Life in RIF LandTips from a (formerly)

Unemployed GuyJohn Takao Collier

2009/05/31 Version© 2009 John Takao Collier

Who Am I?

• John Takao Collier• Almost 20 years at Bell Labs/Lucent/ALU• 7 years at Motorola• Mostly doing 5ESS Development & Testing• RIFed in March 2009 with 90 day extension• Out the door in June• Off payroll in July

Disclaimer

• I’m just a (formerly) unemployed guy• For the official word, contact the official orgs– HR, Pension, Unemployment office (IDES), etc.

• I’m not yet retired, so I don’t know how a pension effects unemployment insurance

• If my tips are so good, why don’t I have a job?• (I got a job – so maybe my tips are OK)

What’s it Like being RIFed?

• RIF = Reduction In Force, the new FMP• A little scary• A little exhilarating (I’m free! I’m free!)• Annoying paperwork (RIF stuff, Finances,

Unemployment, etc.)• Not the end of the world• Take a deep breath• Being unemployed is a full time job

A Few Pre-RIF Things

• Get a home computer & ISP• Get non-work email account (gmail?)• Email forwarding? (e.g., pobox.com)• Get info on references (References 101)• Get info for resume (Resume 101)• Increase cash inflow (stop 401K contribution)?• Open bank line of credit?• Determine left-over vacation

Finances

• Figure out your budget• Figure out where “hidden” money is– Bank line of credit– Borrow against life insurance– School free lunches/fee waivers– Utility assistance programs e.g. LIHEAP

Severance – Post Employment Payment (PEP)

• Send in the original form (not a copy) right AFTER going off payroll (exception – may want to wait a little for tax reasons)

• Consider sending via registered mail• May be direct deposit, may be a check• I got mine 20 days after mailing in form• Flat tax rate for federal, state taxes

Health Insurance

• Know RIF package coverage– ALU will bill you monthly for your contribution– May be able to continue or drop HCRA

• Open enrollment affects post-RIF benefits• Know COBRA coverage• Consider COBRA versus outside individual

health insurance• Don’t overlook IL’s “All Kids” for children

Unemployment Insurance

• Can be up to $511/week (base + dependant) in IL

• You get 1 (and only 1) dependant• 26 weeks• Must be actively looking for a job• Must document your job search• Job search = emails, phone calls, applications…

When should you file?

• After being notified of the RIF (i.e., you still have 30 days on payroll)?

• After going off payroll?• Answer: Unclear to me.• Heard that the 30 days was considered

“Severence Pay” and wouldn’t impact• However, also heard otherwise• So, contact IDES!

Filing for Unemployment

• Illinois Dept. of Employment Security (IDES)• Can fill out form at IDES offices• Can fill out at web site• http://www.ides.state.il.us/• And now, a quick tour of the web site…

Unemployment Tips

• Debit card vs. Direct Deposit• Don’t panic – dependant pay is separate• Don’t panic – “Nasty Looking” letter• Must certify every two weeks by phone

(Teleserve)• Need to look at IL Skills Match every 2 weeks• Best not to call during lunch (up to 2 pm)• Often get busy signal. Try again.• Online filing question that defies logic

Question That Defies Logic

1. False answers will be prosecuted!2. Do you live with your spouse and contribute

over ½ of the cost of your children?3. Do you NOT live with your spouse and

contribute over ½ of the cost of your children.

4. Punch line: Answer “Yes” to one question, must answer “No” to the other.

What if I get other money?

• For example, part time job, etc.• Pension (?)• Dependant pay not touched• Can earn up to 50% of base unemployment• After that, you earn a dollar, they take a dollar• Based on when earned, not when paid• http://www.ides.state.il.us/uidocs/bis/

wba_determination.pdf

Example

• Assume base unemployment = $300/week

You earn… IDES pays… Total

$0 $300 $300

$150 $300 $450

$151 $299 $450

$299 $151 $450

$300 $150 $450

$301 $150 $451

$400 $150 $550

Money for Training

• Could be up to $7000 (I think)• Illinois WorkNet• DuPage Career Center (next to Lisle campus)• Submit application at DuPage Career Center

or by phone• Could be up to 20+ days before “Intake Appt”• Then you see a counselor

Other Training Options

• Consider taking some classes• For example, I took a Java class at COD• However, the $$$ come out of my pocket• COD library has a great selection of books on

computer topics• There are always tutorials that you can find on

the Internet• 6 Sigma Green Belt Training

Babylon 5 and Job Searches

• Who are you?• What do you want?• Why are you here?• Where are you going?

