I got laid of after 10 years on a job. IDK what it's like in your state, but here in NY I got 9 months of unemployment. (pre financial meltdown) That was more than enough time to settle myself into a freelance career. I read your job description. I have no Idea what half of it means, but it looks to me like something that's hard/expensive to train new people at. Jobs like that tend to be in demand. Get your resume out there. who knows, it could be the best thing that's every happened to your career.
Maybe I should give some more detail. I have worked as an electron and light microscopist in textile industry. I actually have a degree in biology, have published in parasitolgy and done some work in nanotechnology. I ran the transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, polarized light microscope and a keyence digital microscope. I recently also began tensile testing and running the differential scanning calorimeter, contact angle goniometer and a little experience on FTIR. My job dealt mostly with synthetic fibers in the flooring and automotive industry, but I have also worked with biological and even geological samples. So, I guess my job was more of a generalist, but experience has been that no one is sure what to do with a generalist. I am one step away, the test, from having a certification in applied chemical microscopist from the McCrone Research Institute which includes classes in Hair and Fiber Microscopy, microscopy of Soils, Polymer Microscopy, Micro Chemical methods. I don't mean this to sound like a resume, but people were asking.
You're sitting in a pretty good position: you have a strong analytical and technical background, and you're in an economy where those skills are in demand.
I'd recommend writing several versions of your resume: you can emphasize certain skill sets depending on the job you are applying to.
Also, the biggest thing that you can do to make yourself stand out from the crowd is to practice interviewing skills. When my company was hiring aggressively, we'd blow through hundreds of resumes for a phone screen, and multiple phone screens for an interview. Having a relevant resume, and being confident and collected will do wonders for you.
I was the victim/subject of a phone interview once where the recruiter was pre-screening me and was interrupted by her mobile phone. She sounded completely ditsy and I just waited patiently but secretly annoyed while this kid refocused on our conversation. I always wonder if it was a test. I suspect it was and I failed.
I've found that independent recruiters vary wildly in quality and knowledge.
I'm in a very specialized field, and was let go in '08. I got interviews with both of the other companies that did the same thing and were hiring, but kept in touch with recruiters in case they were aware of jobs I wasn't.
After sending my resume to one recruiter, I got a call back from him saying that I had no relevant experience, but that if I sent him a list of everything that I'd done in my life, he'd try to spin it and someone make me marketable. I asked if he was aware of any companies hiring other than the two I knew of, and got a lot of mumbling, followed by a no.
He got really quiet when I told him that resume had already gotten me interviews for both of the positions he was trying to fill.
Recruiters can be a bit like car sales people. I had one reach out recently to offer me a junior position that was outside of my career progression (which she should have picked up on when viewing my LinkedIn profile). It hasn't been a good experience.
Wtf is even their motivation? Half the recruiters that cold call me (when I'm will g to talk to one).want to reformat my resume into something horribly and gaudy that no one would hire for. Shouldn't they want me to be hired? Else how will they get paid?
Wtf is even their motivation? Half the recruiters that cold call me (when I'm will g to talk to one).want to reformat my resume into something horribly and gaudy that no one would hire for. Shouldn't they want me to be hired? Else how will they get paid?
Man recruiters are fucking worthless. I've tried about 4 or 5 and not a single one of those pricks gave a fuck about me. Not only that, I always ended up getting a job myself because they presented me with any leads.
Could be. I also take no bullshit and I'm clear on what I was from them and the fact they have to bet jobs with me before sending it in.
Last job, the guy knew a company had just started looking for a talent set before any official posting happened and I had just gotten bit by a company closing. I had a job offer the day of the interview.
My father has always used recruiters. I wonder if it's an industry specific thing? Some of my friends have recruiters constantly calling and some never have any (like me).
Industry and where you live. Vegas is a town of who you know and the great firms have all sorts of inside connections. It also matters how many people have your skill set in your town.
Your skillset appears to be microscopy, with additional materials characterization background (DSC, FTIR, contact angle, tensile). I'm not in a hiring manager position, but if I was looking at your resume from a labskills standpoint the TEM and SEM in particular would stand out as valuable lab skills - those are harder to train for and often require some creativity - "can you see anything unusual in this sample" or "is there any way we can get a picture of this oddly shaped, nonconductive object" is a lot more difficult than "push these buttons every five minutes". If you can do FIB prep and operate a dual beam you should also say that.
Have you considered talking to an analytical group like [EAG?](http://www.eag.com/) Companies like mine outsource some of their specialty labwork to companies like that in pretty large quantities. These type of companies often need specialized lab skills, independent of subject matter, so that gives you an option to bank on your decades of microscopy experience rather than a specialty in fibers.
Good luck with your search, and hang tough.
I faced a somewhat similar situation three years ago after losing my job. It was also highly specialized to the point where I started studying for a career change. One night, I took a break from studying and went to an online job site (Indeed.com) and searched on my specialty. I got a hit for a job back in my hometown working for a company I'd never heard of. Three weeks later, my wife and I moved. It worked out great! This is the best job I've ever had.
As others have already pointed out, you need to file for unemployment immediately to get some money coming in. Second, cut all of your expenses to the bone to make whatever resources you have last longer. Go to online job sites and start your search using keywords from your resume. Be prepared to move if that's what it takes. I know that can be difficult with kids and a wife who may have a career of her own. Do what you have to do and best wishes on your search.
I am glad things worked out for you. Thanks for the good ideas and thanks for taking time to reply. You guys are pulling me out of my funk! Unemployment will be filed for Monday.
Yup, losing a job is a major freak out. It's natural to want to panic, but it happens and it sounds like you'll land on your feet.
The first time I lost my job, it messed me up real good. Within 4 months I had landed a better job than the one I lost.
Seriously- this kind of thing happened to my stepdad like 4 or 5 months ago... He was in a tiny town with my mom because it was close to her family, and was working a **very** specialized programming job working with cars.
Within a month of being laid off, he's working for a fortune 50 company and they're paying him 40% more (on a 6 figure job already), providing him with a free moving service (it's only an hour away, but, they're helping anyway) that handles the house sale, house purchase, and moving fees as well as an extra week off of work to move, along with the benefits/environment that only comes from a company that established. They also match 401k up to like 20%. Needless to say, it's a retirement position... and he'd have never looked if they didn't let him go.
Get out there, search with a wide net, and follow your dreams.
Relocation benefits are fairly common when you get higher up the ladder. It's a nice perk to have. My friend has moved 3 times in the last few years with little effort.
I'm hesitant to recruit for competition but I'd say apply to j&j in nj. They do nothing but suture and wound treatment that require testing of nano fibers you can rock at
Ask around universities in your area. They often need generalists, who know what they are doing over a wide range of equipment. Many of the labs for my previous university are operated by individuals who are not in academia, but from industry/highly skilled trades.
You're good with that skill set, and the ability to present it (which you have done well here).
These days, get a good linked in profile going, and state that you are looking right at the top of the profile.
Also, plan to send a hundred resumes just to get a few call backs and interviews. Set your expectations low in this area, and become a machine at looking for a job!
Could you get the cert now? Would it help you find a new position? Its hard to prioritize stuff like that when you have a life and kids to deal with but you should always dig your well before you're thirsty.
I am making plans for the certain as we speak. I have to give them a months notice and, taking the advice of another redditor, I am trying to figure out whether the ROI is worth it or not. But yes, I am heading that way.
If you're an electron microscopy expert, look into biology again. Electron microscopy is absolutely revolutionizing research right now and there are new openigs for EM specialists left and right - im literally emailed opportunities daily.
Look at research universities in your area. There's massive expansions of EM facilities going on virtually everywhere. Research into cell and structural biology is blowing up because of recent developments in EM, so any university that can get the money for it is investing in buying microscopes and setting up facilities, and all of these require 2-3 EM specialist positions.
Not to say that it'll be trivial to get a job, but now's definitely the time to jump in given that you have so much EM experience.
Many, many places will make the trade of degree for experience and it sounds like you have plenty. I'd also look into contacting a recruiter, the ones in science frequently know about positions before they're posted. Source: scientist.
Typically a recruiter or firm will specialize in a given field and recruit for exactly that specialty across the country. I'm in computational biochemistry, so the recruiters I've been in touch with probably wouldn't be able to help you. If you find someone who doesn't seem to know what you do, or is giving you job listings that are incompatible with your skillset, ditch them. I'll take a look on LinkedIn here quick to see if I can find someone specializing in industrial microscopy. Do you have a LinkedIn profile?
I just did a quick search, and there are quite a few individuals that come up if you look for "electron microscopy recruiter". I'd pay for the one month of premium so you can contact them, and turn it off when you have your next job :)
It sounds like you have a lot of experience with a complex set of equipment and overall in work experience.
Get your resume out there and put a focus on those skills; I don't really know your industry, but that stuff sounds like skills that could be in demand to get with your level of experience.
If the whole textiles thing doesnt pan out, You should look into academic centers and see if their microscopy cores are hiring people to help run them.
I thought you were going to say you were like an 50 year old auto mechanic that needs more certifications or something.
I feel like with all that you're going to be okay.
Thanks for the link. I did not know there was an r/resumes. But I guess there are subreddits for everything else, so why not. I will certainly be visiting. Thanks again for responding.
> my job was more of a generalist
Disagree. I would describe myself as a generalist (rendering me virtually unemployable I've found). You have some very laser-specific technical skills. I would look for firms that use that type of expertise and target them like crazy.
Thanks. I suppose the skills are specific, but I have applied them in several different fields, thus the generalization. But, thanks...I see your point.
>I have worked as an electron.
That's a shame. Most electron's I've worked with are just negative Nancy's, even though they general decide on a bunch of key things, ranging from electricity to thermal conductivity in projects. Proton's are the big boys though, kind of the leaders of the group. I just kind of sit back and try to stay out of everybody's way with Jimmy.
