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The short version is...I worked in a large technology company for 25 years. We all knew business was bad and couldn't understand how/why they kept us. We all stayed because of the pay and only half-heartedly looked for a job. So...our xmas present was a layoff the week before xmas.
I intitally wasn't worried because of all the connections I have in the business, but an amazing thing happened - I must have the plague now because I can't get anyone to talk to me or return phone calls. Everyone who offered me jobs when I didn't need one now amazingly don't have jobs or don't remember offering me a job.
Is it normal to feel worthless and like you serve no purpose in life after being laid off? I have been sick to the stomach for three weeks now and have no appetite and don't sleep much....how long does this last? Surely a guy doesn't stay sick to the stomach and not sleep until re-employed? I would hope it is only temporary due to the shock of the situation. I have some financial cushion and don't *really* have to worry about immediate re-employment, but it seems to be getting to me more than I thought it would.
Layoff is definitely a shock to the body. You have to overcome the feelings of worthlessness or it will get worse. Stop punishing yourself; it's not your fault!
Business is hurting all over; it maybe that these contacts are also worried about their jobs and their companies don't have any openings either. I expect layoffs to continue through the year and suspect we will see the unemployment rate rise in the coming months.
People are jerks, especially those in a position to perhaps help. IT is a fickle business. I'm in it as well. You are not worthless. No one is. It's normal to feel like you do because you are suddenly not contributing to anything. We all want to feel like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and when we are ripped away from that, we feel worthless. Don't beat yourself up. I, too, am unemployed at the moment because recently we moved to a small city where I cannot find IT work.
You, me, no one is worthless. We just need to find a way to contribute that works for us. Don't use or contact those people who have rejected you. That kind of behavior comes back around to haunt people. Move on. Take time to revamp your resume/CV. Make sure it's up to date and looks great. Future companies will never fault you for a layoff beyond your control. Never badmouth the company that laid you off. Come across as grateful to have had the awesome experiences you had and that you learned a great deal that could be valuable for your next employer.
Take care, God bless, and you will be fine. Keep your chin up. You are worth a lot to a future employer.
This happens to everyone. When I got my layoff I was alone, not with a mass of people so it was worse. I felt like a loser. It's hard to accept and with the news of this economy not improving, it's also scary.
But time heals all wounds and now that you've hit rock bottom, you have nowhere to go but up.
You'll be sick until a change occurs in your life, but noone but God knows when that will be.
You are going through what many are now going through and that is your whole perception of reality has been smashed into a million pieces right before your eyes and you have absolutely no power to stop the carnage.
1. You worked in a single company for 25 years and probably never ever considered that your job was anything but secured. Other may have been laid off or downsized or outsources but you beleived that it would never happen to you. You were not prepared for the reality of todays employment that in most companies you are nothing but a figure that jumps between the plus or minus columns and at some point that minus column is an out the door column.
2. You assumed that you had "connections". Reality is connections means nothing if they are "business" connections where you are just a customer/vendor/client/co-worker/etc with no personal attachments beyond the business-industry to make that connection still valuable to the other person.
3. You appear shocked that people are not calling you back but you forget that you are no longer a "connection" but rather some begger looking for a job. Are you offering to make them money, bring clients, improve their bsuiness, ro are you simply hoping they can get you a job? And, if you think that all those jobs they mentioned was available to you before were real or that they are holding jobs just in case you every need one. well thats not life! Any available jobs with them probably were snatched up by your fellow co-workers who you saw leave the company before you.
4. You probably have established your worth in life and to yourself based on your employment and the lifestyle that it provided. Now without that employment, you are suddenly physically and emotional drained because you had nothing but that to identify your worth to yourself. With it gone, you fel like your on some deserted island , alone, in fear and scared.
GET OVER IT! --- YOU LOST YOUR JOB, so what - millions iof americans have lost their jobs, your nothing special!!!!!!!!!
Now stand up!
Smack yourself in the face!
Take off those rosed colored glasses you are still wearing! -
- and find some worth in yourself beyond the emplyment you once had!
NOW take a shower,
get dress
grab yourself a nice big meal of all your favorite unhealthy foods
Hit the bar
Strike up some conversation about anything BUT WORK!
get drunk
Get Laid
GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP
and
start your new life without that old job and go out and get something else.
You are going through what many are now going through and that is your whole perception of reality has been smashed into a million pieces right before your eyes and you have absolutely no power to stop the carnage.
1. You worked in a single company for 25 years and probably never ever considered that your job was anything but secured. Other may have been laid off or downsized or outsources but you beleived that it would never happen to you. You were not prepared for the reality of todays employment that in most companies you are nothing but a figure that jumps between the plus or minus columns and at some point that minus column is an out the door column.
2. You assumed that you had "connections". Reality is connections means nothing if they are "business" connections where you are just a customer/vendor/client/co-worker/etc with no personal attachments beyond the business-industry to make that connection still valuable to the other person.
