Soooo...I'm losing my job. Anyone care to commiserate?

OMG, I'm so sorry.


Now you'll have more time to write?

That blows, Carole. I feel for you.

Margarita?

I bet there's an even -better- job just waiting for you to come along and grab it. Hunt it down with enthusiasm and make it yours!

I went the self-employed route when this happened to me 17 years ago and I haven't looked back.

I'm so sorry Carole. But send the resume out now. Take action. I think that may make you feel better when you start interviewing and getting prospects.

I'm sorry for your struggle.

Hmm, things to make you feel better... It's not Christmastime. (My last two job changes were right after Thanksgiving.)

Actually, the only thing that I think works is a plan.

So, when you are ready, and if you want to (and the site allows):

Tell us where you are, what you do, what you want to do (move, not move, career change, etc.) and maybe we can unleash the power of this fully operational forum to help you find the next thing.

After which, of course, you will owe everyone subscribed dinner and a drink.

I agree with the resumes. No time like now to start. Take the bulls by the horn and leave the bullsh!T behind. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tink said:

I agree with the resumes. No time like now to start. Take the bulls by the horn and leave the bullsh!T behind. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I really like that, Tink.

With everyone else, figure out what you want to do and start to make that happen.

Sorry to hear about your bad news. Is that job with the crazy, busybody women?

I've been there. It's a bummer--move ahead and leave them behind. Get a plan and do the resume thing and let us know all about your new gig. And remember, if you need a laugh, a cat in a bonnet is always funny.

Start looking now. Also register at Temp agencies. A lot of them do temp and perm, and temp to perm. They can be hit or miss, so when I have to look for work I register at several. And when they ask you if you can do ________ say yes, because you are smart and can figure it out. Let us know if you need anything. HUG Also- if they call for a temp job that is one day, if you can, take it because when I was temping those one day jobs often turned into 3 day or two weeks jobs. When I was in charge of the temp in one office I worked in, I figured out why. We had a woman out for surgery and needed someone for several weeks. This girl came to answer phones, file, my overflow. She was so mousy and shy and just wasn't cuttin' it, even though she was nice. I ended up giving her a ride home and she asked me if I thought they'd need her again tomorrow. Suddenly the light went on in my head. They hadn't told her the situation. I told her I thought Connie would be better the next day. I felt bad but I knew my boss had called and asked for someone with more um...umph. I don't know what word to use there. More somthin'. Anyway we ended up with a differernt girl and kept her for a month. It turned out Connie wasn't going to return so then we needed somone permanent. Well the temp might have become perm but she didn't follow my direction and didn't seek out new tasks when she finished a task I had given her. I found her once playing computer games. That office was so busy I didn't even know we had games on the computers. I asked her if she had typed the letter I had given her and she gave it to me. She hadn't even bothered to proof read her work. Oh man. Anyway, I could write pages and pages on thoughts on temping- I'll stop.

Think of it as an opportunity.

Maybe it's time to try a brand new career? To do something you've always wanted to try? Start your own business? Go back to school?

Best of luck!

Well, it's better that it wasn't a total shock - my husband was laid off almost 3 years ago and it came right out of left field and hit us smack between the eyes.

Yes, I agree - get back on the wagon. Get your resume together, get on the job boards. Network. But also take a few moments to exhale and get your brain together and think of different options for your future.

I wish you all the best!

Look on the bright side, you have two whole weeks before they even tell you WHEN you are out of a job. You are already two weeks ahead of a LOT of people who go through similar things. You have a chance to jump ship and land a job BEFORE the axe actually comes down on you. Don't miss that chance.

Still, that sucks and sorry and all that.

That really sucks Carole and I agree with everyone who said get the resume out.

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your job! If it makes you feel any better, that happened to me too but the push was just what I needed to move on anyway.

My next job was a dream!

And I think the margarita idea rocks And, maybe you can play on everyone's sympathy and get all your drinks for free

Shhhh! Can you hear that? It's opportunity knocking. Answer the door.

Answer. The. Door.

Start stealing stuff out of the office and telling people off now. You can always send out resumes later, but your window of opportunity to enjoy your current job is short.

Oh Carole. I'm so sorry. Does it help that your avatar is cool?

It's not an ending. It's a new beginning!

III has a point. Maybe not a good one. I do know that somehow I have felt lighter at jobs when I've given two weeks notice. I mean what are they going to do, fire me?

Carole said:

The axe came down today. My office is closing. We've all suspected it for a while, but it's still surreal.

We won't know until July 14 exactly how much time we have.

Someone make me feel better?

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Oh my God, I've been there. We suspected our office was closing too, and people started getting the axe...mostly at first our R&D (research and development) started to deplete, and well, if they're gone, can't be good.

Then they started letting Customer Service go. Oh boy.

So then, THEN, they held a meeting, we're closing. "You'll be fine" they said. "You have plenty of time" they said. "Sales will be the last to go" - thank God I was in sales...

Turned out to be a pretty decent notice for me, I believe they dropped the bomb in October, and offered me "we'll pay you if you stay till the last day" in December (so they were going to buy my time if I stayed till closing) - giving me until February to sit and pray that I could line up a job just in time to transition over without missing too much time.

Turned out I played it out well - however, my last day rolled around and I still hadn't found anything. I'd been on a couple interviews but hadn't been called back. A couple hours left to go my last day and I get a call from a company I hadn't put much thought into but since I was so desperate had sent in my resume, I agreed to meet them that night. They offered me the job on the spot.

I reported to work the following Monday. 8 hours later decided I hated my decision. I didn't like the poshy attitude - it was a high end art gallery on Rodeo Drive (yes, Bev Hills) and I was the youngest on the staff, and was following the lead of a real prissy Brittish woman who was meticulous about her way of doing things and made sure I followed exactly. Realizing I hated her, I pouted the entire drive home, and the next morning.

A block away from the gallery, I received a call from a company I had interviewed with a few weeks before offering me the job. Gleaming, I walked into the Gallery and informed my boss immediately that I wouldn't be coming back, and thanked them for their time.

4 and a half years later - here I am.

The company that closed it's doors was the company. And I was heartbroken to hear of its fate.

But things happen for a reason. I have a great paying job, great benefits, and lots of time to AW and work on my WIP...at work.

You'll be fine.

dolores haze said:

Think of it as an opportunity.

Maybe it's time to try a brand new career? To do something you've always wanted to try? Start your own business? Go back to school?

Best of luck!

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Exactly!

sassandgroove said:

III has a point. Maybe not a good one. I do know that somehow I have felt lighter at jobs when I've given two weeks notice. I mean what are they going to do, fire me?

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ZACTLY!!!!!

I'm sorry to hear about your news, but I agree with the other posters that this is an opportunity. Good luck with your resume. Maybe we should start a Resume/Cover Letter Critique Forum here to meet the needs of AWers changing jobs! Also, at least you have a little time to get a jump start on the hunt (or steal office supplies, whichever route you decide to go).

My husband's company was "walking people out" this morning (and where in the world did we get that innocuous little phrase??), so we've been dreading today for a few weeks. I finally got a call from him a couple of hours ago that he still has a job, but he's been prettying up his resume for a little while now.

Anyway, all the best to you!