I'm very sorry to hear this, Warped9. I was at my last job about fourteen years, so I know how you feel; since I quit over "irreconcilable differences," I left with a mixture of relief and grief, but it was certainly disorienting and very stressful starting a new career quite different from the old one. It's nice that you have a six-month buffer to work on your next move. You should just take some time to decompress. Look at it as an opportunity to be with your dad. I wish the best for both of you.
I lost my job in 2006 and i was jobless for a year. I understand what you are going through right now. For a man to lose his job, that hurts his pride. You were fortunate in getting a severance package. I did not get anything. May i suggest while you job hunt. hit the gym in your spare time. I did that and i was bloody ripped within a year that even the girls who did not notice me before, started noticing me. When you go for a job interview, your fit and tough body image makes you look very capable.
^being ripped isn't the right reason...most interviewers won't give a shit... To the OP- best of luck
I am saying a fit body image just helps with the interview process. But in the end your skills and work experience are more important.
^Stature, posture and not being too obese yes, but not being ripped. Your comment-"tough and fit" implied that.
"Courage is being scared to death...and saddling up anyway." "All battles are fought by scared men who'd rather be someplace else."
Good luck, Warped9. Sorry to hear you were let go after 13 years but at least six months severance will give you some breathing room. And sorry to hear about your father. All the best to both of you. I'm sure you've checked with EI by now. If not, I'm pretty sure you will have to wait until your severance is gone. A few years ago I received two months severance and wasn't eligible for EI until it was gone. But then mine was classed as "salary continuance" so I'm not entirely certain if EI views that differently than severance. And hopefully you find something much better than what I recently took as a survival job. They promised me the moon and the stars during the interview but the reality is anything but. And a little online searching recently revealed my employer has a less than stellar record for how employees are treated. Still, I keep the job because down here in London, we have the highest unemployment rate of the larger Canadian cities. We're at 9.6 right now so I just grin and bear it for the present.
I applied to EI (online) the day after I was let go and I stopped in to actually talk with them and to get my copy of my record of employment (which my former employer had already submitted electronically). Yes, my EI benefits won't start for about six months which is equivalent to the payout I got. Plus I have a little money saved. And fortunately my living expenses aren't extravagant. That means I'm not in an immediate panic situation forcing me to take the first McJob that comes along. I can make a plan to some extent. This past week I've been a bit numb from it all. I did everything right, did everything asked of me and sometimes more. I made myself trusted, valued and integral. I was one of their strongest people. I did it all right...and none of it meant a damned thing in the face of "restructuring."
When you're working for a corporation, none of that matters. The only place it might is a "ma and pa shop" or an ethical NPO. Sad but true. I do indeed know what you're going through though, what you're thinking and feeling and it's only been a week. I hope you land on your feet. I went through a period of prolonged unemployment that damn near broke me mentally and emotionally. Applying for all these "survival" jobs and being told, if I was "lucky" enough to be told anything, that I was over-qualified, they'd rather hire someone with less experience that they could realistically expect to stay longer because I'd leave for a better offer as soon as I got one, etc, etc,. I read a study a year or so back that said having no job is mentally healthier than having a bad job. I completely and utterly disagree with that.
I'm beginning to understand why some seniors want to go back to work, even part time. They miss a sense of structure and purpose day-to-day. They feel useful and particularly if you're okay with your job (you don't have to love it but generally not finding it a chore is a huge plus).
I once worked for some years at McDonald's. Privately I loathed working there. I found it somewhat soul destroying and when I finally left I felt I had rediscovered my personal sense of dignity and felt like I was feeling sunshine on my face after some years without it. While there, though, when I'd return from vacation I'd feel depressed.
I remember being told it "wasn't personal." Well, it sure as hell was personal to me, volunteer or not! everyone is expendable, even when they tell you you're not. You're not...until you are. Wishing you the best, still!
Yes, I heard that line. But, yes, it bloody is personal. It isn't to them because they don't have to deal with the consequences of their action.