Employment in uncertain times

One thing is “for sure and for certain” — if you lost your job due to any number of circumstances (lay-off, restructuring, down-sizing, outsourcing of your job to a foreign country, the list can go on and on), it doesn’t help very much to hear that other people are in the same boat as you are. It might seem like it should help, but it doesn’t. The bottom line is that you don’t have a job now.

People who suddenly find themselves without a place to call “work” are generally smart, hard-working loyal, creative professionals who had been doing what they had been asked to do for several years, believing that they were secure. That is a belief that quickly fades after a layoff happens to you. “Fair” is not a word used in these cases. For IT and scientific professionals, among others, this is certainly painful because you have a lot of education, special training, certifications, etc.

There is rarely a sense of calm or patience or understanding that accompanies this worrisome event. You may have so many questions, and very few answers, it seems. You ask “Why?” but then realize that it really doesn’t matter. The job is gone, and you have to find another one, and quickly.

GOOD NEWS!

The good news (yes there is actually good news!) is that there are plenty of companies in the U.S. that still have to do business, and they need smart, energetic, articulate professionals just like you to help them get it done. In the IT and scientific community, these jobs are crucial, and you who are involved in these jobs are highly trained, highly educated, highly motivated, and highly paid (subject to interpretation!). Some of the very companies that layed off people in the past (perhaps Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and many others) are realizing that the company’s work simply isn’t getting done, and it really has to get done. To be generic, even though their off-shore idea seemed good at the time because it saved lots of money, either the quality wasn’t as good as it used to be, or maybe the communications angle just didn’t set well with their strong customer base, or perhaps the call-center training wasn’t as comprehensive as desired, and therefore they start hiring people again…people just like you!

There are many ways to go about the job search process, and no one has the magic bullet to find a job, but I will share my ideas with you in another conversation. One last thought for today…conversation is crucial! Please share your thoughts and ideas, your frustrations and successes. Thanks.

I almost forgot…another link to peek at that discusses how to find a job in a bad economy:

http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/find-a-job-in-a-bad-economy/

Contact me anytime!

Greg Miller, CRSP
IT and Scientific Recruiter
919-451-4501
milga1@aol.com
My LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorykmiller 

 

After-shocks from not having a job….what to do now!

Well, here you are, jobless, wondering what just hit you, or perhaps it happened weeks or months ago, and you still can’t believe it. I know….I’ve been there. So many questions, like:

• I’m only good at one thing (IT or Scientific, which is pretty specific and specialized), and I’ve been doing that pretty well all these years. At least that’s what everybody told me all this time.
• I just got this job a few months ago and made plans based on that. Now that it’s gone, what am I supposed to do? As an IT guru or scientist or regulatory affairs expert (for example) I don’t always have tons of choices. With so many companies (random examples: Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), IBM, BiogenIdec….this list could go on for a long time and is not intended to be either exclusive or inclusive)….there are opportunities, but sometimes workforce reductions.
• This is really going to look bad on my resume. How will I explain this when I interview for a new job?
• Where can I find another local job where I can keep doing the same thing?
• How am I supposed to tell my spouse, my kids, my neighbor, my friends, the folks at church? And exactly what am I supposed to tell all those people? This is embarrassing! I am a highly paid and educated professional! I am an IT professional, a bench scientist, a lab tech, a programmer, etc.
• Where do I start?

These are common questions that really need to be answered, although your case really is different than anyone else. I think I’ll just start from the top and talk about each bullet point. This is going to take some time to completely cover, but I think it is good to go through them one week at a time.

I’m only good at one thing and I’ve been doing that pretty well all these years. At least that’s what everybody told me all this time.

Everything happens for a reason. I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but I believe it is true. You are actually good at more than one thing…you’ll see. Sure, you did one thing for years, but you will discover that you have other skills not yet uncovered because they weren’t needed until now. If you only had your job for a few weeks or months, maybe it wasn’t a good choice in the first place. Maybe the company didn’t do the right thing saying the job needed to be filled. Who knows? The point is, you are multi-faceted and you will end up OK…diffferent, but OK….wiser, but OK.

So, who to talk to…ask people you worked with to provide references for you. We’ll talk more about that in another conversation. See if your company provides job transition services. Again, we’ll talk more later. Check local churches about job-seeking services. Again, lots more later on this subject.

I always try to leave you with something to munch on…..so try this….I think it is interesting!

http://www.msmoney.com/mm/career/transitions/changing_jobs/changing_jobs_intro.htm

Contact me anytime!

Greg Miller, CRSP
IT and Scientific Recruiter
919-451-4501
milga1@aol.com
My LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorykmiller