Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
(OP)
Hi all, i am a plumbing & fire protection engineer with 3 years experience in NYC. Like the title says i was unfortunately laid off just yesterday. I had left my last company of 3 years on very good terms to pursue a new position just a few weeks ago. However, after just 2 weeks of working the CEO terminated my employment stating that i "falsified" my qualifications. I don't agree with it. He had contacted me on Linkedin desperate to fill a position since his senior engineer with 15+ years experience was leaving soon (He was only there 2 months). After an interview with his associates, who were not in the plumbing & fire protection field and did not ask me any technical questions, he extended a very high offer to me which i could not refuse. However, upon starting the job i had soon realized that the department was in shambles and i could not handle the work they were giving me.
I'm already over it, i just want to move on with my life and be more wary of the offers im given in the future. Luckily i have supportive friends, family, and former coworkers are even reaching out to me. I live with my parents and have no loans thankfully. My questions are:
-I still have Cobra insurance to accept from my last job, but its very expensive, is there another option?
-When searching for a new job, should i even mention this job since it only lasted 2 weeks? The next employer would appreciate my honesty if i just straight up told them i wasn't the right fit for the position and was laid off. But i also don't want it to hurt my chances of gaining employment. I doubt i even qualify for unemployment at this point.
-I'm looking at this as an opportunity to start fresh. With plumbing & fire protection engineering experience, what other paths could i take? Finance? Anything in the healthcare field? Maybe work for MTA or ConEd/National Grid? I have my EIT, plenty of 2D CAD experience, and knowledge of NFPA/plumbing codes.
Thank you all in this time of need.
I'm already over it, i just want to move on with my life and be more wary of the offers im given in the future. Luckily i have supportive friends, family, and former coworkers are even reaching out to me. I live with my parents and have no loans thankfully. My questions are:
-I still have Cobra insurance to accept from my last job, but its very expensive, is there another option?
-When searching for a new job, should i even mention this job since it only lasted 2 weeks? The next employer would appreciate my honesty if i just straight up told them i wasn't the right fit for the position and was laid off. But i also don't want it to hurt my chances of gaining employment. I doubt i even qualify for unemployment at this point.
-I'm looking at this as an opportunity to start fresh. With plumbing & fire protection engineering experience, what other paths could i take? Finance? Anything in the healthcare field? Maybe work for MTA or ConEd/National Grid? I have my EIT, plenty of 2D CAD experience, and knowledge of NFPA/plumbing codes.
Thank you all in this time of need.





RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Now it may feel a bit like going back cap in hand or whatever, but assuming they still have the work you were doing; you were a competent employee and they haven't filled your position you may still be 'doing them a favor' in that they can start being productive with you immediately rather than spending time and money to find someone else who may take a while to get up to speed - if they work out at all.
As to healthcare, have you checked out whatever Obamacare has to offer in your vicinity?
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
However I actually think your instinct to assess your options is a good one. Go interview for a finance job. I did the same thing after I got laid off a few years back. The money is substantially better in finance (triple-ish), but you have to work in a pretty emotionally unhealthy environment. I ultimately came back to engineering, but with the attitude that I had options and if I was going to get sucked into the mediocrity of my old firm again I would jump ship for finance. Happily I found a niche in consulting engineering which is very non-mediocre, so it worked out. I look at the guys back at my old firm, and I actually pity them for their blah-ness. They are plodding forward in an industry which is creeping backwards. You are at a point where you can make a big change, and you should seize this opportunity. Both private equity and M+A are hot right now...
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Also, where you still live with your parents and, from the sounds of it, don't have a lot of overhead, take some time to look around at what other fields interest you. Then, when you do start interviewing for positions, take what you learned from this bad experience and ask questions during the interview to be sure that you won't end up in the same situation.
As for mentioning the 2 week position, I would just say you'd accepted a position that, in the end, fell through. The last thing you want to do is speak ill of that temporary employer.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWE
My Blog
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
"If you want to acquire a knowledge or skill, read a book and practice the skill".
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
p.s. I think you may the first person I've seen use the words "Miata" and "man" in the same sentence.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Good luck,
Latexman
Technically, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Last time, I stunned my boss and (and his) with grace and professionalism as they were giving me "the meeting" and "the terms". Left quite an impression, they talked about it for weeks.
Captain Hindsight says:
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
One thing I probably should have explicitly stated in my initial reply, I was assuming that you were basically happy at the original employer and it was just a case of grass looking greener that made you leave.
If you weren't happy at your original employer then running back tail between you legs may be even less attractive than I made it sound.
You also mentioned looking outside of engineering. If you don't have some level of passion (passion is perhaps a strong word but bear with me) for engineering then this may be a very good opportunity to get out of the field. While engineering pays pretty darn well for only requiring a bachelors degree, it's not a license to print money in most cases and if you're just doing it for the pay check you'll probably get disgruntled and dissatisfied sooner or later. Often get posts on this site from dissatisfied folks who fell into engineering by being good at math & physics in school but have no real interest in engineering and get sick of it after a while.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
"Never, EVER sign anything the day it happens".... i will take that to heart now...
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Another life lesson you should learn ASAP is that your plan B always has to be more reliable than your plan A.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
The finance career entry points are analyst, trader, or personal investment advisor. All three branches respect a quantitative background like engineering. Analyst is an entry point with the most branches down the track. Personal investment advisor used to be called "stock broker", and is basically a sales job with a commission. Your boss gets 1% of the amount of money under management, and its your job to cold call prospects. Trading isn't hot like it used to be a few years back, but still lots happening in that space.