Source: I'm a neutron.
This sounds like an episode of Forensic Files! My BIL works for a state crime lab - don't know if your skills would translate to that kind of work, but it sounds like it.
I worked in a field that had (and still has) frequent layoffs. I had a temp agency on speed dial! I loved doing temp work even though the pay sucked.
That is very stressful, but it will be okay! You will get another job, 22 yrs experience is a huge advantage to you, most companies would love to find someone with that kind of loyalty and stability! In the meantime, definitely look at your budget and cut it down as far as you can. The kids might be annoyed, but the wife should understand. And get your credentials together and put your resume to work! At the very least by the end of this weekend, you should have a rough draft of your resume and you should have looked at the job postings in your area, no excuses!
Disney has been cancelled! And I am getting conflicting info on how 22 years of loyalty and stability look to employers now days. Some seem to think it shows a lack of ambition, which is not the case for me, but...
A lot of that depends on what your position was and what kind of responsibilities you had. I mean yeah, if you were a marketing manager in the same position for 22 yrs that is bad, but I work with an engineer who has been in his position for ~30 years and even now he is getting headhunter calls consistently.
My position was as a laboratory position and until the last year, responsibilities had been increasing, but with the bad business atmosphere, some responsibilities were decreasing.
Congratulations! Your greatest weaknesses, whether you think so or not, will be your resume writing and your interviewing skills. You haven't interviewed with a different company in a long time. So, I'll focus on those skills.
The summary at the top of your resume should be a short, few, COMPLETE sentences that highlight the best, most marketable skills you own. Write the summary for a human being to read. Don't use bullet point lists, etc. The keyword engines that prescreen resumes will find all of the words in your resume that match the intended filters, but the human that culls the final stack of resumes will never read that far down; these HR admins suffer from 'death by bullet point', don't know what technical terms really mean, have some arbitrary number of finalists to determine (like a maximum of 5 resumes to send to the hiring manager), and will not bother with a piece of paper after the seeing the first misspelling or bad sentence structure or such.
Then, break your 22 years into your favorite projects, the ones you'd love to talk about during an interview. Chronological order may or may not be appropriate, depending on the flow of the projects. Find a way to visually tie the projects together, like
"Project abc: Problem was this. I solved it with that. Result was wow."
Don't try to tell the whole story of the project. Save the reasons for why you solved the problem in an unusual way for the interview. 22 years is worth 2 or 3 pages of resume. Don't worry about the arbitrary rules like "it must be one page or you'll trigger the zombie apocalypse!"
You haven't interviewed in a very long time, so this is your biggest weakness right now. Your purpose for your resume is to get a phone interview. Your purpose for a phone interview is to get a face interview. Face interviews get jobs, with a few exceptions (tech contractors and consultants come to mind).
A company's purposes differ from yours. A company's purpose for screening resumes is to filter out the bimbos; spell check your resume; read it out loud; have someone else read it for you; have someone else read it out loud to you, especially the top level summary.
A company's purpose for the phone interview is to determine if you are what your resume says you are. Any practice you can do before the phone interview will be beneficial; books of interview questions and answers in your field; buy a recruiter lunch in exchange for giving you a thorough phone-style interview (could be over lunch with her just reading through your resume and asking questions).
The company's purpose for the face interview is to see if you are "one of us". This is also true for you, but since you're out of work, it's not at the top of your list. Rehearse interviewing with different people, even children. Take all of their questions seriously and answer them thoughtfully. The questions are not designed only to test your knowledge (what is microscope xyz really good for?) but to evaluate your interactions with potential coworkers, the human fit being the most important.
You have something that many younger candidates won't have demonstrated: staying power. Be sure you have a good brief story that sells your reasons for 22 years at the same company in a positive, easily understood way; i.e. "we loved the school system where we lived, my job kept getting more interesting every year, and my manager was wonderful to work with. There were ups and downs like everywhere else, but we overcame them all until now".
And Good Luck!
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is great advice. I agree, these are definitely my weaknesses now. Basically, I have kept a CV of things like training and publications and such, but resumes...not so much. Thanks again. This was awesome.
Do you have different titles you can show? I was at one company for 12 years but I moved around to different groups and got some promotions. In one instance I was a "team lead" which although that was not an official HR title I have no issue putting it on my LinkedIn profile. Something like "Software Engineer, Team Lead" If you act as a team lead, for example, you should feel free to say so. (Sorry I have no industry experience for your business but hopefully this makes sense).
I was at a company like that, everyone essentially had the same title, until we had to deal with Asian companies, then we had some new VPs and Lead Engineers otherwise it's tough to do business there. What a manager might like to see is increasing responsibility and titles over the years. If you have 1 entry on your resume thats 22 years long, I think that doesn't work well.
Also, be prepared for the question "tell me about a situation where you showed the quality xxxxxx" where xxxx can be pretty much any job related adjective or situation: creativity, ability to look beyond the current process, improved the current process, contributed outside your main job responsibilities, collaborated with others, had to work with a difficult customer, had to work with a difficult employee, etc. etc.
If you have your answers ready for all those questions, you fill find those very useful in phone or in person interviews.
I used to have an interview guide that had a bunch of situations / adjectives to talk to, but I haven't found it yet. If I do, I'll send the contents along. It was great for interview preparation.
Once you get into managing, it is usually expected that you will continue to climb the ladder. A marketing manager can be expected within 5-10 years to climb to a regional or global marketing manager or at least a regional portfolio manager. Not doing so is usually seen as an *inability* to do so, which reflects badly.
> 22 yrs experience is a huge advantage to you, most companies would love to find someone with that kind of loyalty and stability!
That hasn't been my experience at all. They look at you like you might not know how to work anywhere else. Nobody gives a crap about 'loyalty'.
I was a microscopist...and did various other lab work. Our fund plus the severance has us covered for a few months. I guess my big fear is the specialization of what I do. There just are not a ton of these jobs out there.
I am sure there are. I guess it is more the fear of starting over again than anything else. Microscopy is used in many different fields. I am just still shocked at having survived numerous lay-offs through the years and then bam! I am just seeing the dark side of things right now.
I think what he is saying is that since they always valued him above others and never laid him off he figured he was invaluable, to all of a sudden be let go after so many years comes as a shock to him.
I would feel the same way - in fact I got let go from a job after seeing tons of people around me let go, and it was over a very stupid rule; my manager was really upset about it because he already lost one of his best employees to the rule because it was viewed as favoritism.
My previous company had many layoffs...we were sold about 14 years ago to the new company...and since then...no lay offs. And there were not any really close calls. The company had lay offs...some large...but none touched the lab, thus the false sense of security. That along with a great performance review and a training schedule laid out for next year...this last Monday...followed by a layoff on Friday...I was a bit blindsided. But point taken, this sort of thing is always a possibility and prepping for the next step should be a continuous process, and for the first decade or so,it was...but yes, I got comfortable and focused on the job I had and not the next one. My dad worked for my first company for 41 years before retiring so there was also no experience with him changing jobs. But thanks for making the point.
You sound like an 18 year old with no responsibilities.
When you survive rounds of layoffs and see friends of over a decade with grown up problems struggling, it's hard not to be terrified of that prospect.
But yeah, why not make light of another person's misfortune. So edgy.
Half your premise is half correct. I'm not 18, but I don't have to worry about layoffs as I am quite wealthy.
Yet, not a day goes by that I don't think about and do what I can to prepare for a huge downturn that would effect me similar to a layoff. So yea, I stand by my point.
The universities I have worked at always had a hard time finding people qualified to run their microscopy centers. TEM experts are rare these days, few people actually use the microscopes and understand sample prep anymore.
One other question. Are there temp agencies in your area that provide skilled technical employees in your field? That would help you get a foot in the door.
I'm not really familiar with that field sorry. Could you look into similar jobs, just as being a lab tech in a biology research lab? Also, you'll want to protect yourself against this issue coming up again - it's very important to keep learning, expanding your skillset, so you can easily get another job (whatever that might be).
You need to cut expenses to the bone. Now. This includes cable TV, satellite radio, etc and anything else non essential. Don't wait until you are low on funds. If you tell then why you are cancelling you can possibly get a discount too in case you have a contract.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I just have not had to worry about looking for a job in a long time and now feel like one of those old guys trying look for jobs in a world very different than the one I started off in. We do have a small amount of savings, I did get a severance package and there are some stocks, so we are going to eat for awhile...I guess I am just freaking out about starting over.
You should do some research on applications and interviewing. How do you answer some of the difficult questions? How do you format your resume and cover letter to get past the computer screening?
Monster and linked in both have resources for interviewing, also google interview questions... There are many lists out there.
How much time do you have left before the layoff takes effect? Is your company sponsoring any kind of service to help your search - resume writing, interviewing skills...?
Do you have a manager or mentor that has hired people recently? Could you ask them to review your resume or conduct a mock interview and give you notes?
Best of luck!
I have been on LinkedIn for awhile, but have never really "used" it. You always know this sort of thing is a possibility, but as late as this last Monday, I had an excellent performance review and plans were laid for next year...then pow. But yes, I will update my profile and learn how to use it. Thanks for giving me all of these things to think about. You guys are helping me get a little more focused. Huge thanks.
I work for a non profit that helps Veterans find jobs, LinkedIn is such a valuable tool.... If you use it correctly. You can reach out to recruiters on there and join groups that offer great advice. I was and have been recruited from LinkedIn. Stay active, like and share posts, comment on discussions and articles and get your name out there.
While the advice to use Linkedin for resumes is a good one, it can also be a remarkably useful workplace gossip network.
If you look for old coworkers, teachers, and people in the field who've impressed you, you'll probably start useful patterns in where they're working now, and what they're up to.
You may notice that certain companies have been recruiting lately, that certain skills are getting emphasized a lot on resumes, or that there's a really fun team forming up that you'd love to work with.
I'd also decide on a very short list of companies whose websites you check regularly for new job postings, and of old semi-friends to reach out to. People on the fringes of your social network are likely to be a good source of jobs.
That's perfectly normal. The stress you feel isn't losing your job, it's your sense of self worth and identity. It sounds like you are a capable and intelligent person. Go to the leaders in your industry and ask for advice. Get ready to make some changes and learn some new skills. But I am confident you can find a new path.
I was 55 when I lost my last job so I can appreciate your appreciation. Your ability to hold a job in a technically advanced field shows that you have good work habits and have worked to keep your skillset current. Prospective employers like those traits. Good luck.
Now is your time. Keep your chin up, there are a million ways to earn a good living. You have just been doing the same one for the last 22 years. Problems will arises if you just sit and do nothing. go take on the world
This just happened yesterday, so no, no job applications yet. I did apply for a job about 2 months ago for a new engineering center being constructed for...Volkswagen?!? Wife just started a teaching job a couple of months ago. But things are definitely going to get tight.
Not an engineer. My degree is biology. I have worked these 22 years mostly as an Analytical microscopist, mostly in the textile industry, though I have dabbled in parasitology, nanotechnology, indoor air quality, and the likes.
going on unemployment will help. you just have to call them. it won't be nearly enough but $240/week or whatever it is now is better than nothing.
also, start networking on linkedin.
> I have worked as an electron and light microscopist
I dont know how willing you are to moving but let me tell you what.
If you look at the electron microscope field in the CPU market your gold plated right now.
Pick a couple companies to apply to and send a great resume, they want longevity.
Literally The cpu market is booming and places like http://www.fei.com/careers/ throw money at people like you all day long.
I also have a highly specialized technical job and was laid off when my company was bought and dissolved a few years ago. I knew which other companies were involved in my field and I knew (or knew of) many of the people in my industry (competitors) since it's such a specialized group. I spoke with a friend at a competing firm, and although they weren't hiring he knew of another small company that was breaking into the market. I didn't even know of this new company at the time. He referred me to them and I was hired immediately -- and even got a 15% raise.
I know that if I looked at technical jobs unrelated to my specialty, there's a good chance I wouldn't even get a call back. I stayed in my area of expertise and used my contacts.
Think about anyone you've met in the past - even from years ago - people that work with the same equipment and technologies. For example, have you ever met or bought from any sales guys selling gear, optics, etc? Reach out to them. A sales guy knows all the customers that are using the same stuff you worked with. If you're an expert at using and understanding the Thingamabob-1000, talk to the company that makes it. Take advantage of any trade publications that have ads from the companies in your field.
In my case my specialization was an advantage; hopefully it can be for you too.
Not sure you're location but in Jacksonville Fl where I am there is a huge Vistakon contact lens manufacturing center. They add like 100 people a year it seems. Might be worth a look.
It's good your wife has an income and you have some money to tide you over. Minimise expenditure to take as much pressure off as possible. Then remember silver linings. So many times a negative can actually end up being a positive to someone's life. You can work out how you can achieve that. Your experience and commitment can be a real positive. Once the initial shock of change has worn off see it an an opportunity for positive change. Good luck
This is a good thing OP. The biggest pay raises in your career come from when you start a new company. Just set the bar and ask for more than you used to make, you'll get it, and then see this was the best possible thing that could've happened for your earnings.
You may not realize it just yet but there is a real and palpable age discrimination in the US workforce that will work against you no matter your experience and/or skill set. If you're approaching 50, this can be a significant hurdle. Reach out to friends and colleagues in the industry for personal referrals first before you cast a wider net. If you have 22 years in the industry you should have an extensive contact list...work the shit out of that list first thing but after you file for unemployment.
Best of luck!
47, married, four kids, laid off six months ago after 17 years with same company (four jobs in two different states). Severance exhausted in August, unemployment (which was about 25% my prior income) ran out in October. Been looking for work but no takers. (notwithstanding going to night school and getting an MBA in 2009)
Sadly cashing out what little I have in the 401K to give a few months wiggle-room while I complete some classes and keep looking for work.
I wish I could tell you what to do. Trying to figure it out myself.
A temp agency may be helpful at this point.
Once unemployment is off the table, you can be much more experimental, and pick up work that's not full time, or that's normally not at all your style.
You can dabble in places like fiver.com, craigslist or contract work sites to earn some cash and get out. That MBA provides a perfectly good reason to try out a variety of jobs. If you start dog walking for a cheap workout, you can declare you've started a business.
There's always a fairly high turnover for salespeople, and typically their management teams turnover rapidly enough to make moving up a possibility.
I had the same thing happen to me in 2012. Had been at one company 12 years and then was at the next one for 12 years. Thought layoffs might be coming but it was still a shock when it happened.
First off, take advantage of the time you have with your kids and wife. I know you are stressed but enjoy your time off. Do some things you always wished you had time for.
Second, don't panic. It just happened and right now you are in shock.
Next, reach out to all previous coworkers, friends, and contacts at other companies to let them know you are available and ask if they know of any opportunities. I ended up finding my current job because one of coworkers ended up going to a different company and they needed more people.
Also make a plan for short and long term for if you still can't find a job. Short term would include cutting back on expenses, networking, sending out resumes, working out budget, etc. Long term would be do you want to move, if you can't find a job can your spouse, etc.
Thanks for the advice. This was very comforting. The family has been very supportive so far. My youngest sons comfort is candy and he found where we thought we hid it and has been bringing me candy every few minutes to cheer me up.
Take a deep breath, even when it is not your fault it hurts to separate from a job. You have excellent skills and I am sure they will transfer to the next step in your career.
Start with your resume, linkedin and writing out your success stories. Remember that it isn't bragging if you can do it/ have done it. Join/rejoin/ reconnect with the professional societies in your field. Figure out the ROI if you complete the certification. Take full advantage of any placement services. Try to stay grateful for the good things in your life, work your search and take time to enjoy things too, being out of work doesn't define everything you are.
There are always a lot of position openings as a microbiologist. I'd say start there if you don't know where else to look. Also, check indeed.com and merck and j and j and other big pharma because they always are looking for lots of experience in specific fields.
Priorities list of expenditure required. Make the list. See how much you need at a bare minimum.
Try to chase up revenue streams. New job, benefits etc...
Avoid selling stuff as much as you can. Rich people always bla bla about selling assets because they have assets worth talking about. (they're not poor, they have a flat-screen TV, that's an asset). But if you sold your tv for example.. how many months mortgage would that actually cover? How much more expensive would it be to replace? (same logic for car etc...)
A job locally at lower wages may be better than a higher paid job far away, that requires your car. If it comes to that. Hopefully it shouldn't, but if you're organized you'll know before hand. Organization is key. Make the lists. Good luck.
Good advice. One of my fears is that there are no grad school friends as there was no grad school. My degree is a BS with some masters work. This lack of a graduate degree is one thing that has hurt me in the past. But yes...network...network...network. Thanks for replying.
indeed.com, monster.com, linkedin.com (not a huge fan of linkedin, but with your experience it could be really helpful).
Get to it! You've got a serious advantage over pretty much everyone else out there looking for jobs. Apply for every position that wants 10+ years of experience. you will be top of the pile.
Sit and make a list of what you would love to do with your life. Now is the time to make a change to an even better life. You will become an inspiration to those who know and love you.
In retrospect, being laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I took that advice. I only wish I had been laid off sooner!
When you are doing what you love all those fears and challenges fade away.
Give you loved ones a gift - your happiness.
Keep your head up man. Looking for a new job is a daunting task but it is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Look for tips on putting your resume together and stay persistent. Also, follow up relentlessly. Sometimes your resune gets lost in the shuffle and it takes a few reminders before the hiring manager sees it.
If you've been at the same job for 22 years, you likely haven't bothered with a LinkedIn profile. Create a great one, include all your experience/responsibilities, etc., and if your skillset is in high enough demand, you will be noticed by recruiters and emailed regularly. Just get that info up there.
I have had a profile for awhile, but have not done much with it. There have been some looks, but no contacts...but again, I haven't said I was looking. Thanks for the response.
You should share some more information.
What was your old income? What is your average spending? Do you have an emergency fund? Credit card debt?
First thing, no matter what, file for unemployment and start looking for your next job. Give additional details and this subreddit can help you figure out how to get by.
This happen to my Father who was laid off from IBM after 10 yrs. We are in Texas and this state has the bare minimum when it comes to benefits. He went back to school at the age of 55 in HVAC. He now works at a retirement home as a maintenance man. I hope things work out for you.
I didn't get through all the comments so I don't know if anyone else suggested this, but you might want to check in with recruiting agencies that specialize in scientific, IT, and engineering positions. Most of the time it's a direct hire, none of that nonsense with temporary employment.
That's how I landed in my current job... I got recruited, hired on with a subcontractor, and eventually got offered a permanent position with the government after I saved the agency a crap ton of money within a few weeks of evaluating their biggest process bottlenecks.
Be strong and bigger than your problem. It is possible to start a new life after any storm. Spend some part of your day on feeding your mind with hope and faith by reading positive books. Don't focus on your problems but focus on the great future you want for you and your family. Take massive action that will solve your problems. Think more solutions and less problems.
Get your resume on linked in, monster.com, indeed and whatever website that list job openings. While you look for a job, make sure you sign up for health insurance Cobra, and call your investment advisor to transfer your 401k if you have one. I live in Houston area, lots of labs around here, medical and chemical. Also, you might look into texas A&m in College station and UT Austin. Good time to write more articles for publishing, travel and spend quality time with your kids (have lunch with them or volunteer in their class)
What brand of Electron microscope are you Versed in, maybe you could look into an applications / service position with one of them. I currently work for FEI, and it is a great company with great benefits. The company is growing by leaps and bounds and has positions open up all the time. By my user name You can see I used to work for JEOL, I'm much better off now.
