job search skills

Layoffs Hit Close to Home

Given that I live in Round Rock, TX, just 6.37 miles from Dell Computer galactic headquarters at 1 Dell Way 78682, I hope it comes as no surprise that many of my neighbors work for that company. In fact, of the 21 houses in my immediate block, at least 9 of those households number (or numbered until recently) one or more Dell employees among its members.

Because my Dad came to visit for the weekend, and my Mom (who’s now a resident in an assisted care facility) asked for a photo of my wife, my son, myself, and the old man by phone yesterday afternoon, I had to get some outside help to take that photo to meet her request. As I stepped outside into the front yard, I ran into my next door neighbor–let’s call him Tom–and asked for his help in making the shot. He not only obliged, but also told me in passing while we were waiting for the other folks to assemble that he’d been laid off at Dell last Thursday (April 16). To the best of my knowledge, he’s the closest co-resident around here to get the axe at Dell. His job had been to orchestrate factory floor and order logistics to make sure that large orders were properly scheduled, parts ordered for timely delivery, and that builds met both specification and quality requirements before being shipped to their (volume) buyers.

When I asked him what he planned to do, he said: “I’m going to take a couple of weeks off, then I’ll start looking for another job” (fortunately, his wife remains gainfully employed so I guess it’s not an immediate crisis). When I asked him what kind of severance package he got he told me it was “about four months pay, plus two months COBRA and two months of outplacement assistance.” From those remarks, and knowing as many current and former Dell employees as I do, I’m guessing further that he had between 5 and 10 years with the company.

When I asked him how he felt about it, he provided an interesting and illuminating response: “I’d been thinking about leaving for some time anyway, and hadn’t been completely happy there, so I guess this will be for the good in the long run.” To me, this shows a healthy response to a difficult and painful situation: first, he recognizes that he had issues with his previous situation and was already thinking about making changes on his own, and second, he’s looking more forward toward what lies ahead, rather than brooding or worrying about what has already happened and probably can’t be undone.

I also have to applaud his decision to take some time to relax and regain his bearings before jumping right into the job hunt. This will probably give him a chance to regain his equilibrium and muster some enthusiasm for the research, interviews, and personal networking activities that await him. While I certainly wouldn’t wish anybody else into Tom’s shoes, I must commend him for a healthy and well-considered reaction to his situation. I’d recommend a similar approach — and outlook — to anybody else who does find him- or herself in those same shoes, particularly if a severance package or pay in lieu of notice makes taking a break both possible and affordable.

Got your own layoff story to tell? Share it with me through the contact form on my Web page at www.edtittel.com, and I may just share it with the readers of this blog. And just as my sympathies and best wishes go out to Tom, so also do they go out to all of us IT professionals who have to surmount this bump in the road of gainful employment.

Social Networking Picks Up Job Search Mantle

In her most recent (4/6/09) article, entitled “Social Networking Emerges as Job-Hunting Tool” regular ITCareerPlanet contributor Esther Schein, picks up and runs with an idea that’s crossed my mind many times in the last year or so — namely, that the various social networking sites offer great tools to IT professionals seeking work, as well as ample opportunities to catch up with old classmates, colleagues, and friends. I’d have to observe that this becomes increasingly true for social network members as they get older (for the younger set the emphasis is more on “social” than “networking,” while for those of use higher up on the age ladder, myself included, the emphasis is far more often the other way ’round).

And despite Schein’s observations to the contrary, my own experience is that Facebook and MySpace remain far more social than networking oriented in this sense, whereas other, more professional sites such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, and so forth, naturally assume the job search mantle because they’re rather more professionally oriented anywyay. This by no means detracts from the value or import of the article, and isn’t meant as a major cricitism of Shein’s excellent story: there’s no denying that social networks can be very useful to job seekers, especially during the early phases of reconnaissance and targerting where personal connections can make a huge difference in identifying opportunities, and making the first cut between the “nahs!” and the “let’s look at this resume/appliction more closely” stages of candidate qualification.

Shein also observes that once you target a prospective employer, the social networking sites can let you learn a lot about current employees, especially when it comes to understanding the prevailing work ethic, typical employee profiles, corporate/organizational culture, and other aspects of life as a worker at the target company or organization. Of course, this kind of information also leads naturally into interview preparation should an indication of candidate interest provoke a similar sign of interest from a prospective employer.

Personally, I’ve found LinkedIn to be a great way to reconnect with former colleaues, co-workers, and co-authors. In my own case, it hasn’t led me to any job offers, but it has led to numerous consulting and writing gigs, some of relatively long standing and nice remuneration. Working social networks for work purposes turns out to be a savvy and workable approach to today’s job market. If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to give it a try, with LinkedIn at the top of the list. And of course, that leads to my final words on this subject here: always treat your presence on social networking sites as both personal and professional, and don’t post (or say) anything you wouldn’t want a current or prospective employer to see! Otherwise, those words and images could haunt you for years and years to come…

Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on…

My last blog (”It’s COLD Out There/Here“) not only elicited a couple of comments on the boards, it also stimulated numerous e-mails from other readers who pick the blog up via newsfeeds (for example on LinkedIn or FaceBook). If you like universal consensus, you should be happy because that’s what I got from everybody —namely, that now is not a good time to go looking for a new job unless you have absolutely no choice in the matter at all.

It’s one thing to read that the job market is tough, and that people are having difficulty finding work, even in IT. It’s another thing altogether to experience this first-hand for yourself, as I have in the past three weeks or so. It’s even more of a wake-up call to hear these same experiences and sentiments echoed by a great many people you know, and whose opinions and perspectives you trust, as well as from acquaintances who chime in to validate this outlook.

Batten down the hatches, and be prepared to stay put wherever you might be right now, if you’ve got any kind of job. As I said in my reply to the previous blog’s commenters “What’s the point in going out looking, when the only thing you’re certain to find is trouble?” And while jobs may be scarce, or even non-existent, in some situations, trouble is one thing that never experiences shortages. With an ample supply already available to you in your current situation and life, why add to that stock right now?

I’m going to keep poking and prodding myself, because getting into trouble lets me learn about it, document it, understand it, and hopefully grope toward solutions that can inform if not actually benefit all of us. I’m going to keep pushing the envelope, and see what’s in there! Stay tuned…