Thread regarding Intel Corp. layoffs

Resume

Any suggestions what to put on resume about why you were let go, or how answer it during interview. Because you are now perceived as a reject.

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| 2901 views | | 34 replies (last November 8, 2022) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1jy9igUk

34 replies (most recent on top)

Update your resume now; don't end date your Intel position until after your last day. Until then, you are currently employed. Come up with a reason for why you're leaving while employed.

End date your resume after your last day. When asked about yourself in interviews, go over all your qualifications and awards, then finish with "Due to a company restructure at Intel, my position was eliminated… which brings me current" or something similar.

I was laid off from Intel in 2019. While it didn't take me a lot of interviews to get a couple offers, none of the interviewers batted an eye to the answer above. Layoffs are a fact of life these days.

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Post ID: @3wvf+1jy9igUk

There could be many weeks between you getting notified of a layoff, and you actually officially leaving the company. I got pushed out of Intel twice and both times I could truthfully say I was "currently employed" on my resume and job applications.

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Post ID: @2nbh+1jy9igUk

Skills assessment is what the HR team makes groups prepare so there is a paper trail and legally defensible rationale why someone was fired. It is for liability protection against legal claims. As a manager you can't cut until the assessments are done.

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Post ID: @2xej+1jy9igUk

@1svu+1jy9igUk. When was this done? Which Business Group?

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Post ID: @1gsv+1jy9igUk

On your resume, don’t time-bracket your past jobs with month/year info. Just put the year, and drop the short timer jobs that don’t add anything. If they ask why you left or are leaving, just say you’re looking for a better opportunity for growth.

There’s no need hide what happened to you — it’s not your fault. However you don’t need to advertise it lights either!

Good luck!

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Post ID: @1mjt+1jy9igUk

MSW here, people who have been laid off will often try to rationalize they were laid off due to circumstances that are out of their control. Even if it is due to lack of performance. This is a self preservation bias that keeps the person going. Be sympathetic to their feelings but realize they are not an unbiased source of information.

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Post ID: @1dtu+1jy9igUk

@1bgt+1jy9igUk please identify what I wrote in my post that is fear mongering. I posed a set of questions.

My opinion is in the middle. Being laid off isn't the end of the world, but yes you certainly will encounter recruiters and hiring managers that are biased against you. That has to be overcome.

@1dga+1jy9igUk

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Post ID: @1fet+1jy9igUk

@1dga+1jy9igUk this wasn’t at Intel, the company didn’t provide stock rewards. I was receiving ME/EE on reviews. The company cut 35% of HC including my entire department, overperformers and underperformers alike.

They stated we were all eligible for rehire, and that’s what they would tell companies we interviewed with. Whenever I told interviewers my department was cut as part of a cost saving effort due to the recession tanking demand for the line of business I worked in, that was always enough. I had zero cases where I was asked to explain further or justify my qualifications for the position beyond what would normally be expected. I had several job offers within 3 months of leaving (for the first two months I couldn’t even get an interview because the world was literally falling apart at that point - if you’re over 30 you know what I’m talking about.)

Point is, consider yourself more fortunate than the 15/16 Intel alums. That was not a forced downsizing due to the economy. People will look back on ‘22/23 and not hold much against you if it’s anything like ‘08/09. Don’t fear monger, it’s unhealthy and cruel.

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Post ID: @1bgt+1jy9igUk

@1rto+1jy9igUk how were your reviews? were you getting O? EE? level 1 stock? Odds are, probably not. Did your job code get eliminated? Which job code? And they fired every single last person with that job code? Let's see the particulars. It just doesn't pass the smell test.

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Post ID: @1dga+1jy9igUk

As someone “in the know” on this subject: Cuts will not be performance based. We filled out skills assessments. Each org had a set of 5 or so skills to rank their employees on, and they were mostly soft skills.

For example, you could be excellent performer technically, but if you scored low on the soft skills (growth orientation, collaborative, influencer, leadership, etc. - these varied by org) you could be benched under other employees that had lower technical skills but higher soft skills.

So yea, just FYI. Don’t assume you are safe based on your technical skills alone, and don’t assume you are screwed if you’re new/inexperienced or less technical. Your job will not be eliminated based on performance (I.e. they won’t align with performance review results directly), but rather based on how your skill set aligns with the direction Intel wants to take your department and the people in your role.

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Post ID: @1svu+1jy9igUk

(hint) lol and lmao aren't strong arguments. Avoid starting a post with such, so you don't give away your lack of intelligence too soon.