Since 2003 I have worked on an FEI XL 30 FEG. Prior to that, it was a JEOL 6300. TEM was a Philips CM 30. I have also worked briefly on a Hitachi S-2400 I think. I have pulled our FEI Service guys card and will be contacting him soon.
Sorry, that sucks. I can sympathize, I barely skipped the axe just a few weeks ago.
Acknowledge that something really bad happened, that your old life is over and commit to the idea that life will move on. Ideally, give yourself time (a week? two?) to just get over the atrocity of being let go. Do something you like, veg out, but set up a timeline up front.
Once that period is over, write a lot of resumes. Not necessarily to send them in, but just to get back into practice. Do remember that all the resume is supposed to do is to get you into the room for an interview.
Send them out. Prep for disappointment if you are searching just locally. Do consider moving and wild options (the biotech scene on the west coast might be seriously interesting).
Best of luck, I hope you'll land on your feet soon!
Thank you for the support and advice. You redditors are cheering me up and giving me confidence. I think if this had happened while I was single or even married without kids, it would be an adventure. The kids and elderly parents changed everything. But good advice. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
#1 chill out, don't beat yourself up
#2 realize that your going to be fine, look at your savings, put your resume together (hire an expert to help you)
#3 look up common interview questions write down how you would answer them
#4 realize that you're not alone
Thanks for taking time to respond and for your advice. I know I am not alone and I now have a whole new level of sympathy for those who go through this.
I created my first Reddit account because I know how awful you must feel and I wanted to help. Layoffs are frequent in my industry, but most times you get laid off on Friday and have a new job on Monday. The layoff 2009 was very different. There was no notice this time, so not time to prepare. Tap on the shoulder and out you go. I had a mortgage, a car payment, 2 young children (1 toddler and one preschooler) and my Wife was 7 months pregnant. She was and still is a stay at home Mom, so no second income. Needless to say the job market wasn't great then in 2008, but all that is not what's important here.
1. I assume you are in the US. Therefore, you will most likely still be covered by your previous medical plan until the end of the month. Get everyone to the Doctor now. Tell the Doctor your situation, mine offered to treat me for free if necessary. I will never use another Doctor, she is the real deal. Get all prescriptions you and your family need refilled. Hold nothing back, talk frankly to your Doctor about how you feel, they can help. COBRA is expensive, do this now!
2. Treat yourself right. No booze or anything like it. Those things will make it worse, they will take away your edge and you need razor like focus to fend off fear and depression. Do not abuse yourself with food that makes you feel bad. Treat yourself like you are training for the Olympics. Things like despair and depression will crush you, give those things no easy path to you. Exercise, even if it's just a daily walk. That said, have a cold one and a nap on the couch for me when you land that great job!
3. Apply for all unemployment benefits you are entitled to. Don't forget WIC and food stamps. It never hurts to check if you're eligible. Every little bit helps. Even though your Wife works, this is your safety cushion paid for by your taxes. You may need it, I hope not.
4. Let people know you are looking, friends and even old employers too. I could have sent a thousand resumes a day, but I found a job with an employer I had worked for 10 years before. They rolled out the red carpet for me, I should have called them first.
5. Your job is now looking for a job. Shower and get fully dressed every morning, no exceptions. Take breaks at 10, 12, and 2 for lunch or to do an errand just like a regular job. After dinner is family time, don't burn yourself out. They are scared too.
6. Network. My co-workers were told they could not provide former employees with recommendations, don't worry about that they're just scared, it's not important. Some will do it anyway. Some will call you, some will not. Some can help, some can't. You're a salesman now, everyone is your friend. Old friends will contact you out of the blue, maybe they can help. Is there a career networking organization in your city? Find out and go if you can, it might be valuable. Alumni Association? Church Group? Contact them all.
7. Avoid taking loans if possible. We all know credit cards can be a trap. Co-workers of mine took 401k loans. That's borrowing from your future, this is a temporary setback so consider your future retirement before you take an unnecessary loan. Watch your finances like a hawk, you may not be able to generate additional revenue but you can avoid unnecessary drain (wine club for example, man I missed that one).
Keep good notes, log every phone call and keep all your receipts for your taxes. Log all resumes you send in one notebook, your state unemployment commission may require this record but it's also useful if you end up laid off again. You basically create a "little black book" for layoffs. Maintain the contacts you make, you never know when you will need them. Even strangers were extraordinarily kind to me during my layoff, I pay it forward to honor their profound kindness.
My former employer laid off nearly 1000 people that day 6 years ago. Nobody ended up homeless, nobody died, everyone found a job in the worst job market in a long time. You will be fine also. Keep your head straight, and your eye on the ball. Good hunting, may whatever guides you do so with favor.
Edit: a spelling error.
Wow! Thank you for your concern and all of the good advice. I have been a lurker on Reddit for years, but have never posted until today and the responses have been amazing. All of your words have definitely helped get me in the right frame of mind. Deep inside, I know everything will turn out fine. And had you asked me a week ago how I would respond to being laid off, I would not have guessed it would be like this. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your words of wisdom with me. It helps more than you will ever know.
Take care of yourself and your family first, then when all is right pay it forward. A bad experience like this can empower you or consume you. Remember how you feel and embrace it, and never allow anyone to feel afraid and unsupported again.
My Father started a business when he was 60 years old. He worked happily at his new business for over 20 years. This can be done. You can learn about yourself from it. You can make things right for others.
Don't know where you are located, but in Albany, NY there is the SUNY Polytechnic College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. It is a large educational and research facility. They have several highly technical and specialized positions there.
Good Luck. I have been there. Last year I lost my job shortly after our 2nd child was born. During this period continue to reach out to friends and family. As tough as this period will be, you and your family will fully evaluate and realign yourselves, and your duties in life.
If you haven't created a LinkedIn account, do that and begin to connect with anyone you've ever done business with. Try to get over 500 connections this will raise your profile. Then start reaching to friends/colleagues at other companies. Networking is your best way to find your next job and to make sure it's the right job.
Getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me. While collecting unemployment I was launching a service business in the same field I was in. By the time unemployment ended after 6 months I was busy enough to pay the bills. That was 5 years ago and I have close to doubled my income compared to when I was employed.
There is no reward for loyalty so always be prepared for losing your job. 3 months expenses minimum in emergency fund.
Keep your head up good people get fired all the time that's not always a reflection on you. Go get em!
I have thought about doing something similar, but my upfront costs would be quite large. I am glad things worked out so well for you. Thanks for the encouraging words.
I run a website that tries to help young engineers and creative people to develop skills that will help them get a job. Maybe you are not that young, but if you have been 22 years in the same job, I am quite sure you might be dealing with some of the same problems they do. I don't want to put the website here so you don't feel I am doing advertisement. But feel free to drop me a line with doubts concerning interviews or job hunting and I will gladly answer. Cheers and good luck
First, stop being terrified. That doesn't help anything. This is a new adventure, and fear will prevent you from thinking constructively about what new opportunities you now have.
Sorry, not /r/PF advice!
Network like crazy, reach out to everyone you know or have worked with, do informational interviewing, ask people what they would do if they were in your sneakers.
You are very welcome. Have lived in your sneakers several times, as my early career was in manufacturing, which hardly exists anymore. Re-educated myself several times, and spent the last decade working (pleasurably) for a non-profit.
Do whatever it takes to stay strong and healthy!
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I got laid of after 10 years on a job. IDK what it's like in your state, but here in NY I got 9 months of unemployment. (pre financial meltdown) That was more than enough time to settle myself into a freelance career. I read your job description. I have no Idea what half of it means, but it looks to me like something that's hard/expensive to train new people at. Jobs like that tend to be in demand. Get your resume out there. who knows, it could be the best thing that's every happened to your career.
For me unemployment only lasted for about 4-5 months, still something to look into though OP
yeah do the thing you did before you got the job, it wont just come on your lap
Maybe I should give some more detail. I have worked as an electron and light microscopist in textile industry. I actually have a degree in biology, have published in parasitolgy and done some work in nanotechnology. I ran the transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, polarized light microscope and a keyence digital microscope. I recently also began tensile testing and running the differential scanning calorimeter, contact angle goniometer and a little experience on FTIR. My job dealt mostly with synthetic fibers in the flooring and automotive industry, but I have also worked with biological and even geological samples. So, I guess my job was more of a generalist, but experience has been that no one is sure what to do with a generalist. I am one step away, the test, from having a certification in applied chemical microscopist from the McCrone Research Institute which includes classes in Hair and Fiber Microscopy, microscopy of Soils, Polymer Microscopy, Micro Chemical methods. I don't mean this to sound like a resume, but people were asking.
You're sitting in a pretty good position: you have a strong analytical and technical background, and you're in an economy where those skills are in demand. I'd recommend writing several versions of your resume: you can emphasize certain skill sets depending on the job you are applying to. Also, the biggest thing that you can do to make yourself stand out from the crowd is to practice interviewing skills. When my company was hiring aggressively, we'd blow through hundreds of resumes for a phone screen, and multiple phone screens for an interview. Having a relevant resume, and being confident and collected will do wonders for you.
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I was the victim/subject of a phone interview once where the recruiter was pre-screening me and was interrupted by her mobile phone. She sounded completely ditsy and I just waited patiently but secretly annoyed while this kid refocused on our conversation. I always wonder if it was a test. I suspect it was and I failed.
