How's the job market these days?

"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury) 07/09/2015 at 12:21 • Filed to: None

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My now former employer is downsizing, and I just got the ax. Crap. I moved 1800 miles for this position and now after 3 years I need to start the search over again. Things seem to be better than 2011-2012 so I hope this won’t be an extended period of unemployment like that period.

I’m still a little numb right now. I’ve been through this before, but experience doesn’t seem to make it any easier. I’ve been wanting to get out of there for some time, but I wanted it to be on my terms. On the bright side I can finally get around to those miscellaneous tasks I’ve been putting off for months whilst I worked nights and weekends...

Party-vi > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:26

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They are bastards and this is bullshit. Get your resume up and out, and good luck!

64Mali > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:26

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Getting laid off sucks massively. I was unemployed from 2010-2012 when aerospace crashed. What do you do for work? And where would you like to live?

Autophile412 - what's the world got in store? > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:30

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What are your qualifications and where do you live? My company is hiring salespeople throughout PA, OH and IN.

Keep your head up and get that resume updated. Take a month or so of unemployment to recharge and focus. Good luck.

nermal > Autophile412 - what's the world got in store? 07/09/2015 at 12:35

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What kinda sales?

I’m near there and happily employed by a great company, but would leave for more $$$.

Xyl0c41n3 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:36

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Damn. I’m so sorry.

Make sure they’re fair with your severance, and get started now on the unemployment benefits red tape.

Please, please, please don’t let yourself become isolated. Let your friends and family know you’re going to need some moral and emotional support. Vent here if you need to, as well.

Good luck, and again, I'm so sorry.

ttyymmnn > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:36

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Sorry to hear that, but some of the best life changes can be the ones you don't prepare for. Best wishes. I'm sure you'll land on your feet.

For Sweden > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:37

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How the job market is depends largely on what jobs you are looking for, which you have not shared.

nermal > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:37

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Sorry to hear that. I’ve dealt with this before, repeatedly. Take a day off to panic / cry / smash things in anger, etc. But only one day!

Then put your head down and get to work finding work. I’m assuming that you weren’t the only one let go, so you will probably be competing with your now-former coworkers for the same jobs. Get ahead of them!

atomic8778 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:44

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If you want to get back to work, make sure you make it known that you’re looking for work. Put any notions of pride (i.e. “oh man I don’t want my friends to know I just got canned”), and let people know you want a job. The number one mistake you can make is not letting people know you need work.

In the meantime, enjoy life! Those spark plugs you’ve been meaning to get to? Done! That trip to MOABBBBBB? Get out there! Those friends you’ve been neglecting? Neglect no more!

Brian, The Life of > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:45

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What do you do? Experience? Location?

We’re hiring.

MonkeePuzzle > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 12:52

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seem to be good in general because the price of oil is down so the cost of doing business is down so lots of business is expanding. unless you are in oil. I’m in oil. layoffs are not over. it’s tense here. best of luck!

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 13:05

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As was mentioned by others, what business are/were you in, and where do you live? Oppo is pretty big, we can probably find you something

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > For Sweden 07/09/2015 at 13:05

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It also depends on the location, industry, and their skills.

The Dummy Gummy > nermal 07/09/2015 at 13:22

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More money, more problems. At least that’s what Biggie used to tell me.
He is dead now, so he may have been right.

nermal > The Dummy Gummy 07/09/2015 at 13:23

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Don’t stand in front of a mirror and say his name 3 times!

The Dummy Gummy > nermal 07/09/2015 at 13:26

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I will heed your advice. Last time I said a name 3 times (Beetlejuice) was a nightmare. Boy... that guy was a dick.

dogisbadob > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 13:35

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Sorry for the downsizing :(

I hope you find something soon.

Unfortunately, we’re still in a depression, and the “recovery” is a myth. Fast food and retail are still adult jobs.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 13:40

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Thanks to all for your good wishes. I appreciate all the support, and knowing I have a group to chat with will make things a bit easier.

I’ve been in the airline industry for the last 11 years, with most of that in manpower and resource planning. I moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis for a position in the same field, but that job morphed over the years into a business unit analyst position which is more about finance than airline operations. It hasn’t felt like an airline-related job in some time, with my days spent on spreadsheets and reports that could be for any industry. I can probably find another analyst position somewhere, but it would probably be just as unfulfilling as this last job has been for some time. I have knowledge and energy and I want to put it to use, preferably in an industry I love. I am a rather quiet person and prefer being in the background, and as such am not really the type to work in sales. I seem to be the guy behind the scenes, making things happen without calling a lot of attention to myself. There can be downsides to this, as I discovered in my last job. My old boss liked the work I did for him and I made him look good with customers and corporate alike. But when I wanted to transfer to the corporate office he sabotaged every chance, going back on agreements and lying. Fine - either let me go or pay me more, but he wanted to keep me in the same position at the same pay. Not only that, but due to legislation, the new entry-level pay was exactly the same rate I had worked up to after several long years. No thanks.

Before I got into this industry I was in IT. Working for Hughes Aircraft back in the day was the greatest time of my professional life. I could see getting back into the field, but my skills are a little rusty and my certifications obsolete. I did have something interesting on this front happen this morning - when I woke up I checked my phone and found a message from a member of my CAP squadron. He said that Dell is hiring for positions over at Boeing; less than two hours later I found myself in need of a job. The timing was incredible. I’ll have to give him a call and see if he has any contacts.