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Post ID: @1sjp+1jy9igUk

job candidate / ex Intel worker says,

'no, really... I am a special one. ya see, I wasn't a low performer... it was that my job code was eliminated and even though I am a super star' HR came to me and said, "look sorry we don't need job code 3415615... so sorry we have to let you go. but, you are eligible for rehire in 2036 so, you should be proud of your efforts in our loyal family".

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Post ID: @1lth+1jy9igUk

Lol there’s some fear-mongering engineers with a serious lack of people skills in here role-playing as HR.

I was impacted by a layoff in 2009 driven by downsizing at the software company I worked at, and it’s never negatively impacted me aside from having issues in the very immediate aftermath (and that was due to the trash economic conditions at the time/lack of available jobs.)

Most people in HR or hiring managers that have two brain cells to rub together will understand that the 2022 layoffs happened as a result of economic conditions.

Do these people shilling “you will be blackballed from the tech industry for life” fear p*rn really think that the Twitter and Stripe employees that have lost their jobs this week will also forever be stained by that? Give me a break lol. This is the ebb and flow of the tech industry. Most companies love ex-Intel, and everyone I know who were excised from Intel in 2015/2016 have gone on to get better paying jobs at other respected companies (NVIDIA, Apple, etc.)

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Post ID: @1rto+1jy9igUk

@iki+1jy9igUk terrible argument, look at the first phrase,

"A Job Elimination or Job Code Elimination" it says 'OR'

So here you have a definition that is used quite generically at Intel -- not just this layoff. In this case, we are talking about a very broad redeployment of 10% of the employees. The VAST majority will be let go, not due to a job code going away but, because of widespread cuts across vast swathes of the organization.

Generally, this is the lowest performers. So, don't kid yourself, you certainly don't want to try the 'my job code was eliminated' excuse. Everyone knows the low performers get the RIF, including the every HR and tech recruiter.

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Post ID: @1jlp+1jy9igUk

As soon as they see left Intel 2022 you are doomed. If it was any other company they would not know but Intel and left 2022 you know the rest. This stain will stay with you FOREVER. Just eliminate Intel from your resume if you can. Terrible company to have on your resume.

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Post ID: @1mkc+1jy9igUk

Job/Job Code elimination should apply. HR will indicate you are eligible for rehire - you can emphasize this and the can/will check.

Definition:

A Job Elimination or Job Code Elimination is the involuntary termination of employment solely on account of changes in the Company’s operations or organization that result in the elimination of the employee’s job, as determined by the Administrator in its sole and absolute discretion taking into account such factors as it deems appropriate including without limitation (i) a relocation or dissolution of a portion of the business of the Company; (ii) a withdrawal by the Company from a segment of a market served by the Company; (iii) the elimination of one or more Company product lines; (iv) an elimination, reduction, or change in the Company’s need for one or more specialized skills provided by the employee; (v) an organizational change in the Company, including without limitation a business redesign, reorganization or consolidation; (vi) a significant change in the Company’s systems or technology; and (vii) a reduction in the Company’s staffing levels.

Don’t listen to the clowns here who say you shouldn’t use this - this is literally the definition of what Intel is doing and would be a perfectly fine explanation as to why you were let go. There are some serious fear stokers on here.

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Post ID: @iki+1jy9igUk

Just say your role was eliminated in a downsizing effort and it was not a decision based on performance.

Job/role eliminated is probably enough.

Saying job code eliminated probably isn’t completely inaccurate, though maybe not the technical term at Intel. Plenty of companies assign different job codes for the same role based on location/GEO. If you work for IT for example - as a US IT analyst, you may have a different code than an IT analyst in India. If they outsource US IT to India, then technically your job code was eliminated. But position/role eliminated is more broad and covers more scenarios.

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Post ID: @zzm+1jy9igUk

Candidate: "Intel fired all the IC's that didn't come from the same caste and family as the manager."

Recruiter: "Cool story bro."

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Post ID: @ubi+1jy9igUk

You will eventually realize that it doesn't matter as long as you have relevant skills and have enthusiasm and positivity to contribute.

With Twitter layoff example, it is very clear that the axe can come at anytime upon anyone.

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Post ID: @lrn+1jy9igUk

'my job code was eliminated' = 'the dog ate my homework' = four Pinocchios

interviewer: 'why did you leave Intel?'
you: 'my job code was eliminated'
interviewer: 'what? you are an entry level manufacturing tech, did Intel fire all the techs?'
you: 'well no, not exactly'
interviewer: Have a nice life.