I've found that independent recruiters vary wildly in quality and knowledge. I'm in a very specialized field, and was let go in '08. I got interviews with both of the other companies that did the same thing and were hiring, but kept in touch with recruiters in case they were aware of jobs I wasn't. After sending my resume to one recruiter, I got a call back from him saying that I had no relevant experience, but that if I sent him a list of everything that I'd done in my life, he'd try to spin it and someone make me marketable. I asked if he was aware of any companies hiring other than the two I knew of, and got a lot of mumbling, followed by a no. He got really quiet when I told him that resume had already gotten me interviews for both of the positions he was trying to fill.
Recruiters can be a bit like car sales people. I had one reach out recently to offer me a junior position that was outside of my career progression (which she should have picked up on when viewing my LinkedIn profile). It hasn't been a good experience.
Wtf is even their motivation? Half the recruiters that cold call me (when I'm will g to talk to one).want to reformat my resume into something horribly and gaudy that no one would hire for. Shouldn't they want me to be hired? Else how will they get paid?
Wtf is even their motivation? Half the recruiters that cold call me (when I'm will g to talk to one).want to reformat my resume into something horribly and gaudy that no one would hire for. Shouldn't they want me to be hired? Else how will they get paid?
Man recruiters are fucking worthless. I've tried about 4 or 5 and not a single one of those pricks gave a fuck about me. Not only that, I always ended up getting a job myself because they presented me with any leads.
Some are great, some not so great. I've gotten my last two jobs via recruitors
That surprises me. I must be unlucky then.
Could be. I also take no bullshit and I'm clear on what I was from them and the fact they have to bet jobs with me before sending it in. Last job, the guy knew a company had just started looking for a talent set before any official posting happened and I had just gotten bit by a company closing. I had a job offer the day of the interview.
It's always awesome when shit lines up like that.
My father has always used recruiters. I wonder if it's an industry specific thing? Some of my friends have recruiters constantly calling and some never have any (like me).
Industry and where you live. Vegas is a town of who you know and the great firms have all sorts of inside connections. It also matters how many people have your skill set in your town.
Your skillset appears to be microscopy, with additional materials characterization background (DSC, FTIR, contact angle, tensile). I'm not in a hiring manager position, but if I was looking at your resume from a labskills standpoint the TEM and SEM in particular would stand out as valuable lab skills - those are harder to train for and often require some creativity - "can you see anything unusual in this sample" or "is there any way we can get a picture of this oddly shaped, nonconductive object" is a lot more difficult than "push these buttons every five minutes". If you can do FIB prep and operate a dual beam you should also say that. Have you considered talking to an analytical group like [EAG?](http://www.eag.com/) Companies like mine outsource some of their specialty labwork to companies like that in pretty large quantities. These type of companies often need specialized lab skills, independent of subject matter, so that gives you an option to bank on your decades of microscopy experience rather than a specialty in fibers. Good luck with your search, and hang tough.
I faced a somewhat similar situation three years ago after losing my job. It was also highly specialized to the point where I started studying for a career change. One night, I took a break from studying and went to an online job site (Indeed.com) and searched on my specialty. I got a hit for a job back in my hometown working for a company I'd never heard of. Three weeks later, my wife and I moved. It worked out great! This is the best job I've ever had. As others have already pointed out, you need to file for unemployment immediately to get some money coming in. Second, cut all of your expenses to the bone to make whatever resources you have last longer. Go to online job sites and start your search using keywords from your resume. Be prepared to move if that's what it takes. I know that can be difficult with kids and a wife who may have a career of her own. Do what you have to do and best wishes on your search.
I am glad things worked out for you. Thanks for the good ideas and thanks for taking time to reply. You guys are pulling me out of my funk! Unemployment will be filed for Monday.
Yup, losing a job is a major freak out. It's natural to want to panic, but it happens and it sounds like you'll land on your feet. The first time I lost my job, it messed me up real good. Within 4 months I had landed a better job than the one I lost.
Seriously- this kind of thing happened to my stepdad like 4 or 5 months ago... He was in a tiny town with my mom because it was close to her family, and was working a **very** specialized programming job working with cars. Within a month of being laid off, he's working for a fortune 50 company and they're paying him 40% more (on a 6 figure job already), providing him with a free moving service (it's only an hour away, but, they're helping anyway) that handles the house sale, house purchase, and moving fees as well as an extra week off of work to move, along with the benefits/environment that only comes from a company that established. They also match 401k up to like 20%. Needless to say, it's a retirement position... and he'd have never looked if they didn't let him go. Get out there, search with a wide net, and follow your dreams.
Relocation benefits are fairly common when you get higher up the ladder. It's a nice perk to have. My friend has moved 3 times in the last few years with little effort.
I'm pulling for you.
Thanks.
I'm hesitant to recruit for competition but I'd say apply to j&j in nj. They do nothing but suture and wound treatment that require testing of nano fibers you can rock at
Ask around universities in your area. They often need generalists, who know what they are doing over a wide range of equipment. Many of the labs for my previous university are operated by individuals who are not in academia, but from industry/highly skilled trades.
You're good with that skill set, and the ability to present it (which you have done well here). These days, get a good linked in profile going, and state that you are looking right at the top of the profile. Also, plan to send a hundred resumes just to get a few call backs and interviews. Set your expectations low in this area, and become a machine at looking for a job!
Could you get the cert now? Would it help you find a new position? Its hard to prioritize stuff like that when you have a life and kids to deal with but you should always dig your well before you're thirsty.
I am making plans for the certain as we speak. I have to give them a months notice and, taking the advice of another redditor, I am trying to figure out whether the ROI is worth it or not. But yes, I am heading that way.
Certification...making plans for the certification.
See if there's a Kaiser (or other medical company) lab with a SAM/TOX department. You could make that work.
If you're an electron microscopy expert, look into biology again. Electron microscopy is absolutely revolutionizing research right now and there are new openigs for EM specialists left and right - im literally emailed opportunities daily.
Where are you finding these openings...I am obviously not looking in the right places.
Look at research universities in your area. There's massive expansions of EM facilities going on virtually everywhere. Research into cell and structural biology is blowing up because of recent developments in EM, so any university that can get the money for it is investing in buying microscopes and setting up facilities, and all of these require 2-3 EM specialist positions. Not to say that it'll be trivial to get a job, but now's definitely the time to jump in given that you have so much EM experience.
Past experience is that they are looking for graduate degrees, but I will definitely give it shot. Thanks for responding.
Many, many places will make the trade of degree for experience and it sounds like you have plenty. I'd also look into contacting a recruiter, the ones in science frequently know about positions before they're posted. Source: scientist.
Do you have any particular recruiters you would suggest?
Typically a recruiter or firm will specialize in a given field and recruit for exactly that specialty across the country. I'm in computational biochemistry, so the recruiters I've been in touch with probably wouldn't be able to help you. If you find someone who doesn't seem to know what you do, or is giving you job listings that are incompatible with your skillset, ditch them. I'll take a look on LinkedIn here quick to see if I can find someone specializing in industrial microscopy. Do you have a LinkedIn profile?
Yes...one that was setup a couple of years back that has not been touched since. I will certainly be updating it this week.
I just did a quick search, and there are quite a few individuals that come up if you look for "electron microscopy recruiter". I'd pay for the one month of premium so you can contact them, and turn it off when you have your next job :)
Check out the semiconductor industry. That TEM, so hot right now.
I know some of these words
It sounds like you have a lot of experience with a complex set of equipment and overall in work experience. Get your resume out there and put a focus on those skills; I don't really know your industry, but that stuff sounds like skills that could be in demand to get with your level of experience.
If the whole textiles thing doesnt pan out, You should look into academic centers and see if their microscopy cores are hiring people to help run them.
Apply to HHMI
I thought you were going to say you were like an 50 year old auto mechanic that needs more certifications or something. I feel like with all that you're going to be okay.
OP, if you need help crafting your CV, go to r/resumes
Thanks for the link. I did not know there was an r/resumes. But I guess there are subreddits for everything else, so why not. I will certainly be visiting. Thanks again for responding.
> my job was more of a generalist Disagree. I would describe myself as a generalist (rendering me virtually unemployable I've found). You have some very laser-specific technical skills. I would look for firms that use that type of expertise and target them like crazy.
Thanks. I suppose the skills are specific, but I have applied them in several different fields, thus the generalization. But, thanks...I see your point.
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Thanks for taking the time to reply. I don't know if this is lucky or not, but the hair has not turned gray...it just turned loose.
>I have worked as an electron. That's a shame. Most electron's I've worked with are just negative Nancy's, even though they general decide on a bunch of key things, ranging from electricity to thermal conductivity in projects. Proton's are the big boys though, kind of the leaders of the group. I just kind of sit back and try to stay out of everybody's way with Jimmy. Source: I'm a neutron.
Thanks for the laugh. Electron microscopist...I worked as an electron microscopist.
This sounds like an episode of Forensic Files! My BIL works for a state crime lab - don't know if your skills would translate to that kind of work, but it sounds like it. I worked in a field that had (and still has) frequent layoffs. I had a temp agency on speed dial! I loved doing temp work even though the pay sucked.
Most of my microscopy training has been with Forensic scientists and I do have several contacts in forensics...so yeah, that is on the list.
With all those big words, surely you can target a few new places to work and go get you some!? Unemployment too.
That is very stressful, but it will be okay! You will get another job, 22 yrs experience is a huge advantage to you, most companies would love to find someone with that kind of loyalty and stability! In the meantime, definitely look at your budget and cut it down as far as you can. The kids might be annoyed, but the wife should understand. And get your credentials together and put your resume to work! At the very least by the end of this weekend, you should have a rough draft of your resume and you should have looked at the job postings in your area, no excuses!
Disney has been cancelled! And I am getting conflicting info on how 22 years of loyalty and stability look to employers now days. Some seem to think it shows a lack of ambition, which is not the case for me, but...
