Terminated - Job Seeking Advice and Discussion - Over 200 Posts with Advice

[db]

Since we're on the subject;

I will be departing in April. This is sorta by my choice. My in-laws need someone to be there on a daily basis, and my wife volunteer us. That means we have to move to northern Michigan (not UP), which will require me to quit my current position.

Now, here is my thought..... perhaps the rest of you can consider this. Throughout our working lives, we have gained some experience that can still benefit us. Why not develop a class or two that you can take on the road? Most community colleges will gladly rent you a room and with some marketing, you might be able to make a living going on a pre-established circuit (just stay out of Michigan -- that's my turf)? That is what my plan is. If you want more information on how to start, send me an email and I will help you where I can.

 

[Douglas E. Purdy]

Mike S. stated: "Perhaps consider signing-up with the best temp. agency in your area. Temp. jobs, aside from bringing in some money and getting you doing something, can be a foot in the door at a company and perhaps you will be in the right place at the right time when a really good Q job opens-up! Never know."

I did just that when I moved from Chicagoland 14 months ago. Landed a temporary job and have had about 10 face-to-face interviews, but no offers. You are right - you'll "Never know."

 

[energy]

Not good, but not bad

ereitz said:

Hello All,
I've been luking here for months and commiserating
with Lucinda and energy, now its my turn.
Yesterday I got notice my last day of work will be Dec. 31.
Still I seem to be luckier than the others. I'm getting a Christmas
bonus and six months severence.
At my age (60), I'll probably wind up working at Walmart.

Eloise

Eloise,

Obviously, not good news. But, 6 months of severance and a bonus is a lot more than others get with the same news. I like the Walmart thing. Unfortunately, I envisioned doing something like that when I retired. You know, bait money? All we can do is hang in there and keep looking.

Mike S.,

I intend to send resumes to all temporary agencies stating exactly what you recommend. Other opportunities/tasks. It is a way to demonstrate performance and at my previous **** it was the only way they hire these days. They go as long as 90 days before deciding if a full time offer will be made. You just have to make sure that they place you in a position where you wouldn't quit. It also extends your unemployment benefits if the need for that position expires.

Right now, I'm preparing my paperwork for tomorrow's hearing. Should I drink before I go?

 

[Mike S.]

WELL?

So, Energy, how'd it go with the unemployment folks yesterday? Hopefully they at least approved your claim; at best they found you a good job opening. If they are like some other UI offices I've seen and heard of, maybe you could offer to consult for them and get some type of decent QMS going in the UI office!

 

[energy]

Re: WELL?

Mike S. said:

So, Energy, how'd it go with the unemployment folks yesterday? Hopefully they at least approved your claim; at best they found you a good job opening. If they are like some other UI offices I've seen and heard of, maybe you could offer to consult for them and get some type of decent QMS going in the UI office!

Mike S.

The company sent a letter rather than attend. Very brief. I didn't do the job I was hired to do. Period. Department was eliminated. Period. Of course, I had a few documents ready, but here's how it went:

"Were you aware of a performance issue?" I could have said, "Yes, but it wasn't me." Instead I said "No".

"Were you ever warned either verbally or written about your performance?"

"No"

"Did you perform to the best of your ability?"

"Yes"

"Very well. This will be approved. Enjoy the holidays and remember to keep looking for employment."

It was that simple. I signed a statement to that effect and the interview was over. Very informal.

On the job front. It's too early to count my chickens, but my long shot appears to be getting shorter. We'll know after New Years. I may be visiting the AS9100 threads more often. I read all the posts there today and there really isn't a lot of activity, compared to ISO 9000 threads. That's interesting because AS9100 RevA seems to tied to ISO9001:2000. The aircraft manufacturers mention both when you visit their websites. I wonder if AS9100 practioners have their panties in a bunch over "interaction of processes." Be talking to you. Thanks for asking.

 

[Laura M]

Hey energy,

Sorry I missed this. I've been going crazy with work, kids in sports etc. I don't get here often enough anymore.

So sorry, and good luck. I agree with all those who said they didn't deserve you. I hope the other door opens.

Happy Holidays

 

[JodiB]

Energy, I'm glad that the unemployment benefits were approved.