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Post ID: @sua+1jy9igUk

Intel does not eliminate job codes. Most codes have hundreds if not thousands of employees on that code. Anyone suggesting otherwise doesn't have the faintest clue about Intel job codes and HR layoff process.

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Post ID: @fig+1jy9igUk

OP - HR or the placement agency Intel is partnering with for departing employees can give you guidance on what is appropriate on your resume.

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Post ID: @ier+1jy9igUk

znv+1jy9igUk +1 here - elmininations of job codes are likely esp this go around as departments try to align with the new org structure and eliminate redundancies, outsource, and ki-l roles that are no longer needed. Beyond that, I’ve also been told further decisions will be skills based - you vs your peers (does your set of skills align with the new direction Intel is taking) and not performance based.

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Post ID: @hlx+1jy9igUk

@ljm+1jy9igUk Intel does, in fact, conduct job code eliminations. Part of this downsizing effort is a combination of skills assessments and elimination of job codes/redundancies (for example if an analyst role in the US is moved overseas or eliminated.) The US specific job code would be eliminated in that case.

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Post ID: @znv+1jy9igUk

Different people has different perceptions. I was laid off 2016, asked many times. Simply say “Intel downsizing”. The response fall into 3 categories. 1) interviewer are former Intel employees. Mostly just smile and don’t care (2016 laidoff had nothing to do with the people). Interview continues as that doesn’t happened. 2) ask a lot more questions, trying to figure out if you are Intel reject. (You are not able get the job once people ask more questions). 3) do not care. They believe section of my skills at Intel is what they need. 1 and 3 are cases I most likely got offer. 2 is never.

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Post ID: @hge+1jy9igUk

PLEASE DO NOT write, “Job code eliminated in downsizing.”

Intel does not eliminate a particular job code. The code exists, but you don't. The next company will reject your resume

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Post ID: @ljm+1jy9igUk

sfy+1jy9igUk Lol that’s not true. Times are tough and people and departments are getting cut all over the place. Twitter is laying off haphazardly and it’s effecting entire teams, under and over performers alike. Most recruiters understand that many people who are layed off were in the wrong company/department at the wrong time.

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Post ID: @hsj+1jy9igUk

In an interview: “My job code was eliminated as part of downsizing and cost reduction efforts. It was not a performance driven decision, and I can provide references to back that up if needed.”

If it’s a character limited field on an application - “Job code eliminated in downsizing.”

You are eligible for rehire at Intel. That is all they will be told if they call Intel HR for a reference check. If your manager supports you at all, they will say you were an unfortunate loss due to mandatory down sizing/budget reductions and it does not reflect your performance.

Decisions for this layoff are not performance related. For departments that don’t get enough volunteers and have to do ISPs, it will be based on a skills assessment mainly for soft skills that align with the direction Intel is planning on going or Elimination of job codes or even entire teams. You could be a great performer but if you or your department is not aligned with the new structure Intel is taking on, you’ll be cut.

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Post ID: @jwj+1jy9igUk

They only care about finding out if you may have been fired for some sort of misconduct. You don't need to put anything on the resume and if asked at the interview can say Intel was downsizing, your project was cut, there was nothing else to do you were interested in and you decided to leave to look for something better than that.

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Post ID: @rcb+1jy9igUk

@sfy Hi HR troll. Good luck on this round. What you are saying is that even if you get past this round, there will be more arbitrary layoffs. If what you say applies, then jump ship. Attrition has already benn high.....

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Post ID: @xeg+1jy9igUk

Intel employees who get laid off will be perceived as rejects. Only a hand full of companies would even talk to you. The big companies like Apple, AMD, etc, most likely will not. Very rare if they do. Remember now, you are now an underperformer that got laid off. The interviewers know by the year you were laid off. So, if in your resume you write you left Intel 2015, 2016, 2022 its automatically resumed you were laid off. Also, they almost always ask why you left Intel. Just tell them the truth because it will come back to get you if you get hired. DONT LIE.

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Post ID: @sfy+1jy9igUk

Or the person interviewing you also had a stint at Intel and you both laugh

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Post ID: @euw+1jy9igUk

There's no reason to ever put a reason why you left on a resume, voluntary or not. Leave those questions for the interview.

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Post ID: @vnk+1jy9igUk

Your'e not a reject. Put on your resume an end date. If they ask you in an interview, look them in the eye and simply tell them that Intel downsized. If they think you're a reject tell them to kiss your a55 and find another company more deserving of your talent.

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Post ID: @rwy+1jy9igUk

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