Lay off coming...
 

My company is getting ready to do a massive layoff. They have been talking about it for months now. The layoff will happen or at least start in the first week of August.

My previous company was known for doing little layoffs here and there usually around the time they needed to post earnings. I left them for the company I'm at now a year ago at the end of August. It's a mostly new gig in sales rather than IT infrastructure support. Rather than being the on call guy - I'm the vendor now.

I have really been enjoying the gig - it's been great. I've done well overall - my 'numbers' are good and my reviews have been great - fantastic even. I was assigned some difficult customers and have repaired bad relationships and brought in a good deal of business. I haven't gotten every deal but 'you can't win them all' I guess.

The layoffs looming are frustrating...I was going through this at the previous employer. I hope I make it through this of course. I had been trying to get into this company for a few years. I believe in the product and really couldn't see myself selling any other company's wares. My boss says I'm safe but as much as I trust him - which I do - I just don't think he knows anything.

I'm tempted to start sending out resumes but I'm also a bit confused to what jobs I should be applying. Should I try to stick with sales or go back to the old grind?

This is frustrating.

Update your Resume and start looking.

There is no way you or your boss can predict the future so plan and prepare for the worst.

--------------------------------------------------

So what do you like doing? Tech support or sales? >>> Do what you really want to do.

Personally I don't like sales. However a big part of my job is client relationships and ongoing account management.
I've always been good at fixing things so that's why I switched from nursing to IT support but now I'm a team leader.
I'm happy but I miss the days of actually fixing something for real.

/subscribed

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best... good luck!

That bites!

Put a plan together now in the event the worse happens. Hopefully, you won't need it.

Cisco?

That's too bad, Mike, that you and others can't have confidence in the "company." I'm sure you deserve better. I'm not sure they deserve you.

Very unfortunate - as I learned the hard way, it doesn't matter how good your numbers are. Sometimes it's simply a matter of "cut the highest salaries". So I'd say send resumes now. Never hurts. Decide what you WANT to do and start with that.

Good luck. Hopefully it'll be much ado about nothing but just in case you'll already have a leg up.

if your numbers are good you should be safe. A lot depends on your attitude toward the comany. I have been thru this before and never get use to it. I have been in sales for the last 40 years, this type of thing always goes on. Without good salesman the company will never make it. That being said, the best of luck to you.

SmileWavy

Been there, good luck. I had a similar gig for a competitor, great when it was. You know it's all about relationships, the announcement is a good reason to run through your contact list and keep touch. Make sure you have your contacts backed up on a personal usb, not on anything connected to the company.

You mentioned wanting to work for this company. Take a look at what they are doing outside of the possible unpleasant affect on yourself and other employees. Are they doing the right things to be a successful business? You want to work for a good company that aggressively pursues the tactics to be successful. Then you want to be a notable contributor. No better place to do so than sales.

Well, the potentially good news. I know lots of folks that work at the same company, and was even a contractor there myself years ago. Unless things have changed, the severance packages are pretty nice, and the market for what we do (at least in Houston and several other cities around Texas) seems to be very good. I know that someone of Mike's caliber won't have a problem getting a job.

It's nice that Mike's boss says he's got nothing to worry about. That may be completely true. There may be some level of input that bosses have at times. There's a reason that the company is what it is. Still, pretty scary facing it, and I would prefer to be prepared.

prepare 2 resumes. When you search, search for both.

+1

I was of a group of 6 "managers without people" (Program Manager/Project Managers) and I think we were all in the $100K club. We were the first group cut.

It is likely that your boss knows. Typically with these the upper mgmt will tell the boss how many people he has to let go. So he chooses.

No reason not to be prepared though!

I've gone through this a few times and even twice with the same boss at two different employers. First time I was canned. Second time, he started out (again) with, "This is not a reflection of your performance.......but we're keeping you! Ha ha ha!" Yeah, I really loved that suspense.