. I promise I won't take more time than that."

I was never turned down for one of these requests and really got a lot out of them. It was a standard "here is my resume, here is my history and story." Then I would ask them to take a look at my resume and provide some feedback (take notes, even if you don't think their advice is any good, people appreciate that you are recording their advice). Then ask some specific questions about their company, and the feild you are looking at. I asked questions like "what path did you take to get to this role? What should a person with my experience and qualifications be looking at for a salary range." (thats a great question you can't ask in an interview, but you can here, because there is no job and you are just asking questions) What type of opportunities do you see opeing up in this industry and in what timeframes?"
Its good to have some scripted questions and a format to follow to look professional, but I found that the "interview" would quickly turn into a chat where you get to give yourself a bit of a sales pitch and ask some questions you wouldn't be able to ask in an interview. If you do some research before, you can ask some confirming questsions. I would ask things like, "I saw in the paper that you bought a building in Xtown, what is the plan there?" The answer may be "None of your business", but they will at least see that you are aware of whats going on, and if they give you a real answer you have more knowledge for more confirming questions.

Keep an eye on the time and make a concious effort to stay in your 20 minutes. Most of the time, I would say the 20 minutes is up and thank them, but they would want to chat for a bit a longer, which is fine since it is them that want to keep talking to you.
At the conclusion you can ask for advice and tips on how the interview went, and ask them for any other contacts (internal or external) that they think you should meet and speak to.
I found this was great for my confidence as most of these sessions I had gave the feedback that if they were hiring that I would be a preferred candidate, etc. It may be dressing, but it makes you feel good and confident. Also, the interview practice is invaluable when it comes to the real thing.

you may even want to look at companies you are interested in and try to find an "in" for one of these chats. Even if they aren't advertising that they are hiring if you show that extra effort and show that you are interested in them... AND come across as a good candidate, they won't forget when the time comes around. Ask, ask, ask. Like I said, it wasn't in my nature to be that outgoing and forward about what I wanted, but I just had to sell myself for those few months, and then when I landed my role, I could thank everyone that helped me and get back on the humble train.

In addition to that, the other great advice that others have is to enjoy your time off. You are 26 years old. you are young enough that you could lose everything and start over, and you will be fine. I got to spend a few months with my kids almost full time and I certainly cherish that. I went on a few small trips generally relaxed a lot. It felt great!

You'll do fine.

[firebug]

Not a thread I ever wanted to bump, but here we are...

My firm will be closing their Calgary office at the end of the month.

They have provided me with three options:

1) Package
2) Change positions and work from home (from Corp Fi to Research)
3) Keep position but move to the Toronto office

I am mid 30's, been with the firm for 6 years (VP level since May 2008), and am married with three kids (7, 3 and 6 mos).

Option 1 is most appealing to me as the CEO and I get along well so they would (i hope) take reasonable care of me and provide a complimentary reference. That being said, being unemployed in this market is a risk so I would appreciate any advice on what types of things I should be looking for as part of a package.

Is 1 mos severance per year of employment still pretty typical?
Will the fact I don't receive a salary but rather a draw on future revenues impact what the company will be obliged to compensate - or can I claim an amount based upon average earnings over the past 6 or 3 years?
Is it possible to have my benefits extended to the end of the year or do group plans prevent this?
Will the fact they provided a couple of alternate positions reduce the amount of type of severance they should provide?
Should I be consulting a lawyer rather than trying to cop free advice on the internet?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[bizaro86]

When do you have to decide by?

If you can get a new position before then, the package could be a pretty attractive option.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by firebug

Not a thread I ever wanted to bump, but here we are...

My firm will be closing their Calgary office at the end of the month.

They have provided me with three options:

1) Package
2) Change positions and work from home (from Corp Fi to Research)
3) Keep position but move to the Toronto office

I am mid 30's, been with the firm for 6 years (VP level since May 2008), and am married with three kids (7, 3 and 6 mos).

Option 1 is most appealing to me as the CEO and I get along well so they would (i hope) take reasonable care of me and provide a complimentary reference. That being said, being unemployed in this market is a risk so I would appreciate any advice on what types of things I should be looking for as part of a package.

Is 1 mos severance per year of employment still pretty typical?
Will the fact I don't receive a salary but rather a draw on future revenues impact what the company will be obliged to compensate - or can I claim an amount based upon average earnings over the past 6 or 3 years?
Is it possible to have my benefits extended to the end of the year or do group plans prevent this?
Will the fact they provided a couple of alternate positions reduce the amount of type of severance they should provide?
Should I be consulting a lawyer rather than trying to cop free advice on the internet?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

I'd move to Toronto. I like change though. I recognize you have 3 little kids, but they're all pretty young and should adapt quickly. Your company clearly wants to keep you, and your networking capabilities would easily double.

The best career advice I ever received was to not be afraid to move to a different city. I used to think Calgary was the only place for me. And don't get me wrong, Calgary is great. But there are a lot of awesome cities out there.