Redundancy

zook

So, as the title aludes to I just got made redundant. Classic big corporate meeting share market targets.
I'd only been with the company just under 3 years, but due to circumstance (ie it was borderline unfair dismissal) I got a generous payout, they re-wrote my resume and are helping with my LinkedIn profile. As well as a job title change and references from several of senior management. We now have enough in the bank to live a nice lifestyle for the rest of the year or a cheap on for a couple of years, thankfully money isn't an issue.


Unfortunately attraction has taken a hit, and I'm getting quite a lot of firm no's now when I know from previous experience I've ticket every other box.... Something I'm going to have to work out what other area's to step up in to get the balance right again.

I've decided I need to keep routine, and I'd love any/all advice as blunt or constructive as need be, my weekdays will be structured as follows.

0630, Get up and eat breakfast with my wife, and get the pet monkey ready for the day. 
0730 Walk/cycle to Before school care (keeping my daughter routine as close to possible to when I am working. Cost is $20/day so cheap enough it wont hurt immediately)
0830 Make myself a coffee and spend a minimum 1 hour job hunting, (linkedin/resume/browsing recruiters/cold calling)
1000 Do dishes/washing/house chores as needed for a maximum of 1.5 hours
1130 Go for a cycle or gym on alternate days. visit my wife/friends for lunch. Run any errands.
1330 Do an odd job around the house that needs to be ticked. De-clutter/fix/clean/scrub/whatever.
1500 Time out - watch a movie/personal projects/motorbike service
1600 prepare dinner
1630 Pick up pet monkey from after school care
1530 Normal nighttime routine of Dinner, bath, family board game, reading etc

Seems a little cluttered when I write it all out like that. And depending on how things flow I'll adjust everything 30 minutes one way or another. And if anything is missing PLEASE let me know. 
The other thing I struggle with is my wife is terrible with housework, how much now that I'm not working do I let her drop the ball, vs the argument of 'but your not working' which she is unlikely to throw at me but will be thinking.

Tennee

This is just me, but I'd be treating 'Job Hunting' like its my new full time job.

Blackwulf

I'm not sure what you do for a living but I believe the first week or two you are out of work 1/day is fine but I would ramp it up after.  When I have been serious about my job search in the past at the partner/manager level I have treated it like a job working 4-6 hours a day, mostly networking and job search, and I didn't stay unemployed long but I also could tell my wife didn't lose any attraction since she was a SAHM and could see me getting out interviewing.  

Blackwulf

@Tennee cross posted, but yes my thoughts in a nutshell.  

zook

Noted. Little nervous on that approach for the fact that I've failed until I haven't? And I struggle keeping the negativity at bay.

previously trade. Hardly any work
about. Moved into 'services co-ordinator / facilities management' type role. Not enough 'resume experience' yet to step into another role, but due to the scale of the building I was in, more than enough to take on all but the most complex buildings.

Angeline

Are you differentiating yourself? Are you well versed in the various building management systems, especially those that monitor the health of mech systems, security, and energy use? Can you present yourself as someone who can not only watch over the facilities without incident, but proactively solve problems such as saving energy costs, prevent downtime due to breakdowns, etc.?

wanderingTheDesert

First, sorry you have to deal with the loss of you job.

Of my colleagues who have quickly recovered from job loss, the common elements involved making the job hunt a profession. They would maintain a schedule, got up, dressed professionally for work, and "went to work". That often meant a Starbucks, library, or other place, but it minimized the distractions of home.  Bonus points if it's a place you can connect with business owner types. 

About the the before/after care, you might choose to see this as an opportunity to get some extra quality time with the child. 

Lastly, in my area, there are many facilities companies which offer contract employment that is full- or part-time, and some are even on a remote basis. If that's available where you are, part time contract work could be a good way to meet a future employer. 

zook

@Angeline - I'm able to differentiate myself with the experience. Not many people here can say they have worked in a building as complex as I've come from, nor with the reporting requirments.


@wanderingTheDesert - We decided to keep the little one in care as the cost is very low, places are hard to get (ie if I get work next week it will potentially take until next term to get her back in). And she doesnt cope well to changes in her routine... I am spending extra time in the mornings, picking her up early. And as a result of getting chores done during the day we get more family time of a night time as well.

