Have you ever had something so good happen to you that you were afraid to say anything about it and jinx yourself? Or afraid that you misunderstood something and were going to look like an idiot later? That's what has kept me from saying anything about the new job until today.
I got a call two weeks ago from someone who had received my resume from a friend. The person who ended up with it called and started talking to me about the position that they were looking to fill. It was absolutely right up my alley! It sounded exciting (in that nerdy IT way) and was all stuff that I was confident in doing. The pay was better than my last job! The only thing really that different is that it was a contract position instead of full time employee. (The reason that could have been scary is depending on how a contractor is hired, they sometimes have to pay more taxes than the average employee. Not so with this gig so all is cool.)
In fact, it sounded so good I figured something was amiss. But after today and seeing the responsibilities before me, I am very confident that this is not only something I can do but something I can do really well! I am working with a partner of IBM on one of IBM's projects doing a data modeling and reporting project. In short, what I was looking for.
The office was very comfortable to work in and is only 17 minutes from my house. It is half the distance, but same route, as my old job...except I get off the freeway on 635 where the traffic begins. So, while it is only half the distance, it is less than a third of the travel time. It was so nice this morning to exit the freeway right at the point where 635 turned into a parking lot! It's the first time that traffic has ever made me smile. HA!!!
I did eat lunch alone today. So, that was sad, but I'm close enough to a lot of people I know that I can easily plan to not have that happen again on the days I have to go in to the office. Oh, and speaking of that...I GET TO WORK FROM HOME MOST OF THE TIME!!! I will have to go in at the beginning to get accustomed to the project, but after that I have the freedom to work most of the time from home. This is great since I can work so much faster at home where there are ZERO distractions.
Like I said, it sounded too good to be true so I didn't say anything. But, I actually DID go into work today and confirmed that it was an honest to goodness job.
Thank you so much for everyone's prayers and love. It made such a huge impact on me during what could have been a very trying time. I think there was one day that I was stressing out, but other than that I felt a peace the whole time that I was going to be taken care of...and I feel that I have been.
I can't wait to not sit in traffic again tomorrow! MWA HA HA HA!!!!
Showing posts with label Job Hunt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job Hunt. Show all posts
Job Loss (The Official Post)
The Bottom Line
It seems that there are more and more people I know who have not yet heard the big news: I was part of a workforce reduction last week (i.e. I was laid off). There were over 30 of us that were let go from different departments. I was told that it was not performance related and was welcome to and even encouraged to apply for applicable positions within the company. I feel that networking is the key to finding a job, especially in this market. That being said, I decided to do this post to give everyone the lowdown on what took place and to ask for your help. (If you don't want to read the nitty gritty, feel free to skip to the end for the plea part.)
The Story
The whole experience was sort of surreal. I knew what was going on the moment that I walked in to my SVP's office...and he had an HR representative in there with him. Unfortunately, my wife had to play the HR role the previous week at her company so I knew the anguish that poor woman was going through. Thankfully, my SVP was quick to the point and did not try and pad the news too much. It was one of those things I just wanted to know quickly, so I was very thankful for how it was done. I was also thankful that my director had requested that they do it first thing in the morning so I didn't have to work a full day and THEN get the news. (That would have really sucked!)
Even as I was hearing the sentence that I was getting laid off, I really felt like God just told me to be at peace. I think my first response was to say, "My wife was in your shoes last week; I'm not going to give you any trouble. Let's make this as painless as possible." I was calm the whole way through as I made it my goal to leave with integrity and dignity.
As I walked back to my desk with my cardboard box (very weird, by the way), I remember thinking "I have a lot of stuff at my desk!" Five years' worth of pictures and folders and notebook. Because my termination was not performance based, I did not have to have security stand over me as I left. I did have a number of people help me move my stuff though; not out of security concerns but from genuine friendship. I was very blessed for their help. They even walked me out and loaded everything in my car for me. That was nice since I had run 3 miles the night before (just started running) and my legs felt like Jello! After the 4 guys who walked me out hugged me and shook my hands, I left the parking garage for the last time.