I don’t know if the IT world is the same as when I left in 2002. Back then it was all about the certifications. I worked with a bunch of techs straight out of the diploma mills who could answer all the questions on an MCSE test but didn’t understand the underlying technology. I remember wathcing two of them argue over RAID levels on a server, laughing quietly to myself because they were both quite wrong. Then there were the desktop techs that were planning on getting into the server world. They would come to me instead of my co-workers, and they told me it was because I actually understood what was going on and could explain it; others knew what to do but not the underlying why . Perhaps I can find a job where this kind of understanding could be put to use even though it isn’t necessarily something that can be shown on a resume.

someassemblyrequired > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 14:04

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If you want to stay in the industry I know Alaska Airlines and Boeing are hiring at a pretty good clip out here in Seattle. Not sure if you’re up for the big move, but might be a good option.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > someassemblyrequired 07/09/2015 at 14:20

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I wouldn’t mind another move if the job is right. Years ago I made a list of all of the places I’d be willing to relocate for work and it stretched all the way from San Diego to Vancouver. My horizons have been broadened by living in Missouri for the last three years, but I wouldn’t mind heading back to the west coast.

I do love Seattle. The first time I visited there was in January 1995; it was cold, wet and grey and I loved every single minute of it. If I could find a job in the airline industry and be in Seattle I would be happier than a pig in slop.

XJDano > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 14:46

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I am sorry for your loss, but I am laying off 5 guys tomorrow and looking forward to it.

The construction industry is fierce, and asbestos workers are hard to come by in June & July. Now that other jobs are finishing up I’ll get more quality people.

Don't be a shit bum.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 15:56

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Sorry, man. I got the word that I was getting cut the 1st of June. Thankfully, I’ve got one offer in hand and had another interview this morning. Hope you can say something similar in a month or two.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 16:03

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I know Boeing is hiring here in Charleston, SC as well. They’re rapidly expanding their operation here, so you can always check and see if they’ve got anything that fits your skill set.

I also work for an IT company that’s expanding and always looking for new people. But we deal with health insurance and benefits, not the airline industry, so I don’t know if that would really tickle your fancy.

And good luck out there man.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy 07/09/2015 at 16:43

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Thanks for the kind words. I figure I could continue in the airline industry or go back to IT; I don’t necessarily need an IT job in the airline biz. Working for Boeing would be great; that’s going to be my first target here in STL, and I figure once I’m in with the company I can transfer wherever, maybe even back to SoCal; my division of Hughes was sold off to Raytheon (where I was also laid off...), whilst the other main part, Hughes Electronics, was sold to Boeing.

someassemblyrequired > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/09/2015 at 17:08

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It’s lost a bit of its edge with the nerd influx over the last ten years but it’s still a great spot.

Most employers out here will pay relocation - Boeing job adds will have that, along with whether the job is union or non-union in the posting. Apparently it’s big and corporate, but it’s a pretty 9 to 5 operation, which is decent. A lot of technical positions are unionized, which has its plusses and minuses.

Alaska seems to hire pretty regularly for analyst and IT jobs - apparently the pay is just average, but the product is awesome, so in my experience it’s likely a decent place to work.

Good luck with the search and if you have questions about the area just ping me.

Autophile412 - what's the world got in store? > nermal 07/09/2015 at 19:50

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Industrial pumps and flow control products.

orcim > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/10/2015 at 03:04

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I read you’ve been looking for a change, the change came, you have skills that are valuable (though harder to market, the backend ‘make it happen’ thing), and maybe some opportunities.

Except for the reaction of dealing with change (vs. a response) this sounds like a semi-party event.

You’re skills are totally transferable to multiple industries. It’s up to you to target what *you* want in industry, locations, pay, etc. Make Those Choices. You are not at Effect, you are at Cause (currently.) Make use of that...make those choices that drive what you do to get to where you want to be. You’re situation is like a text book example of a power system that’s on idle but needs someone to rev it ... make use of that, because it has power embedded in it.

As for the IT thing...and certifications, and skills. Yeah, you’re outa date. But if you have the foundation (and it sounds like you do) up-to-date is 1 month of focus and you can ace any IT interview (selling yourself so *they* pay for the certifications) because you know *why*.

I have the same thing - haven’t programmed in a language for 20 years (and wouldn’t, now), but because I came up through all the reasons *why* shit happens, none of what is going on today is strange. So I edit screencasts for 3 different authors using 4 different languages to have them make sense....because I know what they are saying, even if I wouldn’t/couldn’t do those things myself. (My value is editing for the story line, not the tech info.) The foundation though pays in the new application of what I knew.

You can do that too. You have power. That business analysis piece? Applies to everything. Old school IT background? Total transfer to something new that utilizes it (and frankly, *everything* utilizes it. Even the point of sale systems at the local bar where you buy a beer now and then.)

In short (as you can see, I ramble:) no despair. Opportunity is here and you didn’t have to transform yourself to get it (easy pie). You have transferable skills. Just have to do the choice thing. Than, frankly, the only sound I can get happening is *boom* (in a good way.)

samssun > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/22/2015 at 06:02

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First bit of advice, if you’re trying to choose between IT and business analyst with a bit of finance, go the latter. IT has become a commoditized, rote, H1B ghetto, and the “progressive” tech elites want to open the floodgates further. Being on the business side where you have to interact with customers and other real people, solve problems instead of follow procedures, and make actual decisions will mean better pay and job security.

For the job search, my recommendation is to make a spreadsheet where you track your resume submissions, when you hear back, interview date, etc. First few days will be easy as you blast through everything on the job boards, but what’s important is to keep adding at least 2-3 every single day after you hit diminishing returns.

Tackle the Fortune 500 fifty at a time, pull those 50 best places to work lists, etc, and as long as you’re consistent you’ll have 100+ chances at the end of the month. Don’t take a week off because you applied a dozen places and heard back from a promising one, just keep churning regardless of where you are in the interview process. It’ll increase your odds and keep you from losing momentum if something doesn’t pan out in the final round.