WWYD: Job Edition UPDATE in comments

[sadlebred]

As most know by now I lost my job. Let's say I'm a teapot engineer. The teapot engineers and teapot designers were outsourced. Recently I saw a position open at my old company on my old team for a lead teapot engineer doing exactly what I used to do. There are a few differences, but I'm very well qualified to apply. My manager was pretty good; he backed up his team. I never really had a problem with him. Very neutral for a manager, and I've had some really bad ones. I felt like he supported what we did, but his hands were tied in a lot of red tape to try to get things changed faster.

Would you apply or not? I'm really torn. There are not many openings for teapot engineers right now for exactly what I do. There are for senior teapot analyst, but that's not something I'm really qualified for. I do something niche in a niche area.

Half of me says yes, I need a job. The other half says I don't want to be at that company anymore. The other half says this team was always pretty good, but that team is gone now.

Adding: Here's the wrench....if I get offered the job and don't take it I don't get a severance package. If I leave now I get a severance.

[Susie]

Always apply, always interview.  Then decide whether you want it, with more information in hand.

[scm1011]

Agreed - can't hurt to apply.

[deadwing]

There is no downside to applying.

[jinkies]

How long has it been since you worked there? Why did you leave? Do you know any other current employees that you could talk to about the current climate at the company (especially if it's been a while?)

[cville]

Why not? Worst case, you don't get an interview.

[dexteroni]

Ditto Susie - apply and interview, then go from there. Your heart and head will tell you if you want to take it or not. Good luck!

[sadlebred]

Sept 12, 2024 13:39:45 GMT -5 jinkies said:

How long has it been since you worked there? Why did you leave? Do you know any other current employees that you could talk to about the current climate at the company (especially if it's been a while?)

2 weeks (officially employed still for a few more weeks for not working). I was caught up in a large reduction in force along several hundred other teapot dept. employees that happened over the summer. The climate appeared as it always was. I'm neutral on the company...but the healthcare benefits are amazing.

[sadlebred]

Here's the wrench....if I get offered the job and don't take it I don't get a severance package. If I leave now I get a severance.

[Deleted]

So they outsourced you, just to immediately post the opening for your exact job?

What is the salary like compared to your previous salary?

[lust2hart]

Even with the update, I'd still apply and interview, and take the job if offered unless it is clear from the interview that it's going to be truly terrible. If you get back into the job and it's not all it's cracked up to be, start looking again.

[1yeartogo]

Sept 12, 2024 13:46:02 GMT -5 @villainv said:

So they outsourced you, just to immediately post the opening for your exact job?

What is the salary like compared to your previous salary?

This how can they get rid of you and then post almost the same job something here is wrong.

[sadlebred]

Sept 12, 2024 13:46:02 GMT -5 @villainv said:

So they outsourced you, just to immediately post the opening for your exact job?

What is the salary like compared to your previous salary?

Sort of...they often do this with positions. Big company politics/policies. They eliminate all teapot engineers with the knowledge that they will hire X number back within Y months since they can't function without them.

The salary could be as much as 10% higher than my previous one.

[dexteroni]

Oh this is your current employer? I was assuming it was a company where you worked before this one. Hmm. That’s a tougher call. How long have you worked there? How often do they do these mass layoffs and rehires?

[livinitup]

How much is the severance worth verses a reasonable guess on the offer?

What’s to stop them from lowballing your offer to blow up your severance (or is that not an issue?)

When is your last paycheck (income date)? How long can you last without your income until it hurts?

If you get something biggish like 6 months severance, is it reasonable that you would be employed in 6 months or less?


Overall, go with the plan that puts the most money in your pocket.

[Tacocat]

How many weeks is your severance? It could take 3-6 months to find a new job depending on your job/market. So that would be a big factor for whether or not I’d interview. And do you really want to stay with a company that could possibly eliminate/lay you off again if things are unstable?

[sadlebred]

Sept 12, 2024 14:00:05 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Oh this is your current employer? I was assuming it was a company where you worked before this one. Hmm. That’s a tougher call. How long have you worked there? How often do they do these mass layoffs and rehires?

Yes, current employer. Not quite 20 years. The teapot dept. is always subject to these mass layoffs. They don't do "mass hires" back, but they do hire back about 10% of the RIFed employees either to the original dept or another dept. RIFed employees get preferential status for any job that is open, but it's not a guarantee you'll get hired back.

