Employment Advice

This September will be the two year anniversary of my husband being laid off after 23 years of excellent service. I remember the day so clearly... It was 9:50 in the morning - I heard the garage door open as I was heading out to a dentist appointment. I was thinking that Dusty (my husband) might have an appointment near the house and wanted to surprise me and say hi.... I walked to the door and asked him what's up.... His face was white (in shock) and he said "I'm so sorry - I was just fired" My first reaction was that he has got to be playing a joke... Dusty tends to do that... "No, I am serious" He said that the Regional VP called him into his office and fired him.... (we did not know at the time that ALL the VP of Sales like my husband were being fired across the nation.)
Dusty's company had been bought out my a Japanese company and they had too many Chiefs working.. The company was losing money... The loyalty for Dusty's previous company's employees were non-existent. What really got my goat is this: Dusty had won Regional Sales Manager of the Year eight months prior - He was promoted to VP of Sales and won the biggest contract in the history of the company for over 17 million dollars... The company had to cut costs and Dusty was a cost.... The sneaky and unethical thing the company did was try to fire Dusty for cause - some trumped up charge that was later proven false - The Regional VP was the guilty party... Dusty had to fight for his 23 years of service compensation package... It was not a contest - the company knew they were trying to pull a fast one to try and save money where they could... Thankfully, after contacting an attorney, the company admitted their bad judgment in so many words.. nothing in writing of course - but delivered his compensation quickly.. It's sad that the company was willing to lie and steal to save a few bucks... I wonder how they sleep at night.

One thing I have learned is that you must be aware of your rights when and if you are terminated... You must have a copy of your employer's handbook - You must keep all your pay-plan paperwork at your home. Commission break downs - letters of praise - anything that you feel is worthy of keeping - because if you are terminated you will NOT have a chance to recover those items... KEEP A SEPARATE FILE AT HOME


During this time, I discovered how much Dusty really needed me. I am a take charge kind of person in a crisis - and Dusty was in shock.. He temporarily lost his self esteem - he was bruised..... He was hurt... He was afraid... For the first time since college he was unemployed... He had a family to take care of... It's funny that I wasn't fearful.... I know God gave me a calm heart - at least I was not afraid.. I had to be a motivator for Dusty - I helped him with his resume - I got unemployment checks coming in - and I researched ways to get a job... Fast. Thankfully, Dusty was back to work within four (4) months - We were the lucky ones... But we also created our own luck by treating the job search as a job....

In today's economy there are more people looking for jobs than there are jobs. The people who are getting hired are the ones who are working the system.. They have contacted as many job sites as possible, they have gotten their resume updated and ready to go - many have hired companies to make them more attractive to potential employers, and they are calling every contact they have made in their entire working life... (This is how Dusty got his current position) If you want to work you must be proactive - you must spend your days making contacts with potential employers and letting friends, acquaintances, and family know you are looking and what you are looking for... Don't be shy - pass out your resume.... Being shy will not put food in your belly..

Below is a bunch of links to help you in your job search - if you need them or maybe a friend, a sister, a brother, or someone you know that is searching. Good luck and God be with you..

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Please be advised I am not an expert on getting a job - that is not my career. I am sharing information I learned from my experience.