You Got a Job!

[Allisonfaye]

Tell us about it.

[lorenzo94580]

I didn't. But DH did. Does that count? lol.

[Allisonfaye]

Absolutely! Tell us. Details. I want details! Congratulations!

[Litigatrix]

DH was laid off at the end of July and found a new job at the end of August. He is starting next week. His old company ran out of money and basically furloughed everyone indefinitely pending the sale of the company (at which point it would be up to the new owner whether to bring the employees back). Luckily he already was admitted to school, so he switched from a master's program to PhD and was able to land a research assistant position that comes with free tuition and pays about the same as he was making before for half the work hours. In retrospect, I am very glad that he was furloughed, even though it was really stressful at first.

[Allisonfaye]

Yeah, great news, Lit!

[lorenzo94580]

Thanks Allison! Our family's still on a high from finding out but I guess I'll start at the beginning so that people reading this will have the complete picture.

In October of last year, DH found out that he was getting laid off. Interestingly, his last day wasn't until the end of January of this year, so he had a TON of notice so he could prepare.

Since we knew we only had a certain amount of time before the end of benefits, we went to all of our well checks, got our prescriptions filled, used up our eye contact lens benefit, got our dental work done. (Also made us realize to never lag on things like that just in case you ever get laid off that same day and lose out on benefits!)

Anywhoo, the months flew by and before we knew it, it was his last day of work at the old job. With barely any leads, Dh continued to plug along. He used linked in, craigslist and many other job search engines to find a job. He networked with old contacts, went on lunch meetings, visited with many recruiters. In the time he was home he worked out almost every day by going to the local pool. This helped him work out his frustration and get into shape. He came with me to take the kids to the park, my mommy and me classes, and to run errands. Truth be told, I relished the family time we had because I knew it could be cut short at any time.

Eventually, a contract job landed in his lap. His old CFO passed on his resume to a visiting auditor, who eventually passed it onto the hiring manager next door. (Seriously, when he goes to work, instead of making a right into his old office building, he makes a left into his new one. They're that close!)

The hiring manager reached out to DH one random Friday evening inquiring about his job status. DH replied. Weeks passed. Eventually DH got a call. This was his informal phone interview. Then he was brought in to be interviewed by a panel. From start to end, I believe this took at least a month and a half to maybe two.

Once he was in, he did everything possible to make them believe that he was worthy of a shot at a permanent position. He came to work early. Was patient with the guy training him (who was overwhelmed and didn't have time to train a new guy let alone do his own job). He asked for more work to be piled on. He offered up feedback (constructively of course) when he saw a need for system changes. He wowed them with his "outside the box" thinking. He made himself available on weekends. Hell, he even received a panic call from one of the higher ups in the middle of the night when there was a problem with a system (when this higher up could have easily called someone "permanent" to fix the problem). Of course, he didn't surf the net, or called in sick, or got involved in office drama. He was a model employee and showed a good work ethic. And after 4 months of contracting, he was offered a perm position as of yesterday. And because of his diligence, his salary is actually higher than his old position's and is a better title!

Sooo hooray for benefits!! Hooray for accumulating vacation time!! Hooray for finally some peace of mind!!

And ooops! Sorry for the novel but thanks for reading!!

[goodmornin]

Sweet^ This is a reassuring story! Shows us that jobs can come from the most unexpected places!

[chynaxdawl]

this is a nice, encouraging thread =)

[Litigatrix]

Thanks Allison. I know our situation is unusual in that he was only laid off for a short time, and we are very lucky. DH did have about 4 interviews for other positions at the University that he did not get. The position he did get was from emailing professors in his department and simply asking if they needed someone. The prof that hired him was one he took a class from last fall when he was prepping for grad school.

He got about 1 minute of notice and severance at his old job. It sucked. They did at least pay for his health insurance for the last month.

[canadianstudies]

I'll be starting a new job in two weeks as a teaching assistant at my new university! Am very excited to have money coming in again (as my last assistantship ended in April)

[LV Luvr]

Congrats all! This is a great uplifting thread!!

[floridagal23]

I had a second interview on Monday so hopefully I will have good news to post soon (think good thoughts, please!!). Congrats to everyone who has gotten a job!

[Allisonfaye]

Originally Posted by lorenzo94580

Thanks Allison! Our family's still on a high from finding out but I guess I'll start at the beginning so that people reading this will have the complete picture. In October of last year, DH found out that he was getting laid off. Interestingly, his last day wasn't until the end of January of this year, so he had a TON of notice so he could prepare. Since we knew we only had a certain amount of time before the end of benefits, we went to all of our well checks, got our prescriptions filled, used up our eye contact lens benefit, got our dental work done. (Also made us realize to never lag on things like that just in case you ever get laid off that same day and lose out on benefits!) Anywhoo, the months flew by and before we knew it, it was his last day of work at the old job. With barely any leads, Dh continued to plug along. He used linked in, craigslist and many other job search engines to find a job. He networked with old contacts, went on lunch meetings, visited with many recruiters. In the time he was home he worked out almost every day by going to the local pool. This helped him work out his frustration and get into shape. He came with me to take the kids to the park, my mommy and me classes, and to run errands. Truth be told, I relished the family time we had because I knew it could be cut short at any time. Eventually, a contract job landed in his lap. His old CFO passed on his resume to a visiting auditor, who eventually passed it onto the hiring manager next door. (Seriously, when he goes to work, instead of making a right into his old office building, he makes a left into his new one. They're that close!) The hiring manager reached out to DH one random Friday evening inquiring about his job status. DH replied. Weeks passed. Eventually DH got a call. This was his informal phone interview. Then he was brought in to be interviewed by a panel. From start to end, I believe this took at least a month and a half to maybe two. Once he was in, he did everything possible to make them believe that he was worthy of a shot at a permanent position. He came to work early. Was patient with the guy training him (who was overwhelmed and didn't have time to train a new guy let alone do his own job). He asked for more work to be piled on. He offered up feedback (constructively of course) when he saw a need for system changes. He wowed them with his "outside the box" thinking. He made himself available on weekends. Hell, he even received a panic call from one of the higher ups in the middle of the night when there was a problem with a system (when this higher up could have easily called someone "permanent" to fix the problem). Of course, he didn't surf the net, or called in sick, or got involved in office drama. He was a model employee and showed a good work ethic. And after 4 months of contracting, he was offered a perm position as of yesterday. And because of his diligence, his salary is actually higher than his old position's and is a better title! Sooo hooray for benefits!! Hooray for accumulating vacation time!! Hooray for finally some peace of mind!! And ooops! Sorry for the novel but thanks for reading!!

This is FANTASTIC! Don't be sorry for the novel. I love reading this kind of story.

[redney]

Allison, I don't have any stories to add but just wanted to say this is such a nice, positive topic! Thanks for starting it!!

[Allisonfaye]

Originally Posted by floridagal23

I had a second interview on Monday so hopefully I will have good news to post soon (think good thoughts, please!!). Congrats to everyone who has gotten a job!

Good luck!