3. You appear shocked that people are not calling you back but you forget that you are no longer a "connection" but rather some begger looking for a job. Are you offering to make them money, bring clients, improve their bsuiness, ro are you simply hoping they can get you a job? And, if you think that all those jobs they mentioned was available to you before were real or that they are holding jobs just in case you every need one. well thats not life! Any available jobs with them probably were snatched up by your fellow co-workers who you saw leave the company before you.
4. You probably have established your worth in life and to yourself based on your employment and the lifestyle that it provided. Now without that employment, you are suddenly physically and emotional drained because you had nothing but that to identify your worth to yourself. With it gone, you fel like your on some deserted island , alone, in fear and scared.
GET OVER IT! --- YOU LOST YOUR JOB, so what - millions iof americans have lost their jobs, your nothing special!!!!!!!!!
Now stand up!
Smack yourself in the face!
Take off those rosed colored glasses you are still wearing! -
- and find some worth in yourself beyond the emplyment you once had!
NOW take a shower,
get dress
grab yourself a nice big meal of all your favorite unhealthy foods
Hit the bar
Strike up some conversation about anything BUT WORK!
get drunk
Get Laid
GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP
and
start your new life without that old job and go out and get something else.
That's the main thing don't lose your self worth, remember it's nothing YOU did that got you laid off, it was your company and the way they managed their business. I have been out of work since July, weeks go buy with not even a response to my applications, my reaching out to past contacts and managers, heck you may even have to god forbid take a job making quite a bit less than you did before.
Things will improve, right now I have one job offer on the table, albeit for less than I was making. Waiting to hear back on another, and a temp agency called me with an opportunity. You were there for 25 years, are you leaving with any kind of severance?? Plus you can collect unemployment for sure, they laid you off. Look at it as a new opportunity. Life goes on.
Take a few weeks off, do what you want to do but always had work in the way.
The short version is...I worked in a large technology company for 25 years. We all knew business was bad and couldn't understand how/why they kept us. We all stayed because of the pay and only half-heartedly looked for a job. So...our xmas present was a layoff the week before xmas.
I intitally wasn't worried because of all the connections I have in the business, but an amazing thing happened - I must have the plague now because I can't get anyone to talk to me or return phone calls. Everyone who offered me jobs when I didn't need one now amazingly don't have jobs or don't remember offering me a job.
Is it normal to feel worthless and like you serve no purpose in life after being laid off? I have been sick to the stomach for three weeks now and have no appetite and don't sleep much....how long does this last? Surely a guy doesn't stay sick to the stomach and not sleep until re-employed? I would hope it is only temporary due to the shock of the situation. I have some financial cushion and don't *really* have to worry about immediate re-employment, but it seems to be getting to me more than I thought it would.
I can't speak for everyone but for me being laid off was out of my system after a month and then I was eager to move on.
You are not your job. We are human beings, not human doings. Agree with the previous posters who all suggest that OP work on the mistaken sense of being worthless, etc. If finances aren't a terrifying issue, then recognize that you had a life and self before this job, during it, and you do after it, too.
Did your company offer you training for reemployment? Not job skill training- but career placement training. This training is often sessions and discussions with firms that have 1 and 2 hour conf calls and webinars on how to recreate your resume, you to find a new job, how to handle the shock of losing your job, how to negotiate your new job, networking, linkedin, how to research companies online, prep for interviews, etc.
I didn't think I needed these sessions and took them because they were free. I learned a ton from them. Resumes are different now (totally). These companies will assist you in redoing your resume. I learned alot from the negotiation class and used these skills to negotiate a higher started salary. Wish I knew this many years ago.
You need to take this all in steps. Focus on getting your resume updated the new way. You want to hide your age on your resume as much as possible. Don't put graduation dates. Don't put work in the 1980s or prior.
Get in touch with IT recruiters. They will submit you for jobs.
Get your references together. They often want supervisors.
Start researching companies in your commute zone that do IT work. Bookmark all of them. Check each week for openings on their sites. Check job boards for work. Track which companies have IT listings in your area even if that particular opening is not a match for you. You just want to find the IT shops to target.
Decide if you want contract work or perm work. Decide what your new hourly rate is for contract and salary range for perm. Decide if you want to travel or go to a contract site for 6 months and what areas are OK for this. Because a recruiter will immidiately ask you your "rate" and you need an answer. They will have jobs 2 states away for contract....sometimes they pay travel and other times a higher wage. Ask about these things.
The interview process is very technical for IT. Usually a few phone interviews and they can get very in depth with technial Q and A. Even if you are an expert, you still must prepare heavily for any technical detail asked in the interview. They might ask which function name is used for scenario A. Or explain the difference between X and Y. If you are not prepared, you will be mad at yourself for blowing the technical part of the interview.
I am assuming you are in IT because you worked for a technical company. Possibly you were in payroll or sales or finance? What line of work did you specialize in?
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