What’s Your Brand?

• YOU are the product now• YOU are now in marketing and sales• Why are you so special?• How are you different from the rest of the herd?• You’ve got to find your customers• You’ve got to sell to your customers• Yeah, yeah, I know, engineers hate marketing

and selling. Suck it up and deal with it. You might actually have some fun.

Resume 101

• What did YOU do?• What have YOU done that…– Improved the product?– Improved time to market?– Was innovative?– Saved the universe?

• Can you quantify? (E.g., “I saved $10 zillion”)• Look at my resume for an example. Please

don’t laugh.

References 101

• Ask people if they will be your reference• Get this info…– Name– Phone– Email– How and when they would like to be contacted– What their relationship is to you

• Give your references your resume

If you are asked for references…

• Contact your references• Give them info on…– The company– The position you are applying for

• Coach your references on what they might emphasize

• This is one of the few things you can control, so use it to your advantage

Elevator Speech 101

• Hi, I’m X.• Most recently I worked at Y where I was

responsible for Z.• While there I also did A and B.• I’m currently looking at opportunities in blah,

blah, blah.• Look at my example elevator speeches

Elevator Speech 202

• Another tactic I’ve been told might work better…

• “Wow ‘em” with a opening statement so that you’ll be remembered

• Example: “I won the ugly bald guy contest 3 years running!”

Job Networking 101

Job Networking 101 (cont.)

• Tell everybody– Neighbors, Friends, Relatives– Current Colleagues, Former Colleagues– Real Estate Agent, Barber, Dog Groomer– Friends of your spouse/partner– Neighborhood kids

• Nothing to be ashamed about. RIFs happen.

Job Networking 101 (cont.)

• Job Clubs– Wheaton Executive Network (WEN)– St. Thomas Job Ministry - Naperville– Naperville Community Center– DuPage Career Center - Lisle– Tri-City Unemployment Group (TUG) – St. Charles

• Many more job clubs “out there”

Job Networking 101 (cont.)

• Professional Organizations (e.g., Chicago Uniforum, etc.)

• Social Organizations• Alumni Organizations• Social Networking sites (e.g., LinkedIn.com)• Emails lists (BNC_Chicago, WEN, Job Clubs,

etc.)

Job Networking 101 (cont.)

• Consider spending 80% of your time on networking

• Engineers typically aren’t fun at parties and hate networking

• Suck it up and deal with it• Networking is a 2-way street…– You are hoping other people will help you– Help yourself by helping other people

• A handbill is something that you take to job clubs and/or info meetings

• Usually one page• Has a condensed version of resume info• States what you are looking for (“What do you

want?”)• States target companies• Look at my example handbill

Handbills 101

Information Meeting 101

• A 30 minute meeting with someone in a company/industry that interests you

• You want…– Information about the company– Advice– A couple of other references

• Gets your foot in the door and your face known (hopefully, this is a good thing).

Information Meeting 101 (cont.)

• Do NOT ask for a job– This lowers the pressure

• Get to know the “inside scoop”• Start with people you know and work your

way up the food chain• These can actually be fun• Send a “Thank You”

Job Web Sites 101

• Dice.com – Targeted to tech jobs• Monster.com• CareerBuilder.com• ComputerJobs.com• Many others, make sure they are legit• Reduce your spam...– Strip phone, address, email from resume– Set up so that profile phone, etc. not shown

Job Web Sites 101 (cont.)

• Don’t expect the world to come knocking at your door

• However, if you have a strong niche, a small chunk of the world might come knocking

• Update resume periodically (every 2 weeks?)• Bottom feeders crawl up out of the slime• Consider setting up RSS feeds

Job Search Aggregators

• www.indeed.com• www.simplyhired.com• Gathers job postings from Dice, Monster,

Companies career sites, etc.• Geographic region search (e.g., zip code)• RSS feeds• VERY handy

LinkedIn.com

• Social networking sites…– MySpace – “Hanna Montana is so cool!”– FaceBook – “Where’s the beer bash?”– LinkedIn – “How can I find a contact at Google?”

• Generally considered the most “professional” of the social networking sites

• Architected for low spam levels

LinkedIn.com (cont.)

• You can…– Connect with colleagues, friends, etc.– Find someone you may want to connect to– Ask/answer questions– Make/request recommendations– Look for jobs– Join “Groups”– Market yourself via your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn.com (cont.)

• Can set up RSS feeds– Network Updates– Q&A– Not jobs (sob!)

• Best of all, it’s free! (Unless you upgrade)

LinkedIn Profile

• Most people don’t…– Add a Photo– Write a Summary– Include useful experience data (can snarf from

resume)– Tell people what they are “working on”– Change “Public Profile” to mnemonic URL

• So, stand out from the herd and do those things!

LinkedIn Public Profile

• Allows your profile to be in search engines• Gives you a handy URL that can be added to…– Resume– Handbill– Business cards– Email signatures

• Mine is… http://www.linkedin.com/in/johntakaocollier

LinkedIn Email Address

• If you already have a LinkedIn account, and…• This account is associated with your work

email, then…• Don’t forget to associate the LinkedIn acct

with an non-work email address• REASON – If you don’t, then people can’t

easily connect with you via LinkedIn!

Job Fairs

• Hit or miss• Dice.com has targeted tech fairs• Monster.com has non-tech fairs• Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald sponsor• Universities (lots of employers)• I haven’t found a good way to find what’s

local

Recruiters

• The good, the bad and the ugly• The good…– Used by former colleagues who landed– Retained recruiters

• Help the good ones by suggesting quality candidates

• What about the bad and the ugly?– I say ignore ‘em

Business Cards

• OfficeMax, Office Depot, etc.• Can get “free” cards at www.vistaprint.com– Free cards get a little VistaPrint ad on back– Has a pretty good card building wizard

Phone Interview 101

• Most companies pre-screen via phone interviews nowadays

• You might have multiple phone interviews with both HR and technical people

• Consider getting a hands free headset• Software job interviews – might get coding

quizes

Scheduling the Phone Interview

• Probably dealing with an HR person via phone or email – be nice to them

• Give a list of possible dates & times• If possible, push out a few days (for research!)• Double check date & time (especially around

DST changes)• Make sure understood who calls whom• Make sure they have your phone number

Before the Phone Interview

• Research company, products• Look up the interviewer on Google, LinkedIn• Look up stuff on Wikipedia• Maybe even brush up on topic via library

books• Alert your references

Just before the interview

• Gather materials (phone, clipboard, pen, resume, glass of water, whatever)

• Go to a quiet room• Get rid of distractions (dog, cat, kids,

terrorists, etc.)• Take a deep breath

During the phone interview

• Use last name (e.g., “Mr. Smith”, “Ms. Doe”) unless interviewer says OK to use first name

• Use some “hook” to build quick rapport• Smile and walk around – you’ll sound better

and be more relaxed• Let interviewer talk• Take notes• Thank interviewer at end

After the interview

• Gather and organize notes• Send “Thank You” note – probably have to go

through the HR person• If you don’t hear back in 7 to 10 days, follow

up with polite inquiry• When you get the thumbs up/down, send a

“Thank You” note to both interviewer and HR person

A Few Other Things

• You’ll be home more• Your spouse/partner/kids will be tripping over

you more – discuss with them and work it out• Job fairs, job clubs - chance to get out• Beware of becoming a job club junkie• Job Talk Radio, Thu, 4 – 5 pm, 1530 AM,

www.drivestaff.com/jobtalk• Thank the people who help you

Good vs. Bad Luck

• “Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things” by Richard Wiseman

• Two experiments…– Newspaper ad, scan for photos– 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon

• People with “good luck” make their own luck– Scan environment for opportunities– Increase your network

Conclusion

• Get your paperwork squared away• Tighten the belt a little (budget)• Who are you? What do you want?• Market, market, market• Network, network, network• Get on LinkedIn.com• Help yourself by helping others• Don’t kick your dog

Questions from John

• Was this talk useful?• Or, was it a waste of time?• What should be added/modified/deleted?• Should I give this talk again?• Am I the coolest bald guy you ever met?• OK, now it’s time for your Q&A…

Good Luck, my friends!

Appendix A - URLs

• http://www.linkedin.com• http://www.ides.state.il.us/• http://www.illinoisskillsmatch.com/• http://www.worknetdupage.org/• http://www.dice.com/• http://www.monster.com• http://www.careerbuilder.com/

Appendix A – URLs (cont.)

• http://www.indeed.com/• http://www.simplyhired.com/• http://www.vistaprint.com/• http://www.drivestaff.com/jobtalk/• http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/

BNC_Chicago/