Motorola job security? (Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Libertyville: layoffs, transfer to, college)

[kw3333]

Hi guys

I'm going to be finishing up my Bachelor's in the spring of 2008 and am considering working in Motorola's Mobile Devices sector in Libertyville after I'm done. Problem is, seems like Motorola is spiraling downward, what with their massive layoffs of late and falling to #3 behind Samsung. Last thing I want to do is to enter the real world only to be sent packing after a year just because the company decides to hand out massive layoffs every time they're not doing great.

At the same time, a part of me really wants to like Motorola. The location is nice and I really want to believe that all engineering companies are unstable in general, with ups and downs that no one can anticipate.

Anybody work for Motorola or know more about their situation as of late? What do you guys think about the job security/future?

Thanks for all your feedback.

[gardener34]

Massive layoffs of late - they have been going on since after 9/11... Motorola is a revolving door of employment. They are continually laying off as well as hiring. Mobile devices... is that tied in with cell phones? That could be dicey though can't say for sure.

Electronics company tactics lately involve lots of offshoring. You will be facing this if you go into any company involved in an electronics related business. Also you will face competition with H1B visa employees that work cheaper.

Anything involved in the electronics field is going to be cutthroat in regards to pricing. So get used to working in departments where they are continually cutting costs and you will not have enough help, etc. etc.

I think moto pays fairly well and the benefits are good. They look good on a resume, even if you do end up leaving there or getting laid off. My advice, is to make sure you get involved in the newer technologies and don't get boxed into something you hate doing. Once you get something on your resume, people don't like to hire you for anything else.

And once you are in a big company, remember you can move around and transfer to different departments if you don't like the one you are in.

Good luck!

[kw3333]

Thanks gardener34 for the insight. Do you personally know somebody working at Motorola?

My thinking is that even though Motorola is unstable now... it could still be a good experience to at least go there and work 3-5 years to build up experience rather than see it as a life-long commitment. Or is that even wishful/wrong thinking? Sigh...

Anybody else have any input on the company?

[HOWELL_STREET]

IF Motorola accepts you for employment, they are going to be looking for the very best educated person willing to take the least amount of remuneration. Although maybe an exception, in the past Motorola has hired a man with a PhD in communications to be a resistor lead bender in a 'pre-lims' factory department. In truth, I think the Big 'M' did this as a favor to that man.
Motorola in the past has been overloaded with college grad applications - - and in the past, their volume of applications has been as high a 1,000 people per day. However, I don't know what it is today.
To my knowledge, Motorola currently has only one important product. And that is the cell phone. As an FYI, did you know that Motorola - Israel invented the cell phone?
Like Gardener 34 says, Motorola and many other large companies hire people as in a revolving door. However, I would say about a two - year turn over rather than three or four.
With Motorola employment, ALWAYS work in a division that is physically close to their H.Q. in Schaumburg, Illinois. So basically, there are two Motorola campus / complexes that fit that category. Schaumburg and Arlington Heights. The proof of this is their facility out in Harvard that was supposed to be THE GREATEST. It is now an unoccupied 'White Elephant'. Only Motorola knows what will happen with their company in the future. And they are trying very hard. But to reiterate, they tend to eliminate their divisions far away from the Schaumburg & Arlington Heights facilities. From memory, Motorola also had an automotive division in North Brook. However, it may not be viable at this point. I don't know.
If you end up at the Schaumburg facility, then arrange for you and your family to visit their very beautiful museum of past Motorola products.

Carter Glass

[gardener34]

Yes, I do personally know many people and relatives that work there.

There are many other divisions besides their cell phone div. That is a continual source of aggravation to many of the workers in their many other divisions that the stock market (a.k.a. flippers) seems only to reward high performance of the cell phone division - virtually ignoring the emergency trunked systems division (land mobile products division) which is their bread and butter business. Always makes money but you never hear jack squat about that performance.

And yes, in the past they have tended to eliminate their outlying divisions. They just recently sold their board repair to another company. Although moto employees still work there for the new employer. This is in elgin off the 90.

I would try to score an interview there if you can - or if you already have a job interview lined up go for it. Like I said, it looks good on a resume anyway.

In this day and age, working 35 years for one company is unheard of. Companies just do not like to train their workforce anymore. They would rather fire then re-hire someone who knows the skills immediately. So get used to the fact that you will likely not stay in one company forever anyway. Many younger people nowadays job hop, which does not have the job security, but is the quickest way to move up the salary ladder.

Personally as far as the future goes, that will be determined by their CEO - Zander - who is not really well liked these days. If there is no turnaround soon, Zander will be out.

Good luck.

[cncsmomndad]

I have a relative whose husband works in the cellular division in Libertyville. Not looking good out there right now and he has serious concerns about his job security. He's in management and has been there for over 10 years now. They are expecting a lot more layoffs at that location in the last 2 weeks of October.

[Juice13610]

A friend of mine just got an IT job there where he is going to get government clearance, and he already has gotten a fre laptop, desktop, cell phone, beeper, and his own office in Schaumburg.

He is fresh out of college by 5 months, too.