Figure with the times the way they are, few people may have been made redundant.. Worried about being made redundant or are just about up for the chop.. Thought I’d share my experience now, others may share their own. In August I was made redundant. I’ve never been made redundant before, or even been fired for that matter. It was a strange experience. The company I worked was shutting down the UK office, keeping everything in Denmark. Owner of the company was very upset when he had to let me go, he had no choice however. I’d work there for 3 years. In my evenings / weekends / annual leave and a short work break, I worked on other sucessful projects. I considered myself pretty good at what I did, well paid and I gotta be honest.. Thought it would take me around 5 minutes to find a job. Didn't really think much about it, wasn't worried in the slightest.. Boy was that a mistake lol. Anyway about a week after I was made redundant, my wife found out she was pregnant. Although I was happy about it, to get that news at that time.. Didn’t exactly help matters. I was still positive though… So I was shooting out C.Vs, places within 30-40 minutes drive away.. I got a few interviews. All second stage aswell, unfortunately I discovered that because what I did was heavily medically based, any other industry tended to go with someone else. Kind of difficult to convince a financial software company to take you on when all you’ve done is project manage / quality management on very specialized medical software / community medical projects. Lets fast forward to the end of October.. At this point I was ready to crack, wasn't sleeping, was kind of giving up. I had an offer of work but it was down in London (Where I did allot of medical consultancy). Which I was dead set against doing… My wife was starting to find work difficult (very rough first trimester), I was eating into my savings like nobodies business. I had a job interview.. I was positive from the outset, it was medically based. I ticked every box they wanted and after sending a CV by email to the agent, I had an interview offer and reply within 10 minutes. Meant moving a good 80 miles, but into a more rural area which I preferred. Not London basically. Interview went great, same day I was offered a second interview. Now I’m laid back in interviews, I don’t worry about them. However, with everything going on. Finding out I had a second interview and then also finding out it was either between me and one other guy. It was like these sheets of worry came over me. I have to say, in the second interview I was close to throwing up. ****ed up like you wouldn’t believe, thought I had blown it. Fast forward to now. I got the job and I’ve been working their since mid November. From being offered the job, to starting 2 weeks later. We moved, was so hectic. It’s only now after Christmas that I’ve really come back down to earth. Love my new job, people are great. Been given nothing but praise, so I feel very secure (which is important for me now, with baby coming along). It’s taken all the stress away. However after it all, I feel bruised. Which I hope will go away eventually. It did teach me how fragile things are and how much of your life revolves around your job. I hope if anyone is going through redundancy, you find a job soon.. I feel for you.. But keep positive, as my wife kept saying. “Something will turn up”.
I'm terrible at job hunting, and am therefore very glad I'm still at uni during this economic avalanche. It's certainly not a good time to be employed (and how often can you say that ) You did well to find a job again with such specialised experience and interests. Many people in advanced fields end up moving house to accomodate career opportunities, and that's not factoring in the economic crisis. My sister was job seeking last week and found one within a few days, but it's a 45 minute commute (she doesn't mind but it'd kill me) and she's just doing PA, financial and general paperwork. That sort of general mid-range job is easily found. The people I feel worst for right now? Social Science/Psychology graduates. The field is saturated and the job market is crashing...and you're fresh out of uni and needing an income fast. Ouch
Sounds pretty traumatic. I was unemployed once and homeless to boot --slept on a lot of settees at friends and relatives. In the end I emigrated to the UK and all but walked straight into a job. The first lesson is: good qualifications are not enough. You have to hussle. The second lesson is: just because there is no job for you doesn't mean your qualifications are pish. Keep hussling. The third lesson is: don't get sentimental about where you live. Always go where the job is --home is where the bed, bread and bank account are. But I would be lying if that episode of my life, however far back, has not made an indelible impact. I always make sure the mortgage payments are up-to-date and I regularly scan the clinical psychology vacancies. I don't get complacent and I'm always looking to move further up the career ladder. Lesson number four: make yourself hard to replace but always remember you're dispensible. So don't get sentimental about where you work --always look for a better job, wherever it takes you. Save your sympathy. The unemployment rate of psychology graduates in the UK is about 2-3%. It is industry and manufacturing that you have to worry about.
Glad to hear it turned out well in the end. I have to say I'm still talking the guys who used to work for Enermax and most are still finding it hard to find a job It makes me really appreciate our ex-MD, because he sold the company with all our jobs intact - that's not the case in many other buyouts. 09 should be good for you, after all you've got the new addition to look forward to in a few months Some of us are still stuck at the starting line on that front *
Have to agree Nexxo. Definitely on the 'prepared to move' part. I've got allot of friends who just sit in jobs they don't like, or career paths that really aren't leading anywhere. All due to their location. London was just one move i wasn't prepared to make. I fall very easily into the trap of working to much, i like to get something done and out of the way. That often lead me to working months at a time with only 2 hours sleep at a time, especially when i did consultancy in London. Although it looks great on a C.V, i'm not built for it. Burn out very quickly under those conditions. Ironically Nexxo, i got a call 1-2 weeks ago from my old boss. The company is being bought out by a UK based company, who want me to relocate up north and come work for them. Happy where i am though now, be a good career move. Gone into blood analysis side of things, learning about all kinds of gubbins like Enzyme kinetics. Very interesting stuff. Bindibadgi, I’m terrified about being a dad. The closer it gets to game time, the more I don’t know wtf is going on lol.