I have a desk/workspace set up at home. and am comfortable working there, I actually get more distracted when I'm out for some reason. I'm making sure I get up and shower and get ready for the day as per usual.

As I dig deeper I'm finding recruiters, this is the first 'professional' job I've hunted for. Previously in trade it was send out a group text and cold call once a week. I've also been told to look into 'toastmasters' which is my task for today.

Thanks for all the advice. Keep it coming.

wanderingTheDesert

@zook. Sounds like you're headed in a positive direction. 

For or the sake of lurkers, let's be clear that the word "professional" describes the person and not the job. I've worked with ditch diggers who are vastly more professional than some of my executives. 

I'd also suggest updating here as an accountability thread for your progress. 

zook

Update. Picked up a couple days labouring via word of mouth. 

Its made me miss working in a trade, I'm not sure wether it's just the excitement of something new, or if I'm genuinely just feeling better from the extra
movement in my day and less stress?

Which has put me at a bit of a cross roads, do I return to my trade and accept the volatility that comes with it and decline as more things come pre-fabbed from overseas. 

Do I continue on my current path of Facilities Manager in a highly technical/automated buildings. And accept the stress and desk time.

Or do I do something completely left field, very high risk and potentially blow my redundancy pay and open my own bicycle repair shop?

frillyfun

How hard is it to open a business you are?  Is repairing bikes something you can do at your house?

Money is a red for you right now.  I know you have some in the bank, but it's very important to keep that moving in the right direction.  

I have one friend who's husband has a trade- summers are fine, but in the winter he doesn't have work.  He'll do just about anything to put food on the table.  His wife is attracted.  Another same situation, but he plays a lot of Legos during the winter.  He's single now.

Work your math backwards to see if opening a shop could work.  How much do you need coming in every month?  Then divide that by the hourly rate you'd charge for fixing things.  Then you have the number of hours you'd need to work.  Then double that number because you'll be spending at least double that amount of time answering the phone, doing paperwork, talking to customers, and trying to drum up business.

Does it all seem workable?  My guess is that the answer is no.  The fact that you have to ask if it's a good idea to start a business tells me you're not ready to be self-employed.  It requires a huge shift in thinking, and I don't think you're there.

If you can do a little paperwork, and put out a few ads to get some business then I don't think it's a bad idea to get a little pocket money while you search for a job.  If it involves risking any of the money you have, or taking a lot of time away from a job hunt then no.  Don't do it.

You have a small child.  Your first responsibility is to her upbringing.  I think sticking on the facilities management path is the right move here.

Pen_and_Sword

Tennee said:

This is just me, but I'd be treating 'Job Hunting' like its my new full time job.

Including leaving the house every day.

zook

Really struggling to stay positive. Attraction has tanked completely since I've lost my job. We hadn't had any contact for a couple weeks prior because 'she's tired'
Im getting resentful as I'm feeling like I'm just here to clean up after her during the day and otherwise don't exist.
daughter has picked up on it and is ignoring any requests and needing lots of cuddles, despite my protests wife lets her in our bed in the middle of the night and I find out later when I get woken up.

Im feeling the fog of depression and numbness and lack of motivation creep in, and I'm slowly checking out of basically everything. 

Id worked so damn hard to drag my self worth away from the relationship and now one of the big things I leant on was my job and that's been snatched away from me. 

I I just want to run away at the moment Sorry for the rant, really struggling at the moment 

MrsJon

@zook ; am so sorry you are struggling right now.
How much time are you spending outdoors on a daily basis?  I know when I was depressed that was one of the first things that made a difference. Can you plan to spend half an hour every morning and evening outside? It doesn't much matter what you do. Take a walk, sweep the path, weed the garden, play ball with your little one. Anything, just get outside and be active at least twice a day. It won't solve your employment problem, but it will help your energy level and attitude and that will make all the difference.

You will get another job. You will. Be patient with yourself as you go through this.

