Recession finally hit home

[b.walker5]

After over 35 years of continuous employment I have been laid off. Got told at 11.30am Friday that there was not enough work for me and it "would be good if i could have my desk and vehicle cleaned out by 2.00pm".

Not sure what the future holds but based on whats happening globally, it's not bright.

[foreda]

Work

Sorry to hear that Brian. Sometimes things happen for a reason and I am hear to tell you that it is not the end of the world. Ten years ago something similar happened to me and I ended up changing companies and making twice the salary so keep your head up!!!
Dale

[DGXSER]

While it is a tough economic market, it is also tough for employers to find good quality help. With that kind of background and talent you have shown just here on this forum, in an industry that here in the USA at least is filled with folks who know less and less all the time and ramp witht an attitude of "that is not my job", or "when is Beer Thirty going to get here" on Tuesday such that when they get paid on Thursday, you will not see them until Monday after they spent all their money, I woudl think your future will look much brighter than most.

Positive attitudes breed positive responses. You will pull through, let the hurt and the disappointment wear off quick, go to alot of industry group meetings. Here in the US we have ASHRAE and USGBC groups that meet all the time.

[TADracer]

Very sorry to hear about you losing your job. After 35 years you would think they would give a bit of notice or at least some sort of help for you. I am a small business owner and when I have to lay someone off I do everything I can to try and find other employment for them.

As stated above, with your experience and maturity I am sure you can market yourself alot better than most.

Best of luck to you.

[CatatonicBug]

Sorry to hear that, Brian. On the bright side, there are industries that are picking up again. My company has been on a hiring streak for the last few months. We've hired at least 11 new people nation-wide since 3/7 alone! Keep your chin up, and educate yourself on the "new" hiring protocols. Even the format of acceptable resumes has changed in the last few years.

[Kit]

Sorry to hear about your layoff, but I wish you luck. I'm in a similar situation myself, and was lucky enough to stumble into an opportunity to get certified in an entirely new field.

Even the format of acceptable resumes has changed in the last few years.

Yeah, tell me about it. What's considered as acceptable these days is so completely different from what I was taught 20+ years ago, that it makes no sense to me. Oh, well. Improvise, adapt, and overcome.

[jetmechmarty]

I was recently offered early retirement, and I really wanted to go. I found another job that is a lot of fun and I earn more money.

I started off with Dan Miller's book, 48 Days. I found it a tremendous resource.

http://www.48days.com/

Best wishes for a better tomorrow!

[crazy steve]

Tough break, and the job market these days sucks. Too many employers are looking for 'younger/cheaper' workers and throwing the older ones to the side. I found myself out of work at 58 (when my employer went belly-up), and ended up taking retirement (and was lucky enough to have that option). My wife at the age of 52 had more than a bit of difficulty finding a new job too. But there's still some employers out there that still value experience, so there is some hope.

I worked construction for 30+ years (where the main purpose of your job is to work yourself out of a job), so had plenty of experience with being unemployed for periods of time, although in the latter part of my career I worked steady. But I never forgot those early lessons, so I wasn't unprepared (it helped that I knew the company was in trouble, and had been for a while) but it's still a bit of a shock when it happens. I was accused of being a pessimist many times (and known for being tight with money), but my motto was 'hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'.

Good luck! If you're good at what you do, there's somebody that will want you..

[dpotter58]

we got a memo saying no COLAs or step increases this year. A couple of the guys that work for me were whining and I told them to watch the news, look around at all the folks laid of or at the least forced furlough days. I mean WTF are they living under rocks??? Times are tuff. eftards

Good luck Brian. Best wishes.

[Toolmaker Tim]

Sorry to hear that Brian. I have been layed off three times in the last 4 years. Just found out they are letting 2 go on Friday, and they let one go last Friday. There has been a total of 6 so far this year. The strange thing is that 4 of the six had MUCH more seniority than I have. I have been told I have nothing to wory about, so I hope that is true. I think in this case some of it is a weeding out of "problem children" so to speak.

The biggest thing is to remain positive about everything you can, it shows. One strange thing I have noticed is when you don't give 2 weeks of notice, some employers get upset, but you rarely get notice you're going to be out a job. Like some of the guys have said, it may end up working out better for you in the long run. One door closes, another opens. Good Luck with your job search!

[b.walker5]

Thanks for the support guys. A bit deflated at the moment, not much happening round here on the work front and what hiring is going on is for the younger blokes. The bean counters have decreed that age and experience adds up to more expense on the wage bill so youth and inexperience wins the race, and any asian thats prepared to work for a bowl of rice a day, and thats most of them, leads the field.

Not panicking yet though, i'll take another week to gather my thoughts and develop a plan, and see where it leads.

[Jarion]

Hey Brian,
Happened to me back in 2003 after 15 yrs.
It's a bit of a shock initially. (understatement)
The only person who's going to take care of you is you.
I started my own company.
Your future can be bright!

JT

[planedick]

Best time is now

I got the ax at 55 and finding another job was impossible because even though the law says age discrimination is illegal, it's common practice. Stupid people in the position of hiring think I needed training and after that I would be too close to retirement to be valuable to them. What they didn't know is that I should be doing the training. Ny way I started my own company in direct competition with them and wished I had done it 20 years earlier.

OPORTUNITIES COME IN MANY DISQUISES....