Finance also has a bit of a locker room/frat house ambiance. Lots of hazing, yelling, and bullshit chatter about who's Hermes tie has been "earned". Personally I don't care for it, but for $400k/yr at age 40 its worth considering. In NYC this buys you a basic upper middle class life including private school for your kids, a 2000 sft apartment in a nice neighborhood, summers in the Hamptons, winters in the Caribbean, a spouse not working, a nanny, a cleaning lady, a therapist, a marriage counselor, an Audi for weekends, and a subscription to the NY Times. You know, the basics.
If you are an engineer in NYC at age 40 earning $100k/yr, you live in an 800 sft apartment in a sweatier neighborhood, your spouse works, your kids are in day care or with family, your vacations are domestic and short, your kids are in public school (which could tough depending on how "sweaty" your neighborhood is), a monthly subway ticket, and a cleaning lady. Its ok, but its hard to feel on top so you kind of have to derive some portion of your satisfaction from work. If you are in a situation in engineering where you have a dick boss making your life a misery, you know you are getting the worst of both worlds.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
(Purely hypothetical) For all you know the CEO's nephew just graduated and wanted a job, so you being the newest employee was first to go.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
...
...
...uh, and I'm sure you don't need this, but, just in case....don't ever do something so stupid again.
And, by the way, be glad you're not working for that psycho any longer.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
The unemployment office can also help you tune up your job-finding skills.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
I look at the unemployment office as a necessary evil with a slew of hoops I must jump through to get meager financial aid in dire circumstances... but they are far from helpful or useful.
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
In fairness this goes not just to the unemployment office but also to some of the 'resume doctor' type folks who claim to be able to spruce up your resume & certainly applies to many of the news & web articles about how to write your resume.
Most of them are far too general to be of much help in a moderately specialized field like ours.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
-having left a company I was called by them three times over the following 5 years to see if I was still happy with my career move and to let me know there was a spot for me if I wanted to come back. 15 years later when my last company closed they called again to see if I needed a position. Lesson learned? Don't burn bridges, be professional when resigning
-having had employees leave me and want to come back - two of them did me a favour in resigning and I didn't hire them back when the tried to return. Three i hired back with no hard feelings. You never know if one day you will be working for them
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
My first consulting job I encountered the same situation. Having pictues with farm animals (not literally, but I was dealing with a jackass)translated into a nice 5 gigure settlement, plus immediate unemployment for being fired without cause. Funny thing, 25 years later this same jackass came to me looking to drum up consu;lting business. Have to admit, I was not above intense verbal disparagement until the idiot left my office.
Either don't deal with them again or be ready to play hardball.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
The dilemma now is that i face the possibility of returning to my former position with lower than market value compensation and projects, now apparent to me, are not challenging or broad enough. On the other side of the fence, i could be searching for a new job for months before i find anything... and from the looks of it i will have zero income that entire time.
unquoted
Don't be picky. If you have any chance to be hired back in the old company just go for it without any conditions.
Once you secure this, after that everything is possible.
I wish you good luck.
"If you want to acquire a knowledge or skill, read a book and practice the skill".
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
You've shown them that you are willing to leave for better remuneration, so you might at least think if there's a way to mention that was the reason to your old boss and see if there's anything you can work out between you to avoid you being in the same situation a year from now. However, I'm not sure I have the negotiating skill so to pull that one off so take my idea with a pinch of salt.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
No matter who has the upper hand, it would be awkward to say "can I come back, and can you pay me more?" Much more natural to say "thanks for the advice, you were right it didn't work out" and then leave it to the employer to make an offer. Obviously if it's for the same salary, they know he will still be job hunting, so what's the point?
I left my previous job with a written offer (for a higher salary) in hand to come back any time. That number would have definitely kept me there had it come around in my previous negotiations, which ended with me making it crystal clear that I was looking around (risky so I wouldn't suggest that.) The fact that it took me putting in my notice to get the offer did not sit well, not my style (which I had also made clear!) so they knew I wasn't going to stay. But, no hard feelings and I've still got that letter.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
You're still in college?
Chris, CSWA
SolidWorks 14
SolidWorks Legion
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
I've been out for a few years now.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
IMHO you have little chance of coming on board "on contract" with the company knowing you are looking.
It all depends on how tolerant you of the "hat in hand" method and how much you liked your prior job.
I really don't see the downside of asking to come back (except getting a rude NO in response). But to me that beats the hard effort to find a new job and all the no responses / cold leads you get.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
I also like the XIV (and last ever!) Dalai Lama, and this quote attributed to him:
“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
Self and family interest is important too. Are you a significant or sole source of income for your family? Can you get by on $405 a week if you get unemployment sorted out?
Will your old boss be meeting with you at the same time as the interview?
I may be wrong, but it sounds like you have an offer to talk to the owners, and not a job offer from the old boss. Do they think you'll stay on the farm once you've tried to leave? Your old boss is asking you to be open to being screwed 2X (no old job, no new interview).
If he thinks (P1) you have cancelled the interview, he asks the owners to give you your job (P2). Chance you get your old job: P1*P2.
Chance to get new job: 0 if you cancel interview, P3 if you don't.
Maybe instead of view it as a yes/no game, change the plays.
Stick up for yourself- tell him that you don't think it's reasonable to be unconcerned about paying the rent or buying food. Ask him to imagine your circumstance.
Reschedule the interview. Can you reschedule the interview to give your old boss preference?
So I'd try to bend things here, unless you have a written offer for your old job. Too easy to be screwed 2X
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
You might try to negotiate preference for the old job with your old boss. It's hard to expect a person sincere about their own self interest to pass up a good interview for a maybe with the old job. And it's a maybe until it's ink on paper.
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
"If you want to acquire a knowledge or skill, read a book and practice the skill".
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off
Maui
RE: Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off