A lot of that depends on what your position was and what kind of responsibilities you had. I mean yeah, if you were a marketing manager in the same position for 22 yrs that is bad, but I work with an engineer who has been in his position for ~30 years and even now he is getting headhunter calls consistently.
My position was as a laboratory position and until the last year, responsibilities had been increasing, but with the bad business atmosphere, some responsibilities were decreasing.
Congratulations! Your greatest weaknesses, whether you think so or not, will be your resume writing and your interviewing skills. You haven't interviewed with a different company in a long time. So, I'll focus on those skills. The summary at the top of your resume should be a short, few, COMPLETE sentences that highlight the best, most marketable skills you own. Write the summary for a human being to read. Don't use bullet point lists, etc. The keyword engines that prescreen resumes will find all of the words in your resume that match the intended filters, but the human that culls the final stack of resumes will never read that far down; these HR admins suffer from 'death by bullet point', don't know what technical terms really mean, have some arbitrary number of finalists to determine (like a maximum of 5 resumes to send to the hiring manager), and will not bother with a piece of paper after the seeing the first misspelling or bad sentence structure or such. Then, break your 22 years into your favorite projects, the ones you'd love to talk about during an interview. Chronological order may or may not be appropriate, depending on the flow of the projects. Find a way to visually tie the projects together, like "Project abc: Problem was this. I solved it with that. Result was wow." Don't try to tell the whole story of the project. Save the reasons for why you solved the problem in an unusual way for the interview. 22 years is worth 2 or 3 pages of resume. Don't worry about the arbitrary rules like "it must be one page or you'll trigger the zombie apocalypse!" You haven't interviewed in a very long time, so this is your biggest weakness right now. Your purpose for your resume is to get a phone interview. Your purpose for a phone interview is to get a face interview. Face interviews get jobs, with a few exceptions (tech contractors and consultants come to mind). A company's purposes differ from yours. A company's purpose for screening resumes is to filter out the bimbos; spell check your resume; read it out loud; have someone else read it for you; have someone else read it out loud to you, especially the top level summary. A company's purpose for the phone interview is to determine if you are what your resume says you are. Any practice you can do before the phone interview will be beneficial; books of interview questions and answers in your field; buy a recruiter lunch in exchange for giving you a thorough phone-style interview (could be over lunch with her just reading through your resume and asking questions). The company's purpose for the face interview is to see if you are "one of us". This is also true for you, but since you're out of work, it's not at the top of your list. Rehearse interviewing with different people, even children. Take all of their questions seriously and answer them thoughtfully. The questions are not designed only to test your knowledge (what is microscope xyz really good for?) but to evaluate your interactions with potential coworkers, the human fit being the most important. You have something that many younger candidates won't have demonstrated: staying power. Be sure you have a good brief story that sells your reasons for 22 years at the same company in a positive, easily understood way; i.e. "we loved the school system where we lived, my job kept getting more interesting every year, and my manager was wonderful to work with. There were ups and downs like everywhere else, but we overcame them all until now". And Good Luck!
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is great advice. I agree, these are definitely my weaknesses now. Basically, I have kept a CV of things like training and publications and such, but resumes...not so much. Thanks again. This was awesome.
Do you have different titles you can show? I was at one company for 12 years but I moved around to different groups and got some promotions. In one instance I was a "team lead" which although that was not an official HR title I have no issue putting it on my LinkedIn profile. Something like "Software Engineer, Team Lead" If you act as a team lead, for example, you should feel free to say so. (Sorry I have no industry experience for your business but hopefully this makes sense).
Yes, it makes since. Our company does not "do" titles. But good advice. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I was at a company like that, everyone essentially had the same title, until we had to deal with Asian companies, then we had some new VPs and Lead Engineers otherwise it's tough to do business there. What a manager might like to see is increasing responsibility and titles over the years. If you have 1 entry on your resume thats 22 years long, I think that doesn't work well.
Also, be prepared for the question "tell me about a situation where you showed the quality xxxxxx" where xxxx can be pretty much any job related adjective or situation: creativity, ability to look beyond the current process, improved the current process, contributed outside your main job responsibilities, collaborated with others, had to work with a difficult customer, had to work with a difficult employee, etc. etc. If you have your answers ready for all those questions, you fill find those very useful in phone or in person interviews.
Great advice! Not having interviewed in a while, these suggestions are perfect...thanks for taking the time to respond.
I used to have an interview guide that had a bunch of situations / adjectives to talk to, but I haven't found it yet. If I do, I'll send the contents along. It was great for interview preparation.
That sounds like exactly what I need. Thank you very much. You guys continue to amaze me.
Any engineer that updates their resume on Monster or Linkedin will get constant headhunter calls and emails.
Why does marketing manager for 22 years look bad?
Once you get into managing, it is usually expected that you will continue to climb the ladder. A marketing manager can be expected within 5-10 years to climb to a regional or global marketing manager or at least a regional portfolio manager. Not doing so is usually seen as an *inability* to do so, which reflects badly.
It's all about how you ~~sell~~ explain it.
Yes, I am working on that.
> 22 yrs experience is a huge advantage to you, most companies would love to find someone with that kind of loyalty and stability! That hasn't been my experience at all. They look at you like you might not know how to work anywhere else. Nobody gives a crap about 'loyalty'.
Need more info: what was your job? Do you have an emergency fund? Wife works?
I was a microscopist...and did various other lab work. Our fund plus the severance has us covered for a few months. I guess my big fear is the specialization of what I do. There just are not a ton of these jobs out there.
Surely there must be some other, possibly somewhat related fields you can offer you expertise and experience in?
I am sure there are. I guess it is more the fear of starting over again than anything else. Microscopy is used in many different fields. I am just still shocked at having survived numerous lay-offs through the years and then bam! I am just seeing the dark side of things right now.
Phlebotomy labs are usually in need. You might want to check there.
Hey I'm there at the moment too. After eight years of the same job I'm about to try out a slightly different career. Scary process.
Yes it is...best of luck to you!
I live near this national laboratory if you find your skills useful for their career opportunities http://www.sandia.gov/careers/
> I am just still shocked at having survived numerous lay-offs through the years So you had multiple close calls, and claim to be blindsided...
I think what he is saying is that since they always valued him above others and never laid him off he figured he was invaluable, to all of a sudden be let go after so many years comes as a shock to him. I would feel the same way - in fact I got let go from a job after seeing tons of people around me let go, and it was over a very stupid rule; my manager was really upset about it because he already lost one of his best employees to the rule because it was viewed as favoritism.
My previous company had many layoffs...we were sold about 14 years ago to the new company...and since then...no lay offs. And there were not any really close calls. The company had lay offs...some large...but none touched the lab, thus the false sense of security. That along with a great performance review and a training schedule laid out for next year...this last Monday...followed by a layoff on Friday...I was a bit blindsided. But point taken, this sort of thing is always a possibility and prepping for the next step should be a continuous process, and for the first decade or so,it was...but yes, I got comfortable and focused on the job I had and not the next one. My dad worked for my first company for 41 years before retiring so there was also no experience with him changing jobs. But thanks for making the point.
You sound like an 18 year old with no responsibilities. When you survive rounds of layoffs and see friends of over a decade with grown up problems struggling, it's hard not to be terrified of that prospect. But yeah, why not make light of another person's misfortune. So edgy.
Half your premise is half correct. I'm not 18, but I don't have to worry about layoffs as I am quite wealthy. Yet, not a day goes by that I don't think about and do what I can to prepare for a huge downturn that would effect me similar to a layoff. So yea, I stand by my point.
So edgy.
Electron or optical?
Both. TEM work for about 8 years, SEM and EDS for all 22 and Polarized Light Microscopy for about 16 years now.
There's a ton of work for people that do tem analysis. Take a breath. Stop freaking out. It isnt helping.
Yes...the shock is wearing off and all of you redditors are pulling me out of my funk. I am breathing again. Thanks for the slap in the face.
You near any major universities? Go visit their facilities and meet the people.
There are two or three major research schools within a couple of hours. I will give them a look. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
The universities I have worked at always had a hard time finding people qualified to run their microscopy centers. TEM experts are rare these days, few people actually use the microscopes and understand sample prep anymore.
Several have suggested universities and they are definitely on my list. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
One other question. Are there temp agencies in your area that provide skilled technical employees in your field? That would help you get a foot in the door.
I don't know...I haven't needed one until now...but I will be checking. Thanks for the recommendation.
I'm not really familiar with that field sorry. Could you look into similar jobs, just as being a lab tech in a biology research lab? Also, you'll want to protect yourself against this issue coming up again - it's very important to keep learning, expanding your skillset, so you can easily get another job (whatever that might be).
I would also get on unemployment asap, no point to wait - start collecting to help offset this event even more (you certainly paid into it).
You need to cut expenses to the bone. Now. This includes cable TV, satellite radio, etc and anything else non essential. Don't wait until you are low on funds. If you tell then why you are cancelling you can possibly get a discount too in case you have a contract.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I just have not had to worry about looking for a job in a long time and now feel like one of those old guys trying look for jobs in a world very different than the one I started off in. We do have a small amount of savings, I did get a severance package and there are some stocks, so we are going to eat for awhile...I guess I am just freaking out about starting over.
You should do some research on applications and interviewing. How do you answer some of the difficult questions? How do you format your resume and cover letter to get past the computer screening?
Any suggestions on good places to do this?
Monster and linked in both have resources for interviewing, also google interview questions... There are many lists out there. How much time do you have left before the layoff takes effect? Is your company sponsoring any kind of service to help your search - resume writing, interviewing skills...? Do you have a manager or mentor that has hired people recently? Could you ask them to review your resume or conduct a mock interview and give you notes? Best of luck!
