Why is so hard to find a job. O/T

Edmhydraulics

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Join Date
Apr 2014
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Beaumont
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173
So I got a call about a week ago as I was driving from one customer to the other, about 450km's apart. "Hey can you stop by the shop and drop your keys, computer and phone, we are laying you off". This after I had just secured a $500,000 sale for a bunch of HPU's and while I had a customers system taken apart and was heading up north to put it back together.

I begged the owner to "allow" me to continue working for another day so I could get said customer back up and running. Only because my personal reputation was at stake, and I didnt want to leave him high and dry over a stupid decision by the company I worked for.

I know what it was, I was forced out not laid off, my new boss had never called me, spoke to me, or sent me an email in the 4 months since he was assigned the job. So I get it, he didnt like me for some reason, he was a dinosaur anyways, hated electronic controls because he was scared of them. No loss there.

A while ago, the recruiters were banging on the door, I actually started to get a bit snippy with them because when pressed regarding specifics for a particular job they would come back with some HR written garbage that could have been describing a refuse collector or the president of the company. Which I saw as just plain laziness on the part of the recruiter who was just after his or her commission. Needless to say, they must have a group chat somewhere and blacklisted me and now I cant get one of them to answer an email.

Rant, Rave, Rant, Rave.

So here I am, 20 years of experience designing, building, testing, troubleshooting, programming, hydraulic related equipment and units and for the life of me, its very difficult to get someone to answer an email. I have applied for all manner of jobs, from service tech, to sales. What happened to the brain drain, and the skills gap due to retirement of the baby boomers?

I know that the oilpatch is a tough place to get work right now due to low oil prices, but this is ridiculous.

It really makes me wonder.

Edm.
 
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Look into other industries as well.
Don't limit yourself to the field you're comfortable with.
Food industry is always a good option.
You have the experience, go for it and don't look back.
 
That is really pathetic on behalf of your ex boss to not let you finish what you started first... if only you could take that work elsewhere.

I am also in Alberta and so far i am working steady. Message me, I know of a few different places still looking for automation guys.
 
Wow, that is a ****ty way to go! Seems like you have the right attitude tho, making sure your client is good before you leave.

I think the oil problems may be the main reason for the quiet market.

1. Employees of oil companies are being laid off, returning to the market
2. Secondary companies (ship builders/equipment manufacturers etc) are halting growth, if not laying off people.
3. All this drizzles down to suppliers.

I am contracted by a Norwegian company and it is the same here. For now there is enough to do, but business is not booming like it was.

Good luck on the hunt!
 
Ruddy politics and idiots in management positions! So glad I work for myself and do not have to take **** from anyone except the missus! Bosses are many time absolutely hopeless and do not have a clue - ring the customer and let him know what has happened - that way you do not look like a deserter but certainly makes the company look like a lot of incompetent boofheads! Keeps your head above water - they may even engage you to finish the job directly. I will never work for a boss again - end of line! Most would not employ me anyway - too up front. Have you thought about having a go on your own? I did it at age 59 - best thing I ever did.
 
I was once laid off half way through a job. The reason was, I was already thinking of going it alone and my boss heard of it.

The first thing I did was call that customer and tell them I would finish that job if they used me instead of my now old company.

They agreed and so started my solo career :)
 
An idea: Call the customer with the unfinished project.
Tell them what has happened and that you are not to blame.
Offer them that they hire you to finish the job. Without the mark-up that they have/had to pay your company for your time, it may be far less expensive for them than they imagine. So you have good chance to get a pay-check for at least some time. And who knows, maybe it can lead to something.
 
Although it deffinitely sounds like a good opportunity to start your own company right now.with the markets it may be hard.to.get.more.work afterwards so I'd still keep looking. I am fortunate that I am a fulltime Contractor for CNRL and rather than laying people off they are just taking pay cuts in an effort to.keep everyone. and not end up on the news for.mass layoffs. but nice I am not an Employee I still worry my time may come... good luck
 
Go out on your own if you can. Sounds like you know your business sector well.

Call the customer and see if they will hire you to finish the job and it may lead to others. I would take that customer for the 500K sale with me also.

Did you sign a non compete? if they handle their business my laying people off like that and by leaving customers high and dry mid repair I doubt they were smart enough to get a non compete from you.

if you didn't I would destroy them by taking every customer they have. You know the customer base and the business and you know their weak spots because you are a former employee so mop the floor with them.

I would make it my goal to put them out of business quickly because of how shi*%y they treated you. When they have to close up shop stop by and thank them for all the profits.
 
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Thank you everyone for your responses, I am doing a bit of contracting to my former employer right now. I have tossed around the idea of working for myself, but its the issue of startup capital that has me wondering if its possible.

Although I was angry at the way I was let go, I am not vindictive about it as thats not the professional way to deal with it. I also dont want to get in a position where I will get sued, but if my former customers want to work with me, then I am not going to say no.

Thanks again everyone.

Edm.
 
Please don't take this wrong or personal but I have feeling that we are missing a piece or two of this puzzle.

So I got a call about a week ago as I was driving from one customer to the other, about 450km's apart. "Hey can you stop by the shop and drop your keys, computer and phone, we are laying you off". This after I had just secured a $500,000 sale for a bunch of HPU's and while I had a customers system taken apart and was heading up north to put it back together.

I begged the owner to "allow" me to continue working for another day so I could get said customer back up and running. Only because my personal reputation was at stake, and I didnt want to leave him high and dry over a stupid decision by the company I worked for.

I know what it was, I was forced out not laid off, my new boss had never called me, spoke to me, or sent me an email in the 4 months since he was assigned the job. So I get it, he didnt like me for some reason, he was a dinosaur anyways, hated electronic controls because he was scared of them. No loss there.

A while ago, the recruiters were banging on the door, I actually started to get a bit snippy with them because when pressed regarding specifics for a particular job they would come back with some HR written garbage that could have been describing a refuse collector or the president of the company. Which I saw as just plain laziness on the part of the recruiter who was just after his or her commission. Needless to say, they must have a group chat somewhere and blacklisted me and now I cant get one of them to answer an email.

Rant, Rave, Rant, Rave.

So here I am, 20 years of experience designing, building, testing, troubleshooting, programming, hydraulic related equipment and units and for the life of me, its very difficult to get someone to answer an email. I have applied for all manner of jobs, from service tech, to sales. What happened to the brain drain, and the skills gap due to retirement of the baby boomers?

I know that the oilpatch is a tough place to get work right now due to low oil prices, but this is ridiculous.

It really makes me wonder.

Edm.
 
You may know that I sell hydraulic motion controllers. I will ask my regional sales manager for western Canada to keep watch for openings.
Also, contact PQ Systems. They are our western Canada distributor and will probably know more than we do about where the new projects are. They may know of projects in Alberta or BC or integrators that need people in Alberta.

I got laid off in 1985 at least I was in the office but some of the others were out in the field. Now the company that laid me off is one of my best customers. Don't burn bridges.

Canada buys more motion controllers per capita than any other country including the US. Most are for the saw mill industry that seems to be busy for now.
 
You know, I have been racking my brain on that one, I really had no inclination this was going to happen at all. I was busy working with my customers and had no real idea that I was going to get let go. For whatever reason, I think my new boss really didnt like me, I have never worked with him before so I dont know why. The company had been loosing money for some time, but I thought at least my job was going to be somewhat secure given the success I had recently.

Either way, it doesnt matter now anyways. On to bigger and better things.

Edm.
 

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