As far as feeling like you are just cleaning up after your wife? Well, if living with her mess all day is stressful, then that is a huge amount of negative energy for you, and you don't need that right now. So if you have to clean it up, do it, but as a gift to yourself, for now. Just do it in a way that benefits you, without rewarding her too much. Can you do a speed clean of the kitchen and bathroom every morning after she leaves? Dump all her stuff and/or clutter in a basket or box and leave in the basement or garage? That way you haven't thrown anything away, and she knows where things are, but you have a clean space to spend the day in. Just a few thoughts anyway.

Sending positive thoughts your way for you and your job hunting.

Tennee

OK, couple things.   RE:  Bike repair shop, have you done a business plan?  A real, proper business plan?  No one can answer this:  "Or do I do something completely left field, very high risk and potentially blow my redundancy pay and open my own bicycle repair shop?" without proper information.  A proper market analysis/business plan will help you understand this.  Get help - I bet there are resources available to help you (In the US, the SBA has tons of stuff on its sight, it might translate in Oz as well). 

I Awesomed you for the temp work - good on you.   Look, here's how I'd attack this.  Get the resume in shape, start networking, cold calling, etc. on your current profession - facilities management.   Spent time on this each day - cold calling, headhunters, networking, sending letters of interest with your resume, etc. 

If you can bring in some cash via your trade on a PT/flex basis, I'd do that to fill in gaps.  If you can pick up a couple/three days a week work, or some weekend / evening stuff, man do it.   If they fired me tomorrow, I would muck out horse stalls, dig ditches, whatever to bring in some cash - any cash.  If this is something you can do on an ad-hoc basis while focusing on the facilities management hunt, DO.IT. 

I would also dive fully in to a proper business plan re: bike shop.   Seek resources (bet there's free stuff for you), ask questions, visit bike shops in other towns / areas and ask questions etc.   Bet you'll be surprised how much info they will volunteer if they don't view you as competition - e.g. another city, or on the other side of town, etc. 

That it man, that's the plan of attack I would execute each week:  1) cash comes in each week from my old trade 2) half time is focused on facilities management (or related) job search and 3) at night and on weekends, business plan analysis for the bike shop.  That's your job for now. 

Give yourself these 'jobs'.  "Im feeling the fog of depression and numbness and lack of motivation creep in, and I'm slowly checking out of basically everything. " - do these 3 things like mad and you'll check right back in.  Because you'll have to. 

My $.02. 

zook

I did a plan for a shop a while ago. Revisiting it, it's doing not much more than buying me a wage and maybe extra stress unless I find a shopfront with extremely low rent.

Picked up some casual labouring work. Which has made ends meet for the next couple of weeks... I definetly miss working outside with my hands and the (mostly) relaxed nature of physical work.

Have tracked down some specialist recruiters in the FM field. As well as general FM stuff.

Ive also updated my map to reflect a few things.

MrGrimm

Along with the job hunting, are there any projects around the house that you can get done?  That may help you feel like you've accomplished something at least.

zook

MrGrimm said:

Along with the job hunting, are there any projects around the house that you can get done?  That may help you feel like you've accomplished something at least.

That I am doing, all the small annoying decluttering jobs I've been putting off. Along with gardening and what not.

so interviews have come in thick and fast today.

2x trade jobs. 1 as a subbie and one wages - pretty sure I'm taking the wages one as its $100k plus perks. Fortnightly RDOs and lots of overtime available. Downside is 8-12months and I 'may' be in the same position again.

2x with recruiters for unknown FM roles. Assuming in the 70k range, long term in today's market 130k. No RDOs/perks. 

Current thinking is look into courses that could assist my FM career and wait until a role that has potential and will challenge me comes along...

what does the forums wisdom say?

zook

I should expand on my thinking a little more.

the trade position, along with our current savings (taking into account redundancy cash) will clear all debt and have a house deposit saved easily within the year. Even taking into account the possibility of pet monkey #2 entering the world. Which long term will give us a big leg up.

FM role will see debts cleared but not enough for a house purchase when my wife returns to work. 

Its the stability that has me second guessing myself.

Angeline

What is RDO and how often would you legitimately use it? 

zook

It's effectively every second Monday off.
Rostered day off.