Fired for Now: Getting fired, laid off, and hired again

If any of you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that this past week or so I’ve been rather quiet. That’s because my free time lately hasn’t been so free.

In the past month, I’ve been preparing my house to take in a renter in my basement. And it seems lately every evening and weekend is being spent clearing out over 20 years of living and getting it reading for the next 10. That’s a lot of clearing out to do. And a … Continue Reading

A few weeks back I posted about the quintessential recession marketing tool — the T-shirt. You could argue that it’s the most egalitarian form of public self-expression. (Or perhaps it was until blogs appeared.) And that post had some examples that made me laugh-out-loud (like “Scumbag Millionaires”).

You don’t need to have big bucks to pay for media. You don’t have to rely on some editor somewhere to judge your letter as print-worthy. You just have to lay put on a shirt and take to the streets. Herewith, Part … Continue Reading

When I was laid off, my children knew right away. I’m not good at hiding things and I sometimes wear my heart on my sleeve too much for my own good. Plus, my kids are big. Like young-adult big.

So when I lost my job, I felt a deep sense of shame in telling them the news. I felt like I had failed them. I wasn’t the parent they could be proud of. No child boasts about a parent who spends their days at home in sweat pants, on the phone and net in between reruns of Law and Order … Continue Reading

I have a confession to make.

I have to admit to a small-minded, not-so-pretty response to hearing the news that 16 more people were just let go by the company that laid me off last November.

Without question, my heart goes out to those affected. But there’s something else going on. While I hate what’s happening to the individuals, I also feel a sense of satisfaction at the news.

Okay, now you must think I’m some awful cruel-hearted monster. But no, what I’m feeling is a sense of vindication. And I think that … Continue Reading

I just got to experience job loss from the opposite side of the company door. And it is so terribly, awfully surreal.

As some of you know, I’m now a working stiff again. I’d barely warmed my chair here as a full-time employee when a senior employee of 15 years, with a VP to her title, left the building.

An email from the president announced the news. It blindsided everyone here. The “parting of the ways” was “effective immediately.” As a newbie, I had no history, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. All were in a state of complete … Continue Reading

I’ve never taken a class in economics and my eyes glaze over at a page of tables and numbers, so anything that helps me make sense of the current economic mess is appreciated.

When it explains that mess so thoroughly, at a pace that makes the minutes disappear and entertains as well, it’s a not-to-be-missed documentary for our times. That’s the film I.O.U.S.A.

Some critics have said I.O.U.S.A. is to the U.S. economy what An Inconvenient Truth was to the environment. It’s taken the dry subject of economics and cogently explains how the … Continue Reading

I’ve never been a good negotiator when it comes to salary and compensation. Or a car purchase. Or even a 20-year-old lamp sitting on the lawn of a garage sale.

I hate talking about money. It makes me uncomfortable.

And more than talking about money, I hate asking for it.

Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m female. It’s well documented that, compared to men, women make lousy negotiators. After all, we’re taught to please others and put our own needs second.

Now, over the course of my professional life, I’ve … Continue Reading

Job interviews are not pleasant. Anyone out of steady work is instantly buoyed by the possibility of a job offer, but I don’t know anyone who looks forward to the actual interview.

The entire task is to convince someone that you’re competent, talented, motivated, intelligent, a good investment, and a good ‘fit’ (an amorphous quality linked to the often equally-amorphous culture of that particular workplace). They always represent an unequal power dynamic. Their structure makes it hard to avoid being in defensive mode. That’s because the entire proceeding is about proving … Continue Reading

I’m now half-way through my 3-month contract. Aka my 3-month let’s-see-if-we-like-you-and-your-work-cuts-it-and-we-might-keep-you-longer contract.

Today was another hurdle passed. It’s called the Client Presentation. In advertising terms, the Client Presentation is a big deal. It’s when you get to present the concepts you’ve been preparing for weeks, or sometimes only days, and sell them to the client. At least you hope to sell them.

A whole lot rests on the Client Presentation. It’s one thing to sell your creative director on your ideas – and that is absolutely a big deal too, since he … Continue Reading

It is such an enormous decision that I’ve been coming to it slowly. But I realize now I can’t avoid making it. I’m going to sell my house. Of course, I’m lucky to own a house. Well, me and the bank. And that’s the problem.

I moved into this house when I was pregnant with my first child. This past fall, my third and youngest began university. With that much time passing, you’d think I’d be in pretty good financial shape vis a vis housing. After all, that’s a lot of … Continue Reading