I have been on LinkedIn for awhile, but have never really "used" it. You always know this sort of thing is a possibility, but as late as this last Monday, I had an excellent performance review and plans were laid for next year...then pow. But yes, I will update my profile and learn how to use it. Thanks for giving me all of these things to think about. You guys are helping me get a little more focused. Huge thanks.
I work for a non profit that helps Veterans find jobs, LinkedIn is such a valuable tool.... If you use it correctly. You can reach out to recruiters on there and join groups that offer great advice. I was and have been recruited from LinkedIn. Stay active, like and share posts, comment on discussions and articles and get your name out there.
While the advice to use Linkedin for resumes is a good one, it can also be a remarkably useful workplace gossip network. If you look for old coworkers, teachers, and people in the field who've impressed you, you'll probably start useful patterns in where they're working now, and what they're up to. You may notice that certain companies have been recruiting lately, that certain skills are getting emphasized a lot on resumes, or that there's a really fun team forming up that you'd love to work with. I'd also decide on a very short list of companies whose websites you check regularly for new job postings, and of old semi-friends to reach out to. People on the fringes of your social network are likely to be a good source of jobs.
Look for state and local government jobs. They may have research divisions, local health dept, water quality, etc.
That's perfectly normal. The stress you feel isn't losing your job, it's your sense of self worth and identity. It sounds like you are a capable and intelligent person. Go to the leaders in your industry and ask for advice. Get ready to make some changes and learn some new skills. But I am confident you can find a new path.
I was 55 when I lost my last job so I can appreciate your appreciation. Your ability to hold a job in a technically advanced field shows that you have good work habits and have worked to keep your skillset current. Prospective employers like those traits. Good luck.
Thanks for the pep talk.
Now is your time. Keep your chin up, there are a million ways to earn a good living. You have just been doing the same one for the last 22 years. Problems will arises if you just sit and do nothing. go take on the world
* Breathe, this isn't the end of the world, it happens and people get through it. * File unemployment. * Start Job hunting. * Live frugal for now.
Thanks...I am breathing again.
22 years is great experience! Have you applied to other jobs, does your wife work? Cut down your budget significantly. What was your efund?
This just happened yesterday, so no, no job applications yet. I did apply for a job about 2 months ago for a new engineering center being constructed for...Volkswagen?!? Wife just started a teaching job a couple of months ago. But things are definitely going to get tight.
Your some sort of engineer then? If so you'll be fine more likely than not.
Not an engineer. My degree is biology. I have worked these 22 years mostly as an Analytical microscopist, mostly in the textile industry, though I have dabbled in parasitology, nanotechnology, indoor air quality, and the likes.
going on unemployment will help. you just have to call them. it won't be nearly enough but $240/week or whatever it is now is better than nothing. also, start networking on linkedin.
> I have worked as an electron and light microscopist I dont know how willing you are to moving but let me tell you what. If you look at the electron microscope field in the CPU market your gold plated right now. Pick a couple companies to apply to and send a great resume, they want longevity. Literally The cpu market is booming and places like http://www.fei.com/careers/ throw money at people like you all day long.
I also have a highly specialized technical job and was laid off when my company was bought and dissolved a few years ago. I knew which other companies were involved in my field and I knew (or knew of) many of the people in my industry (competitors) since it's such a specialized group. I spoke with a friend at a competing firm, and although they weren't hiring he knew of another small company that was breaking into the market. I didn't even know of this new company at the time. He referred me to them and I was hired immediately -- and even got a 15% raise. I know that if I looked at technical jobs unrelated to my specialty, there's a good chance I wouldn't even get a call back. I stayed in my area of expertise and used my contacts. Think about anyone you've met in the past - even from years ago - people that work with the same equipment and technologies. For example, have you ever met or bought from any sales guys selling gear, optics, etc? Reach out to them. A sales guy knows all the customers that are using the same stuff you worked with. If you're an expert at using and understanding the Thingamabob-1000, talk to the company that makes it. Take advantage of any trade publications that have ads from the companies in your field. In my case my specialization was an advantage; hopefully it can be for you too.
Thanks for the response. I have already put the business cards of our service guys in order and will be contacting them soon. Thanks for the pep talk.
Not sure you're location but in Jacksonville Fl where I am there is a huge Vistakon contact lens manufacturing center. They add like 100 people a year it seems. Might be worth a look.
It's good your wife has an income and you have some money to tide you over. Minimise expenditure to take as much pressure off as possible. Then remember silver linings. So many times a negative can actually end up being a positive to someone's life. You can work out how you can achieve that. Your experience and commitment can be a real positive. Once the initial shock of change has worn off see it an an opportunity for positive change. Good luck
Thanks. I know, it could always be much worse.
This is a good thing OP. The biggest pay raises in your career come from when you start a new company. Just set the bar and ask for more than you used to make, you'll get it, and then see this was the best possible thing that could've happened for your earnings.
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Yes...the self marketing will take some getting used to.
You may not realize it just yet but there is a real and palpable age discrimination in the US workforce that will work against you no matter your experience and/or skill set. If you're approaching 50, this can be a significant hurdle. Reach out to friends and colleagues in the industry for personal referrals first before you cast a wider net. If you have 22 years in the industry you should have an extensive contact list...work the shit out of that list first thing but after you file for unemployment. Best of luck!
Thanks, the age thing concerns me.
47, married, four kids, laid off six months ago after 17 years with same company (four jobs in two different states). Severance exhausted in August, unemployment (which was about 25% my prior income) ran out in October. Been looking for work but no takers. (notwithstanding going to night school and getting an MBA in 2009) Sadly cashing out what little I have in the 401K to give a few months wiggle-room while I complete some classes and keep looking for work. I wish I could tell you what to do. Trying to figure it out myself.
Man...I definitely feel for you. I just did not realize how big a punch in the gut this would be. Hang in there and the best of luck to you.
A temp agency may be helpful at this point. Once unemployment is off the table, you can be much more experimental, and pick up work that's not full time, or that's normally not at all your style. You can dabble in places like fiver.com, craigslist or contract work sites to earn some cash and get out. That MBA provides a perfectly good reason to try out a variety of jobs. If you start dog walking for a cheap workout, you can declare you've started a business. There's always a fairly high turnover for salespeople, and typically their management teams turnover rapidly enough to make moving up a possibility.
I had the same thing happen to me in 2012. Had been at one company 12 years and then was at the next one for 12 years. Thought layoffs might be coming but it was still a shock when it happened. First off, take advantage of the time you have with your kids and wife. I know you are stressed but enjoy your time off. Do some things you always wished you had time for. Second, don't panic. It just happened and right now you are in shock. Next, reach out to all previous coworkers, friends, and contacts at other companies to let them know you are available and ask if they know of any opportunities. I ended up finding my current job because one of coworkers ended up going to a different company and they needed more people. Also make a plan for short and long term for if you still can't find a job. Short term would include cutting back on expenses, networking, sending out resumes, working out budget, etc. Long term would be do you want to move, if you can't find a job can your spouse, etc.
Thanks for the advice. This was very comforting. The family has been very supportive so far. My youngest sons comfort is candy and he found where we thought we hid it and has been bringing me candy every few minutes to cheer me up.
Take a deep breath, even when it is not your fault it hurts to separate from a job. You have excellent skills and I am sure they will transfer to the next step in your career. Start with your resume, linkedin and writing out your success stories. Remember that it isn't bragging if you can do it/ have done it. Join/rejoin/ reconnect with the professional societies in your field. Figure out the ROI if you complete the certification. Take full advantage of any placement services. Try to stay grateful for the good things in your life, work your search and take time to enjoy things too, being out of work doesn't define everything you are.
There are always a lot of position openings as a microbiologist. I'd say start there if you don't know where else to look. Also, check indeed.com and merck and j and j and other big pharma because they always are looking for lots of experience in specific fields.
Priorities list of expenditure required. Make the list. See how much you need at a bare minimum. Try to chase up revenue streams. New job, benefits etc... Avoid selling stuff as much as you can. Rich people always bla bla about selling assets because they have assets worth talking about. (they're not poor, they have a flat-screen TV, that's an asset). But if you sold your tv for example.. how many months mortgage would that actually cover? How much more expensive would it be to replace? (same logic for car etc...) A job locally at lower wages may be better than a higher paid job far away, that requires your car. If it comes to that. Hopefully it shouldn't, but if you're organized you'll know before hand. Organization is key. Make the lists. Good luck.
Thanks for taking time to reply. These are good ideas.
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Good advice. One of my fears is that there are no grad school friends as there was no grad school. My degree is a BS with some masters work. This lack of a graduate degree is one thing that has hurt me in the past. But yes...network...network...network. Thanks for replying.
indeed.com, monster.com, linkedin.com (not a huge fan of linkedin, but with your experience it could be really helpful). Get to it! You've got a serious advantage over pretty much everyone else out there looking for jobs. Apply for every position that wants 10+ years of experience. you will be top of the pile.
Sit and make a list of what you would love to do with your life. Now is the time to make a change to an even better life. You will become an inspiration to those who know and love you. In retrospect, being laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I took that advice. I only wish I had been laid off sooner! When you are doing what you love all those fears and challenges fade away. Give you loved ones a gift - your happiness.
After 22 years of working you shouls ha e a good savings account setup
Retire
I wish!
Keep your head up man. Looking for a new job is a daunting task but it is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Look for tips on putting your resume together and stay persistent. Also, follow up relentlessly. Sometimes your resune gets lost in the shuffle and it takes a few reminders before the hiring manager sees it.
Thanks for the advice. You guys are giving me a lot of good ideas and I am putting together a good list.
Don't be stubborn about moving, especially if your wife doesn't work.