I'm sure your wife is doing most of the work and will no doubt make you very aware when the time comes
Welcome to parenthood. If it is any consolation, your anxiety is a bit like stage fright: you need some to put in a good performance. If you felt confident, or worse, indifferent, then I'd worry. But you'll be just fine.
Right now i am designing in a small medical company, each week is a question of 'are we going to be here next week?' Right now i am on a placement year, waiting to return to uni a do my final year. I am going to check with the uni to see if i have done enough months in the company to quaified for the years expierence. something like 6 months. Once i have done my 6 months or what ever i shall relax as the pressure is off, if i get laid off not all is lost as i can pick up a local job until uni starts again. This economic crash has really driven the last nail into englands failing manufacturing coffin. The only way designers are going to stay in jobs is if they get with big names.
It's a crying shame. The UK used to be the driving force behind the industrial revolution. If it involved engineering, it was invented and made here first...
I was made redundant in the summer - well, I washed cars part time for a dealership for minimum wage but they decided I was so crap at it that they brought in an entire external company to handle that stuff. *******s.
Aw, diddums, did the whole three months out of work cause you stress? If ignorance is bliss then you must be one happy guy. There are people being made redundant at the moment who have no chance of finding work in that space of time, and you think you've posted a story of encouragement? Try spending three years out of work, spending all of your savings, only able to survive due to the generosity of relatives and being so desperate and depressed that you're daily trying to figure out which method of suicide is the least painful, not just for yourself but the afore mentioned relatives too.
And by your standards I suppose we should reference refugees in Darfur or Sudan who don't even have clean water or sanitation? Everyone has a **** time in their lives by different degrees and everyone handles it differently - there's no need to flame someone, and while we can sympathise to some degree, it's quite evidently jealous in its bile and hate. There's just no need. It sounded like a **** time that left a scar, but why bring everyone else down to this level of glum?
I can share your pain, as this has been a trying past little while for me. I'll start off by saying that I met the most wonderful person in the summer of '07, and found myself in love, and living with her that fall. This was awesome, while it lasted. I found myself starting to become emotionally distant, and abusive (mentally, and emotionally), but because neither of us were that good with the whole communication thing, we drifted apart, until I finally broke it off in one big move, done while she was spending the night at her mothers. The relationship lasted one month less a year. Fast forward five months, I'm still working at my job, living with my sis, and after a couple failed relationships in the months apart, I decide to reach out and see if maybe her and I could be friends at the very least. Well, we have started to patch things up, and are now looking towards marriage, but I get a random phone call one day from a particular "fling" I had. Turns out said "fling" is pregnant. Yay. Have a big long conversation with my ex, and with the girl I may have gotten pregnant. Nothing bad really comes out of it, but I decide to stick with my ex, and let everything else fall where it may. Same week, my boss (AKA brother-in-law through my sister) takes me into the office, sits me down, and explains that due to the whole economic crisis thing, and because I do not have my license, they can no longer afford to pay me. So at the moment I'm jobless, living with family (at 23), slowly patching things up with an ex who's family hates me, a woman I cannot stand to be around on the side who's pregnant with what might be my baby, and no idea what I'm going to do. Ah well, could be worse. Got a place to live at least! (for the moment)
Good for you AndyDEL! Glad it turned out rosy in the end. My redundancy date is 30th June, getting married in Las Vegas in July! Timing!!! Encouraging words from you and i got some great pointers after posting here about it.
I meant no disrespect, I just speak from observation and anticipation - about half my year at college did psychology and sociology. They seem to be experiencing a boom of sorts. I'd be prepared to move for a job, but not necessarily anywhere - cities like Hull and Birmingham would be right off, regardless of the offer or my dire needs. Don't think I'd be able to live somewhere like that for an extended period. If I was struggling to find work I'd probably do your move in reverse, Nexxo - I'd go abroad, either France of Spain. Get a low-paying crummy job and a low-rent naff apartment, then gradually work my way up. Hell, if you're going to do it at all, may as well see somewhere new
Think you need to re-think what your doing, there is pleanty of work out there, if your willing to graft for it.
QFT I was actually thinking about this on the train ride to work this morning. As much I may be unsure / uncertain about the future at least I know I still have employment. After thinking about it I'm really lucky to have the job / life I lead. But it also makes me glad that I've saved for a rainy day because for a lot of people it's pouring right now.