[sadlebred]

Sept 12, 2024 15:25:31 GMT -5 Tacocat said:

How many weeks is your severance? It could take 3-6 months to find a new job depending on your job/market. So that would be a big factor for whether or not I’d interview. And do you really want to stay with a company that could possibly eliminate/lay you off again if things are unstable?

The company itself isn't going anywhere. Too big to fail (think Kellogs, Ford, or Campbells--maybe a merger but they wouldn't fail). They RIF/outsource/rightsize, whatever you want to call it constantly.

I'd probably get severance again unless they offer a "comparable" job. Let's just say after being there for 20 years the severance makes things tolerable for a while.

[waverly]

If I got 6 + months severance, I would probably take the severance becasue it gives time to find another job.

If I got 3 months severance, I would probably apply. 3 months is going to go by very quickly. I guess it also depends on how easy it is to find a job in your area.

[4speedy]

Apply and interview. If things progress but it doesn’t seem like a good fit say “It seems like this particular position is not an ideal match for either of us at the moment. I would love to be considered for future positions so in order the leave things on good terms for both of us, I would like to remove my application for the current position from consideration. I hope we’ll get a chance to talk again when a better match comes up.” You’ve not turned down an offer and you’ve not burned any bridges.

[orangello]

Apply, take the job, and continue to look for a better job while you’re there. The economy is still too much of an unknown for me to be comfortable potentially (likely?) being without a job after the severance runs out.

[wanderingback]

Since it sounds like you do something in a niche area and say there aren’t many other jobs I would absolutely apply (and likely accept) since it doesn’t sound like there are other prospects. You can still keep looking for other jobs when you get a new job.

[cricketwife]

I’d love to tell them to shove it, but as someone who works in a niche market, I understand that it’s complicated. I would probably apply. But I would want answers to livinitup,s question about if they can just lowball you to screw you from a severance.

[konapoppy]

With everything you have shared on here, I would 100% apply for the internal role. Beyond the severance and finding a new job factors of you don’t, you also won’t qualify for FMLA for a year on the new job (and some companies have different interpretations of ADA on reasonable medical accommodation). I would go for the security if you can.

[gummybear]

Did you get WARNed?
This sounds exactly like what happened to me at my Big Pharma job a lifetime ago. I was the only tea member who took the severance package. It was 6 months, and one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Can you interview and then remove yourself if you aren’t getting a good vibe and still get severance? What’s the healthcare situation?

I hate big companies 😡

[sadlebred]

@livinitup for something my paygrade or higher I would maintain at least my current salary. If I applied for something below my current paygrade, they could reduce my pay.

konapoppy Trust me the FMLA and health insurance (and pension) keep me coming back to this internal role. Plus, with no Mr. Sadle stability has also crossed my mind.

cricketwife I don't work in a niche industry, but what I do is niche to large companies. Maybe I'm a painted ceramic teapot engineer instead of a teapot engineer and only large companies in certain industries have this position.

gummybear Technically no, BUT they follow WARN guidelines from my understanding. We "officially" get 30 days notice but received 60 days as a "courtesy." I can remove myself from consideration immediately after the interview. It's as easy as going into the HR system and marking my "application withdrawn" or however it's phrased.

I am going to sleep on thing tonight.

[wise_rita]

I think it's win-win to apply. If you get the job you've got an income again. If you don't get it you get the severance to tide you over until you can find another one.

As long as the company doesn't play dirty and offer bogus pay and benefits to keep you between a rock and a hard place.

[mrsukyankee]

My H is in a similar position. If a job came up with his company that he'd like (with a team he'd be okay with), he'd apply even if he'd lose his severance. And then he could decide if he wanted it after interviewing and finding out more. We've talked through this - getting a job with the company (which he's not happy with right now due to direction) would be fine as he does get a lot of benefit from working there, and not taking a job and sticking with the severance would also be fine (as it's a good severance). So far, none of the jobs he's received have been awful.

[IrishBelle]

Definitely apply. If it was me, I would prefer the security of having a job now rather than waiting out the severance and risk not having a job then. You could always continue looking for other jobs

[hermione]

I'd apply, take the job if offered, and keep looking for a new job.