The worst words you can hear...

[chrisisoutrunning]

I need to release some of my frustration that's been building up for a while... and this seems to be the most appropriate thread to do that in.

 

I was let go from my Structural Engineering job at the beginning of February, it wasn't completely unexpected, I could tell that there was getting to be less and less work, but kept hoping that I wouldn't be one of the ones to get the axe... I kept an eye out looking for jobs to apply to in case it did happen to me, but never found anything. Unfortunately I was one of the two they let go. They let two of us go, neither of us have enough experience to sit for the PE exam (I graduated in May '07 and my colleague in May '06), but kept around another non-PE. They had been at the company the shortest, but would have been in the middle as far as experience (December '06 grad). Basically I figured they got rid of the two that they did because we had been there long enough for them to give their "standard" raise to.

 

Anyways, I after this happened I sent out my resume to basically every Structural Engineering firm in the state of Wisconsin, along with the Chicago and Twin Cities areas. About 25% of the places sent me a standard thank you for your resume email and a few more managed to say they weren't hiring. The rest I never heard back from.

 

At the same time as this I applied to a fairly large company in Madison that I have a couple of friends at, originally just because I knew they hired a decent amount of people all the time, but after the process went on, I really did want to work for the company. Well that process drug on extremely long... over a month after I originally applied I went over for an on-site interview and things went great. I was told that I'd hear back the following week, which came and went with nothing. I waited until it had been two weeks since I interviewed before I emailed the HR contact I had, to which she responded that they should know by the end of that week. So that Friday afternoon (first Friday in April) I get a call saying they haven't decided yet, and it'd be the next Friday. Once again, I survive until that Friday (mostly because I was going to the home opener), and about the 6th inning I get a call saying they still haven't decided and I would know by the 22nd... Well on Monday I found out that they couldn't offer me a position... My friends have told me they have stopped hiring for right now, not even filling the positions of people who are leaving. I completely understand why they would be doing this right now, but I'm still a more than a little frustrated that they strung me on for so long...

 

I don't really expect anything to come out of this post, I know there are a ton of other people out there in my situation, but I needed to get all of this off my chest... I guess I'm just pissed right now that every job in my line of work wants 5-10 years experience and a PE license. If this keeps up for too long there are going to be a ton of people like me who leave engineering because it's nearly impossible to get a job.

[Invader3K]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is a PE license?

 

Also sorry to hear about your job troubles. I know it's tough out there right now...I play in a rock band as a hobby, and three of the five guys in it are unemployed right now, which sucks (I'm self-employed and the other guy just found a job this past week, fortunately).

[chrisisoutrunning]

PE = Professional Engineer

 

Basically you either need a Bachelor's, 5 years of experience, and pass an exam, or a Master's, 4 years, and passing the same exam, to get it. With it you are allowed to certify drawings and i suppose open up your own firm if you wanted to. It's basically like having the training wheels taken off... and if you certify something and it goes wrong, you can be sued!

[saxyman1004]

We were told at work today that our force would be reduced by 7.

 

There are 19 of us. I got hired just this past September. Is McDonald's hiring?

[JJHardy7]

Invader3K...what do you do if you don't mind me asking?

[Hammer]

Good luck to those that are looking and congrats to those that have found jobs. I feel 100% blessed to have found something and wish that feeling on everyone that is currently looking. These are probably some of the worst times that any of us will ever see...

[FVBrewerFan]

My advice is the same I've given to friends recently. Sending out resumes isn't good enough anymore. Don't be too proud to let eveyone you know that you're looking, and it's amazing how word gets around. Follow-up on the phone after you send a resume out. And don't just call the HR Dept., try to find out who your "boss" would be and try calling them. Most people appreciate persistence, and respect that you have a strong enough interest to call.

[Jimbo]

Just a question I have (post here vs. starting a new thread).

 

I have an op to work a full-time *temp* gig for about eight weeks. I have six weeks remaining on my Wisconsin UE. I wouldn't need to file for the weeks I'd be working. The question is, would I stil be eligible to collect the remaining state UE after the temp gig is up? I am thinking 'yes'. And how about the 40 weeks of Federal UE I would be in line for?

[thebruce44]

PE = Professional Engineer

 

Basically you either need a Bachelor's, 5 years of experience, and pass an exam, or a Master's, 4 years, and passing the same exam, to get it. With it you are allowed to certify drawings and i suppose open up your own firm if you wanted to. It's basically like having the training wheels taken off... and if you certify something and it goes wrong, you can be sued!

PE is 4 years experience as I am about to take it in the spring and only have a BS. Perhaps you are thinking of your SE?

 

Did you apply to Sargent and Lundy? They are always hiring structurals. My company hired two just out of school at the beginning of summer, but isn't hiring right now. Like you, I was unemployed for quite a while and got jerked around by a few companies. Keep your head up..I eventually had my dream job fall into my lap and am much happier here than I ever was at my old job.

[Buckylovesbeer]

DHonks

I teach at a Madison High School and the same thing that is going on in AZ is hitting us here. I have been the low guy on the ranking list for three years, and two years in a row my position has been cut. Both times, someone happened to leave our school and they kept me around. But at the end of each year, when budget cuts are needed, it hits the young teachers. Our school has cut positions in all four years I have been teaching, in every department. So each year I have been trying to find ways to make myself more valuable to the school. Coaching has helped, as I coach hoops and baseball. But at the end of the year, I sit and wonder where I will be.

I have been lucky in the fact that the school keeps finding positions for me. Unfortunately, I have been teaching in several different subjects and departments because of this. So my resume is a mess!