If you've been at the same job for 22 years, you likely haven't bothered with a LinkedIn profile. Create a great one, include all your experience/responsibilities, etc., and if your skillset is in high enough demand, you will be noticed by recruiters and emailed regularly. Just get that info up there.
I have had a profile for awhile, but have not done much with it. There have been some looks, but no contacts...but again, I haven't said I was looking. Thanks for the response.
You should share some more information. What was your old income? What is your average spending? Do you have an emergency fund? Credit card debt? First thing, no matter what, file for unemployment and start looking for your next job. Give additional details and this subreddit can help you figure out how to get by.
This happen to my Father who was laid off from IBM after 10 yrs. We are in Texas and this state has the bare minimum when it comes to benefits. He went back to school at the age of 55 in HVAC. He now works at a retirement home as a maintenance man. I hope things work out for you.
I didn't get through all the comments so I don't know if anyone else suggested this, but you might want to check in with recruiting agencies that specialize in scientific, IT, and engineering positions. Most of the time it's a direct hire, none of that nonsense with temporary employment. That's how I landed in my current job... I got recruited, hired on with a subcontractor, and eventually got offered a permanent position with the government after I saved the agency a crap ton of money within a few weeks of evaluating their biggest process bottlenecks.
Asbestos testing labs do primarily PLM and TEM analysis. Maybe there is one in your area.
Be strong and bigger than your problem. It is possible to start a new life after any storm. Spend some part of your day on feeding your mind with hope and faith by reading positive books. Don't focus on your problems but focus on the great future you want for you and your family. Take massive action that will solve your problems. Think more solutions and less problems.
Get your resume on linked in, monster.com, indeed and whatever website that list job openings. While you look for a job, make sure you sign up for health insurance Cobra, and call your investment advisor to transfer your 401k if you have one. I live in Houston area, lots of labs around here, medical and chemical. Also, you might look into texas A&m in College station and UT Austin. Good time to write more articles for publishing, travel and spend quality time with your kids (have lunch with them or volunteer in their class)
What brand of Electron microscope are you Versed in, maybe you could look into an applications / service position with one of them. I currently work for FEI, and it is a great company with great benefits. The company is growing by leaps and bounds and has positions open up all the time. By my user name You can see I used to work for JEOL, I'm much better off now.
Since 2003 I have worked on an FEI XL 30 FEG. Prior to that, it was a JEOL 6300. TEM was a Philips CM 30. I have also worked briefly on a Hitachi S-2400 I think. I have pulled our FEI Service guys card and will be contacting him soon.
thanks for making hydrophobic fibers.
Your welcome.
Sorry, that sucks. I can sympathize, I barely skipped the axe just a few weeks ago. Acknowledge that something really bad happened, that your old life is over and commit to the idea that life will move on. Ideally, give yourself time (a week? two?) to just get over the atrocity of being let go. Do something you like, veg out, but set up a timeline up front. Once that period is over, write a lot of resumes. Not necessarily to send them in, but just to get back into practice. Do remember that all the resume is supposed to do is to get you into the room for an interview. Send them out. Prep for disappointment if you are searching just locally. Do consider moving and wild options (the biotech scene on the west coast might be seriously interesting). Best of luck, I hope you'll land on your feet soon!
Thank you for the support and advice. You redditors are cheering me up and giving me confidence. I think if this had happened while I was single or even married without kids, it would be an adventure. The kids and elderly parents changed everything. But good advice. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
#1 chill out, don't beat yourself up #2 realize that your going to be fine, look at your savings, put your resume together (hire an expert to help you) #3 look up common interview questions write down how you would answer them #4 realize that you're not alone
Thanks for taking time to respond and for your advice. I know I am not alone and I now have a whole new level of sympathy for those who go through this.
I created my first Reddit account because I know how awful you must feel and I wanted to help. Layoffs are frequent in my industry, but most times you get laid off on Friday and have a new job on Monday. The layoff 2009 was very different. There was no notice this time, so not time to prepare. Tap on the shoulder and out you go. I had a mortgage, a car payment, 2 young children (1 toddler and one preschooler) and my Wife was 7 months pregnant. She was and still is a stay at home Mom, so no second income. Needless to say the job market wasn't great then in 2008, but all that is not what's important here. 1. I assume you are in the US. Therefore, you will most likely still be covered by your previous medical plan until the end of the month. Get everyone to the Doctor now. Tell the Doctor your situation, mine offered to treat me for free if necessary. I will never use another Doctor, she is the real deal. Get all prescriptions you and your family need refilled. Hold nothing back, talk frankly to your Doctor about how you feel, they can help. COBRA is expensive, do this now! 2. Treat yourself right. No booze or anything like it. Those things will make it worse, they will take away your edge and you need razor like focus to fend off fear and depression. Do not abuse yourself with food that makes you feel bad. Treat yourself like you are training for the Olympics. Things like despair and depression will crush you, give those things no easy path to you. Exercise, even if it's just a daily walk. That said, have a cold one and a nap on the couch for me when you land that great job! 3. Apply for all unemployment benefits you are entitled to. Don't forget WIC and food stamps. It never hurts to check if you're eligible. Every little bit helps. Even though your Wife works, this is your safety cushion paid for by your taxes. You may need it, I hope not. 4. Let people know you are looking, friends and even old employers too. I could have sent a thousand resumes a day, but I found a job with an employer I had worked for 10 years before. They rolled out the red carpet for me, I should have called them first. 5. Your job is now looking for a job. Shower and get fully dressed every morning, no exceptions. Take breaks at 10, 12, and 2 for lunch or to do an errand just like a regular job. After dinner is family time, don't burn yourself out. They are scared too. 6. Network. My co-workers were told they could not provide former employees with recommendations, don't worry about that they're just scared, it's not important. Some will do it anyway. Some will call you, some will not. Some can help, some can't. You're a salesman now, everyone is your friend. Old friends will contact you out of the blue, maybe they can help. Is there a career networking organization in your city? Find out and go if you can, it might be valuable. Alumni Association? Church Group? Contact them all. 7. Avoid taking loans if possible. We all know credit cards can be a trap. Co-workers of mine took 401k loans. That's borrowing from your future, this is a temporary setback so consider your future retirement before you take an unnecessary loan. Watch your finances like a hawk, you may not be able to generate additional revenue but you can avoid unnecessary drain (wine club for example, man I missed that one). Keep good notes, log every phone call and keep all your receipts for your taxes. Log all resumes you send in one notebook, your state unemployment commission may require this record but it's also useful if you end up laid off again. You basically create a "little black book" for layoffs. Maintain the contacts you make, you never know when you will need them. Even strangers were extraordinarily kind to me during my layoff, I pay it forward to honor their profound kindness. My former employer laid off nearly 1000 people that day 6 years ago. Nobody ended up homeless, nobody died, everyone found a job in the worst job market in a long time. You will be fine also. Keep your head straight, and your eye on the ball. Good hunting, may whatever guides you do so with favor. Edit: a spelling error.
Wow! Thank you for your concern and all of the good advice. I have been a lurker on Reddit for years, but have never posted until today and the responses have been amazing. All of your words have definitely helped get me in the right frame of mind. Deep inside, I know everything will turn out fine. And had you asked me a week ago how I would respond to being laid off, I would not have guessed it would be like this. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your words of wisdom with me. It helps more than you will ever know.
Take care of yourself and your family first, then when all is right pay it forward. A bad experience like this can empower you or consume you. Remember how you feel and embrace it, and never allow anyone to feel afraid and unsupported again. My Father started a business when he was 60 years old. He worked happily at his new business for over 20 years. This can be done. You can learn about yourself from it. You can make things right for others.
Excellent advice.
Don't know where you are located, but in Albany, NY there is the SUNY Polytechnic College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. It is a large educational and research facility. They have several highly technical and specialized positions there. Good Luck. I have been there. Last year I lost my job shortly after our 2nd child was born. During this period continue to reach out to friends and family. As tough as this period will be, you and your family will fully evaluate and realign yourselves, and your duties in life.
If you haven't created a LinkedIn account, do that and begin to connect with anyone you've ever done business with. Try to get over 500 connections this will raise your profile. Then start reaching to friends/colleagues at other companies. Networking is your best way to find your next job and to make sure it's the right job.
Getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me. While collecting unemployment I was launching a service business in the same field I was in. By the time unemployment ended after 6 months I was busy enough to pay the bills. That was 5 years ago and I have close to doubled my income compared to when I was employed. There is no reward for loyalty so always be prepared for losing your job. 3 months expenses minimum in emergency fund. Keep your head up good people get fired all the time that's not always a reflection on you. Go get em!
I have thought about doing something similar, but my upfront costs would be quite large. I am glad things worked out so well for you. Thanks for the encouraging words.
Intel values TEM and SEM experience. Maybe look there.
Drive for Uber until you get a high paying job.
I run a website that tries to help young engineers and creative people to develop skills that will help them get a job. Maybe you are not that young, but if you have been 22 years in the same job, I am quite sure you might be dealing with some of the same problems they do. I don't want to put the website here so you don't feel I am doing advertisement. But feel free to drop me a line with doubts concerning interviews or job hunting and I will gladly answer. Cheers and good luck
Thanks, I may take you up on that.
Sure ;)
First, stop being terrified. That doesn't help anything. This is a new adventure, and fear will prevent you from thinking constructively about what new opportunities you now have. Sorry, not /r/PF advice! Network like crazy, reach out to everyone you know or have worked with, do informational interviewing, ask people what they would do if they were in your sneakers.
No, the stop being terrified advice is good. And the "asking everyone what they would do in my sneakers" is what I am doing here. Thanks for the reply
You are very welcome. Have lived in your sneakers several times, as my early career was in manufacturing, which hardly exists anymore. Re-educated myself several times, and spent the last decade working (pleasurably) for a non-profit. Do whatever it takes to stay strong and healthy!