Earlier this summer, the company I worked for decided to make some cuts. My unemployment was a result of this cut, and although I was a top performer, they were ruthless and got rid of my position & several others. They sent me with severance (although they took away my company car), however, i'm still in awe at how ruthless a company I was so well established and respected with, could cut the tie's that easily. I've had several strong interviews, a few offers, but i'm lucky to have the luxury of being picky and not in a panic situation, yet.

I'm a mechanical engineer by trade with an MBA from The Ohio State University. I was previously in packaging design for major pharma. I'm in the final stages of interviewing and salary talk with an Orthopedic company (Zimmer), but i'm not holding my breath.

Are any of my other fellow S2k brethren in the same position? I've heard it's a general rule that per every $10,000 in salary you'd previously made, the time in months to secure another position equally equates.

 

Dude, sorry to hear about that crap. Hope you get the Zimmer job.

 

I get emails and calls from recruiters all the time about engineering jobs (I'm a chemical engineer w/ biomedical and biochemical specialization).

I found a new job in my area pretty quickly (all though it seems it is easier to get a job when you already have one WTF???).

Good luck in hunting, I'm sure if you are willing to relocate you will have an easier time. I get at least an email or two a week for jobs in TX.

 

im sorry

 

I was laid off by Countrywide in October of 2007, I went and got my life/health insurance license immediately after that. I've had great luck with it. It seems to not have been hit by this recession because people's priorities are shifting to more necessary things to spend their money on. Insurance companies are almost always hiring because their 1099 workers and aren't subject to salary.

Good luck though bro. I know how it feels.

 

when I first finished my training, the guy who offered me a job (and I had turned down all the other jobs) called to say "he doesn't have a position after all". I had to scramble to find a job.
it sucks. I sympathize.

 

Sadly, there's no such thing as job security or company loyalty today. The guy that decided that you would no longer work there probably doesn't know anything about you, except your manager's name or line-of-business, your job function, and your salary. People are laid off simply to meet a number. They could be a company star with prospects of being a great company asset or they could be some putz typing on s2ki all day.

In the end, don't expect a company to have any loyalty to you, and you're not obligated to be loyal to them. You should be milking them for all they're worth (money, experience, training, whatever) just like they're doing to you. If a better opportunity comes along, you should jump on it with no regrets, because (as you've seen) they're not going to have any second thoughts about ditching you.

In response to your original question, so far I have not been affected by the downturn (which is pretty impressive, considering I'm in the telecom industry). However, my sister and ex-gf both used to work at the same company that I do. My sis was hit back in one of the first waves of telecom "downsizing" and it took her 9 months to find a job (and a crappy one, at that). My ex-gf, on the other hand, knew in advance when she was going to get laid off, so she had another job lined up before D-day. Now, with her severance package, she's effectively getting 2 paychecks for the next 4-6 months. Workin' the system.

 

My initial unemployment was of my own choice. My continued unemployment is a result of the economy I'm convinced.

 

Thanks for all the well wishes. There's alot of people in my shoes these days, its a scary time for many.

 

20+ years in the Military and still going.