New Week, New Job

Posted by Sun on June 24, 2007
Post viewed 768 times, 1 so far today

Tomorrow, after two weeks of lay off, I will start a new job at a company that’s not really in my area.

The start up company that I worked for in the past two years last month decided to significantly reduce man power as the product we developed failed to win any customer (at least till now) and I was let go. The result was kind of expected since there were signs late last year that the company could be in trouble, but I didn’t prepare myself for the outcome until it happened. The main reason for me to stick around is that the company is very close to home and I like what I was doing.

Well, despite the “unexpected” event, the job hunting was really a short one. There were two interviews scheduled last week, and the first one I went to last Monday decided to make an offer right after the interview. Seriously, that was the fastest job offer I ever got and I was totally unprepared for the quick action. Between the two interviews, the second one is from another telecom company and what they are doing marches my background perfectly and the location is even closer to my home. Naturally, I am hoping to land a job over there. So after the first company made the offer, I told them I need some time to think about it. I want to see how the second interview goes before making a decision.

However, one day after the first interview, I was told the second interview, which as initially scheduled for late last week, has to be postponed till the second half of next month. The news really forced me to make a quick decision as the first company is expecting me to start right away. I don’t know if they are willing to wait for me for more than a month, plus there’s no guarantee I will get an offer from the second company. So I told the first company that I accept the offer and can start to work next Monday.

Because of the short lay off, I didn’t have time to come up with a plan to cope with the *emergency* situation though we have the emergency fund in place. Last week, I called to apply for the unemployment benefit, but was cut off before the application was completed. I also thought about getting a few credit cards with 0% balance transfer offers so I can borrow some money without touching anything we currently have. Fortunately, I don’t have to do any of these :) .

Tomorrow, when the new week begins, I will have a new job.

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10 Comments
June 24, 2007

Sun,

Great news on getting the new job so quickly. Congratulations. Even though you were prepared, it’s great you won’t need an emergency fund for too long.

You can still interview for the second job. What if they double your salary :-)

Posted by Super Saver
June 25, 2007

Congrats on the quick turn around — couldn’t ask for anything better from a financial standpoint.

I am worried that if an unexpected lay off came I would be quite unprepared for it. I am not sure my job “value-add” is very transferable to another company. Were you concerned about that at all? Obviously you found another oppurtunity so quickly that in the end that wasn’t a problem for you.

Posted by 2million
June 25, 2007

Good luck in your new job !!!

Posted by STLPlace
June 25, 2007

Its great that you were able to find a new job so quickly.

I have the same concern as 2million I believe, my area of work at my current company is very specialized. So while the pay is good if I was unexpectedly laid off it might be difficult find a new job in the same area. If I moved to another area I would probably have to take a significant pay cut. I guess I’m hoping I don’t have to find out if that is true.

I would agree if the second interview is the position you really want you can still do it, and if it works out leave for that job. Some people might feel bad about leaving your job so quickly but at the end of the day you have to do what is best for you and your career.

Posted by Chuck
June 25, 2007

Sun

Good to hear you found a new job so quickly.

goldfish

Posted by goldfish
June 25, 2007

Nice work on the quick turnaround. I’m with 2million and chuck given that my work is highly specialized. It’s “hot” right now, but if I were actually to get laid off it would probably mean all the other companies that I could land a job with would be in similar straights. I think it’s always good to be preprared for an exit plan, and second career options. Obviously this will almost always mean a pay cut, but that’s why we prepare…

Posted by dong
June 25, 2007

Congrats on getting the job so quickly.

As Chuck and 2Million mentioned, it can be tough if your skill is an area where there isn’t a lot of demand. I was a software engineer specialized in a language with about 10 jobs across the US (literally). So when I was laid off, I had to convince other employers that I can learn other languages quickly and step in and help. It took quite awhile due to the economic conditions after the dot-coms went out of business, but eventually, I was able to latch on to a new company at about 65% my previous salary. Three years later, I’m finally at 100% of that salary, but this time it’s a transferable skill.

Posted by Lazy Man and Money
June 25, 2007

Glad to hear that things worked out acceptably for you. Will you be interviewing for the 2nd job anyways? Such tough decisions.

Posted by Jonathan
June 25, 2007

Thanks everybody for stopping by and the kind words.

The first day at the new job was kind of boring and I have the feeling that it may not be the job that I want (except the money of course). I will give it a little more time to have a better understanding. If it turns out to be one that doesn’t fit me very well, I could be in the job market again soon.

In fact, I am always worried that my experience and knowledge may not be used in other areas. I did quite some software development, but I am not a pure software engineer. Sometime, when I saw all the software job openings, I wish I am a software person. All I did in the past were related to telecom and I have done a lot of research in wireless communications. But not every company need a PhD and not every company do research. So I felt very lucky to get an offer so quickly. The job hunting could have been much longer.

Yes, I will go to the second interview next month and hopefully, it will work out for me.

Posted by Sun
June 25, 2007

Wow, Congratulations on getting a new job so quickly!

We have very thick rumors in our office of facility closure! Our company has been on a cost cutting spree since early this year and has already closed a couple of facilities. Ours is supposed to be on the target list for the next victim. Since it is going to be quite massive, even the managers are in the dark. Everybody seems to be whispering or making jokes about it… I have spent less than a year in this company and so am not attached at all, but I really am not looking forward to another job search anytime soon :(

Good Luck with the interview for the job you like better. I hope it works out for you.

Posted by ispf
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