It didn't become an issue with my termination because the company didn't try to suggest that it was performance related. They simply responded that it was a "permanent layoff" on the umemployment enquiry letter. (ouch, that really hurt. Did they truly have to use the word "permanent"?) Severance was skimpy (one month salary and one month of paid medical and dental insurance) but they're still having to pay my unemployment benefits out of their account so it's a bit of a seabird around their neck.

Leanne and Eloise, sorry to hear of your job losses also. I wish ya'll luck.

Wouldn't it be great to get a reporter to write a story for Newsweek titled "Companies cut quality to save money" (meaning, laying off their quality staff=us!) where we all told our stories? Isn't that the most tasty evil revenge you can think of?

In the first week while I consoled myself with my buddies Jack, Jose, and Johnny Red, coming up with revenge schemes was a comforting pasttime. Of course, I'm past that phase now...

They pay document controllers in the mid $40's here and I would settle for that but I'm told "gee, you're overqualified for that. You wouldn't be happy in that job for long and you would leave us for more money somewhere else". Just can't win.

 

[Mike S.]

Lucinda,

I like your idea for an article. Why not contact some quality-related publications and ask them to do a report on it. You could provide them a few contacts right off the bat! Maybe get hired and get "revenge" at the same time. That is, if Newsweek or Time won't do it.

Here is something I saw that may be of interest to the unemployed. Here is the direct link: https://resumedoctor.com/ResourceCenter.htm#petpeevesurvey

Recruiter "Pet Peeve" Survey - Recently, ResumeDoctor.com undertook the immense project of conducting a survey of over 2,500 recruiters / headhunters throughout the US and Canada to find out their "Pet Peeves" with resumes. These recruiters stemmed from varied specialties and industries, (Engineering, Information Technology, Sales and Marketing, Executive, Biotech, Healthcare, Administrative, Finance, etc.). ResumeDoctor.com sought to find out what the recruiter’s likes and dislikes in a resume and what is going to get a resume read by them.

Here are the top twenty Results of the Survey. Click each item for a detailed discussion.

Burying important info in the resume
Gaps in employment
1st or 3rd Person - Resumes in either 1st or 3rd Person
No easy to follow summary
Pictures, Graphics or URL links no recruiter will call up
Resumes sent in .pdf, .zip files, faxed, web page resumes, mailed resumes and not sent as WORD Attachment
Font Choice - poor font choice or style
Objectives or Meaningless Introductions
Lying, misleading (especially in terms of education, dates and inflated titles)
Employer info not included and/or not telling what industry or product candidate worked in
Personal Info not relative to the Job
Unqualified Candidates - Candidates who apply to positions they are not qualified for
Paragraphs - Long Paragraphs ... not Bullet-points
Long Resumes - too long
Functional Resumes as opposed to writing a Chronological Resume
Poor formatting - boxes, templates, tables, use of header and footers, etc.
Contact Info - none or inaccurate contact info or unprofessional email addresses
Dates not included or inaccurate dates
Too Duty Oriented - reads like a job description and fails to explain what the job seeker’s accomplishments were and how they did so.
Spelling Errors, Typos and Poor Grammar

Seems like recruiters can be really picky right now -- I'll bet they weren't so picky 2 years ago! Good luck to all in 2003 for a better year with better employers!

 

[JodiB]

Goodness gracious!

Seems like I'm probably guilty of a few of those pet peeves!

But there's no pleasing everyone. I keep rehashing my resume to fit one's likes and then get told by someone else that I should do it another way! In fact, in order to get my last job, a Quality Manager position, the recruiter told me to "dumb down" my resume so that the company wouldn't be scared of me! What's a girl supposed to do?? Heck, I know that there isn't anything that I can't do and that I really should be a VP somewhere but my resume doesn't reflect it at all. If I get a foot in the door, promotions will follow. But neither does the resume show secretarial experience, which seems to be the only way for this gal to get the foot in the door.

Hope everyone has a safe and joyous New Year's Eve and a great New Year to follow!

 

[Ken K]

the recruiter told me to "dumb down" my resume so that the company wouldn't be scared of me!

Just curious if the recruiter walked out of the room under his own power...can't imagine anyone saying that.







And db, will that make you 'anearyooper' or a 'yooperwannabe'?