Former coworker who was laid off by Honeywell nearly a year ago is still searching. This is really only adding to my already high anxiety - it's not enough that I have to worry about being laid off, now I have to worry about being jobless for who knows how long.
Is this the usual experience or is he just having some bad luck? How has it been for other people?
Get all your stuff in order, email for HR (401k, pension ect..) sites to your personal account or you won't have access. Take ALL your money and put in an IRA. Start making contact with vendors you have a good rapport with and a possible fit. 21 years and glad I am out, they treat Americans like their industrial waste.
Took me 22 months as I am over 50 and a couple of times interviewed with staff that had hired former Honeywell Leaders. I could tell they were not impressed with their former Honeywell hires.
I was laid off in early Q2 last year, ending my 31+ year career at HwEll. SInce I had the max severance, I took a couple of months for myself. As much as I was ready for being laid off, it was still a lot more difficult than I expected to come to terms with being summarily kicked to the curb like that.
I took a poke at a really good job posting here and there during that time, but wasn't seriously looking.
I started looking 'for real' in...late July (ish). Took a part time big-box retail job in August to have a contingency in hand while I continued to look. Got several good interviews in Oct, and a job offer in Nov. so...4 months from the point I started seriously looking, and I couldn't be happier with the new job!
Hope that helps and, don't worry, it's true what we say: Not only is there life after HwEll, it's a better life. HwEll works hard to make you believe that every other company out there is just like they are, and that you have no value to anyone but them.
It's all b---s---.
Do yourself a favor, no matter where you are in your career, start you "looking for real" job search now and leave on your terms. I should have done this years ago!
I was laid off early Jan 2016 and got a job immediately within 2 weeks. It’s all a matter of how you market yourself and utilizing your connections and networks. A lot of stuffs we learned and experienced at Honeywell like the Lean Six Sigma tools are always attractive to a lot of companies out there.
In nearly a year you can almost reinvent yourself, train yourself, come up with leads and contacts on LinkedIn etc. Point is not to stop, use the time to get new skills and TALK TO PEOPLE! It is hard and uncomfortable, but must be done to get something good.
Any chance at getting a contract gig? That's the route I took after I escaped.
It's a whole new ball game and you need to do your research on how the system works today. Resumes and cover letters are passed through computer filters, so your info may never get to a real person, just to start with. If you do attract some attention, then you will get researched at Facebook and LinkedIn. My well qualified young sons struggle to get interviews, so it isn't all age. Networking is still the best, and there are employers out there who value people with skills they need to hit the ground running. We see job postings all the time for 10 or 15 years minimum experience.
Depends on age and location more than anything else.
The real problem is lack of skill set from being at Honeywell too long and too entrenched in the ways that Honeywell does things.
After working at Honeywell, I'd think twice about hiring anyone who spent too much time there.
My experience as an older engineer is that age discrimination is alive and well and it is extremely hard to break through and get an interview let alone a job offer. Maybe the job market is better now though I have my doubts. Companies are looking to shed older technical workers not hire them.
I suggest that your chances correlate with whether you are 50 or older. Once you reach 50 plus you will be looked at differently.