Obviously I called my wife Kaylane immediately to let her know. Her work was kind in letting her leave right then so we went to a very early lunch to talk about things. I'm thankful that we were able to go to lunch as she has been such an encouragement to me during all of this. Thank you, Baby! She was mad for me (as I would have been for her), but I still just felt a peace about the whole thing and had no negative feelings towards my, now previous, company or employers. It had been a blessing and an honor to work with such great people and I did not pity them for having to let go someone that they called friend. I did, however, pity me for being that person. LOL
Your Help
So, I'm now in the job market. I've updated my resume, LinkedIn, my accounts on numerous job hunting sites, and posted to my social network sites to let them know I'm looking (I'll include links to appropriate sites at the end of this entry). As I said at the beginning of this post, I really feel that the big key to finding a job in this market is to be connected to the people who know the jobs are there. NETWORKING! That being said, I would be blessed by your prayers. Also, anyone who forwards my information on within their networks will be my new best friend. :)
If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read this! I appreciate your support!!!!
Links
Online Resume
Online Presentation
LinkedIn (Contains recommendations from previous management)
Professional Blog (Just started last week)
It seems that there are more and more people I know who have not yet heard the big news: I was part of a workforce reduction last week (i.e. I was laid off). There were over 30 of us that were let go from different departments. I was told that it was not performance related and was welcome to and even encouraged to apply for applicable positions within the company. I feel that networking is the key to finding a job, especially in this market. That being said, I decided to do this post to give everyone the lowdown on what took place and to ask for your help. (If you don't want to read the nitty gritty, feel free to skip to the end for the plea part.)
The Story
The whole experience was sort of surreal. I knew what was going on the moment that I walked in to my SVP's office...and he had an HR representative in there with him. Unfortunately, my wife had to play the HR role the previous week at her company so I knew the anguish that poor woman was going through. Thankfully, my SVP was quick to the point and did not try and pad the news too much. It was one of those things I just wanted to know quickly, so I was very thankful for how it was done. I was also thankful that my director had requested that they do it first thing in the morning so I didn't have to work a full day and THEN get the news. (That would have really sucked!)
Even as I was hearing the sentence that I was getting laid off, I really felt like God just told me to be at peace. I think my first response was to say, "My wife was in your shoes last week; I'm not going to give you any trouble. Let's make this as painless as possible." I was calm the whole way through as I made it my goal to leave with integrity and dignity.
As I walked back to my desk with my cardboard box (very weird, by the way), I remember thinking "I have a lot of stuff at my desk!" Five years' worth of pictures and folders and notebook. Because my termination was not performance based, I did not have to have security stand over me as I left. I did have a number of people help me move my stuff though; not out of security concerns but from genuine friendship. I was very blessed for their help. They even walked me out and loaded everything in my car for me. That was nice since I had run 3 miles the night before (just started running) and my legs felt like Jello! After the 4 guys who walked me out hugged me and shook my hands, I left the parking garage for the last time.
Obviously I called my wife Kaylane immediately to let her know. Her work was kind in letting her leave right then so we went to a very early lunch to talk about things. I'm thankful that we were able to go to lunch as she has been such an encouragement to me during all of this. Thank you, Baby! She was mad for me (as I would have been for her), but I still just felt a peace about the whole thing and had no negative feelings towards my, now previous, company or employers. It had been a blessing and an honor to work with such great people and I did not pity them for having to let go someone that they called friend. I did, however, pity me for being that person. LOL
Your Help
So, I'm now in the job market. I've updated my resume, LinkedIn, my accounts on numerous job hunting sites, and posted to my social network sites to let them know I'm looking (I'll include links to appropriate sites at the end of this entry). As I said at the beginning of this post, I really feel that the big key to finding a job in this market is to be connected to the people who know the jobs are there. NETWORKING! That being said, I would be blessed by your prayers. Also, anyone who forwards my information on within their networks will be my new best friend. :)
If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read this! I appreciate your support!!!!
Links
Online Resume
Online Presentation
LinkedIn (Contains recommendations from previous management)
Professional Blog (Just started last week)
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