A friend (and frequent poster on BF) just locked down a spot in Madison by paying to get his special ed certification. Teachers here can help the cause by doing that, but then again, that is a very difficult field to get involved in. But that is not free!

 

I feel for everyone out there who has specialized training, and yet, cannot find (or lock down) a job that is "perfect" for them. This market is tough. Hang in there!

[Jimbo]

Appearantly I am the top choice at a company I interviewed with last month. It turns out the pay would be $15K less than my last job and the location is three hours away. I would get a second place to crash and do the weekly commute thing. I'd only work this gig until the economy improves. Also at this place, three senior manages have been replaced in the last six weeks (~200 employees). I have 54 weeks UE remaining.

 

So, do I politely turn them down and take my chances at finding something local? I'm an engineer going on 20 years, BTW.

[danzig6767]

When i saw the title of the thread, i was going to say the worst words you can hear are we put extra onions on your meal, then i read the posts in the thread.

 

My good buddy has been unemployed for nearly a year now. He has got numerous call backs and interviews, but never gets the job. He's beyond frustrated and is now a mix of depressed over it and terrified that what if he finds no job before unemployment runs out. I know he's applied at hundreds of jobs and no luck. My uncle has been unemployed forever also, but that i love to see because he's a complete scumbag.

[jjkoestler]

Appearantly I am the top choice at a company I interviewed with last month. It turns out the pay would be $15K less than my last job and the location is three hours away. I would get a second place to crash and do the weekly commute thing. I'd only work this gig until the economy improves. Also at this place, three senior manages have been replaced in the last six weeks (~200 employees). I have 54 weeks UE remaining.

 

So, do I politely turn them down and take my chances at finding something local? I'm an engineer going on 20 years, BTW.

I would politely decline if you are in a situation where you absolutely do not need a job. That is a pretty substantial decrease in pay (salary, commute, rent, time, etc), you don't need the experience for your resume or networking, and you have 54 weeks to find something better. Just my 2 cents... Best of luck with whatever you decide.

[GAME05]

being unemployed is the worst job anyone can ever have.

 

i'll be hitting the job market in about July with a Masters degree, but no real experience in the field. i'll probably have the beautiful situation of not having the experience for a management job, but too much education for a lower-level job. i'll be moving with not much money at all and no unemployment to back me up, so my first task will be to apply at a camping store and cross my fingers that minimum wage will be enough to get me by. since i'm not tied down, hopefully i'll be able to find roommates or a cheap place that will let me go on a month-to-month basis, so that if i don't find career-type work in say, four months, that i could just move to the next city.

 

some of you know i've hiked the Appalachian Trail, and when i graduate in May i'm heading off on a very long kayaking trip. it was interesting after my hike that some prospective employers really saw that as a positive trait and a few were genuinely excited to meet me (i think i got some interviews just because they wanted to talk about my hike). but another reaction i got from prospective employers was because of my adventuring, they understandably wondered if i would later quit their job for the next big trip. now i do my best to emphasize to employers that despite my history i'm actually looking to settle down and stay in one place for a while.

[FVBrewerFan]

It really does seem to be half, or more, luck. Can we create our own luck by activley looking for opportunities, meeting peole, etc.? Sure, of course. But even through all that, just plain old luck seems to be involved with anyone who is very successful, and with someone who is out of work. I've had huge swings in my career. Quit a job without another lined up. Fired from another. Income levels have swung wildly from one extreme to the other throughout my career.

 

I think the most important decision that needs to be made is whther you're willing to relocate. Expanding WHERE you'll work will expand your chances of landing a good job. (For me, that's NOT an option at the moment.) So if I get fired today, I will have to do my best to make it work right here in WI. But this is a huge decision, with huge consequences. Along the same lines,I do know people who are commited to living in WI, but didn't get a degree that really fits the jobs available here.

 

I do believe we're all better off taking ANY job while we search for what we really want. It shows potential employers you have a work ethic. They understand times have been tough, but they will have a hard time understanding why you are unemployed for two years. (as an example.)

[GAME05]

i'll agree with that for the most part, FV. certainly the Top 5 candidates for most every job could do the work and have the experience, but it's just that odd thing you can't really describe why one of those five gets the job over the other--same thing as explaining why one girl likes you when another doesn't.

 

to your post, i would add either the in-between job you mentioned, or doing some charity work. you gotta fight the stereotype that unemployed people just sit around all day and do nothing.

 

though i'm still debating Austin or Boise, i'll have that opportunity to move anywhere in the US at basically the drop of a hat. but it seems tough that unless you're interviewing for a high-paying job, you have to pay your own way to the interview. pay your way only a few times and that's hugely expensive. i know you can do phone interviews, but the employer will want to see you at some point before you're hired. to this, i'll ask employers if i have a realistic shot at the job before i pay to go there, but it's still hard to always trust that i have a decent and equal shot at the job. "Willing to relocate" to me is more about cutting off your job search in one city after a set period of time and then moving elsewhere, instead of applying for a job that's 500 miles away. not to mention in this market, companies have plenty of candidates that i'm sure they don't want to bother with the hassle of a long-distance applicant.

[Jimbo]

I was on the same thought lines as jjkoestler - "take the points off the board" and try for a bigger score.

 

I was conference call in the process of politely declining the position, but then they made the sales pitch - mentioning incentives and benefits that would bring the compensation somewhat close to what I had before.

 

Then I was FV's corner. "A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush."

 

I start the 20th, after a short trip to Nashville and hopefully catching a Sounds game.

[hawing]

Congratulations on finding something, Jimbo.