Just Been Made Redundant. Now What?

LBrschembri on 12/12/2022 - 14:35

Hey,

Hope this is in the right place, feel free to remove this if it's not.

I got a great job as a jr front end developer in August of this year and was super excited and signed my first-ever rental agreement (stupid I know because it was before my 6 months probation but I needed to get out of where I was) but 20% of the devs (me included) has just been made redundant, I currently live alone and don't know what I'm going to do. It's a week out from Christmas which makes it so much worse.

Has anyone whose been in a similar position give me some suggestions or advice on where to go from here? I'm obviously going to be looking for a new job asap but if there's anything else I might not think of that anyone can suggest i'd be super grateful!

Thank you so much!

Education & Work

Comments

  • djsweet on 12/12/2022 - 14:41
    +4

    Pretty bad time to be made redundant! On the plus side there seems to be lots of jr dev work around. I'm sure there are other things you could do in the meantime while looking for a job (training for instance), but I would be focusing 100% effort on sprucing up the CV and putting in applications.

    • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 14:42
      +1

      :( Yeah seriously, one week before Christmas. Hard to not find that a little comical.

      Great idea! Thank you! I will do this!

      • PumpkinHater on 12/12/2022 - 17:35

        That was not a good employer then.

        What is your area of expertise?

      • brad1-8tsi on 12/12/2022 - 17:58
        +1

        Better to be made redundant before you've spent a truckload on Xmas & holidays than after when you've given the CC a hammering.

  • boomramada on 12/12/2022 - 15:00
    +2

    There are plenty of dev jobs out there, just start applying or check interstate as well.

  • freefall101 on 12/12/2022 - 15:26
    +3

    Make sure your linkedin page is up to date, find the IT recruiters at companies you're interested at and connect with them and then start hammering Seek. Don't worry about the age of jobs either, I work at a recruitment company, client I'm on site with right now (not IT) is going nuts trying to get contracts signed for new starters next year for roles that have been kicking around for a while.

    IT tends to drop off in terms of roles up to year end (particularly this year, a few places doing what yours did) but the competition for those jobs lessens too and being able to start Jan 3 will be a boon. Generally if they can't find someone this week, it blows out to mid-Feb at the earliest.

    Other tip is to actually customise your cover letter to the job. Because for some reason people don't do that.

    • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 15:33
      +1

      Thank you, this is all amazing advice! Really didn't know that about the age of jobs! Usually, I would've stayed away from the older ones, so thank you so much!

      • freefall101 on 12/12/2022 - 15:49

        It varies by company, some are just lazy and don't take the job down, but all big companies the posting of jobs is all automated. If the job is still there, it's usually a sign the job is open.

        And much like buying a house, if it sits on the market for a while people think there's something wrong with it, thus there's even less interest. We spend a lot of time telling companies they're better off just hiring, not leaving job ads up or going back to market if they don't find the golden unicorn they're looking for.

  • cookie2 on 12/12/2022 - 15:29
    +2

    Been there and it's shitty. Sorry it's happening to you. Just make sure you get all your entitlements etc and use some sick days to update your resume etc and focus on the new job. More or less sick leave depending on the reference you need from the workplace etc. I believe some contracts have something that allows you 1 or 2 days off for interviews or similar (don't hold me to it, just a memory). Put yourself in the best financial position you can so that you can stretch out funds before finding a job you want instead of just needing a job to pay rent. How long can you pay rent etc before you run out of funds?

    • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 15:34

      Great advice thanks!

      I have a few weeks left, I'm not too sure exactly as I've got to check for all my other bills too. Just came out of nowhere.

    • angryasian on 12/12/2022 - 16:06
      +1

      Agreed. Sick leave / WFH and use the time to look for another job and get ready. Cut all uncessary spending. People always think its a bad time to look for work around xmas, so it actually a great time to look for work. Good luck.

      • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 17:05

        That's a great point! Thank you!

        • cookie2 on 13/12/2022 - 07:27

          And if you get to a point where you need quick $, check out Sidekicker for temp work. Your current job is no longer a priority. Getting the next job is.

  • Wilson Heroes HL on 12/12/2022 - 16:18
    +4

    Sorry to hear about this,

    Any chance you can pick up some contract work, feel free to reach out as I'm part of start up group on facebook and alot of them they are looking for front end developers/

    • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 17:06

      Oh that would be amazing! Thank you so much!

  • Unorthodox on 12/12/2022 - 16:55
    +2

    Sorry to hear OP…and to have it happen at this time as well is pretty poor form.

    As mentioned, look to update your Linkedin and resume/CV/github/project highlights and start being active on LI.

    See if you can pick up some temp work in the meantime as the Xmas break means many industries or talent teams ramp down.

    In the new year, many people tend to leave their jobs so there generally will be many opps that open up so definitely be on the front foot.

    • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 17:06

      This is super helpful thank you so much!

  • kloner on 12/12/2022 - 16:58
    +1

    Been in your position a few times but believe in yourself as you'll pick up work in no time. As others have suggested, update your LinkedIn and CV so it's current and both artefacts align. The IT market is strong due to a lack of strong candidates. Interpersonal skills go along way so maybe brush up on your presentation skills by doing a few "mock" interviews using online resources. Good luck and do report back on how you go over the coming couple of months.

    • Brschembri on 12/12/2022 - 17:07

      Thank you for the great advice, it helps soo much! I will do just that!

  • sjj89 on 12/12/2022 - 17:42
    +4

    I’m in a similar position right now.

    New owners purchased a company I worked for for 5 years in January, and just got served redundancy last week.

    But because it’s a ‘small business’ they don’t have to pay any kind of severance.

    Merry Xmas mate

    • Donaldhump on 12/12/2022 - 17:50
      +2

      nasty

    • freefall101 on 13/12/2022 - 00:14
      +2

      Oof, that is horrible. It’s so weird that small businesses don’t have to pay redundancy.

      Just as a check, do the new owners own any other companies and have you double checked your award? Some awards offer redundancy anyway (not many, but it’s worth a look). And if the group has over 15 employees they have to pay it.

      • sjj89 on 13/12/2022 - 20:06
        +1

        New owner owns companies in EU, definitely more than 15 all combined.
        Having fairwork take a look

  • Quantumcat on 12/12/2022 - 17:59
    +1

    This literally happened at my company and at the same time too. Does your name start with M? Although ours was one dev, the UI designer and the project manager / tester.
    My advice is update your resume and profile on Seek and mark yourself as looking for a job. Someone might just ring you up out of the blue. It is how I got my current job.

    • Brschembri on 13/12/2022 - 00:50

      Nah a B, also thank you for the advice :) will do it!

    • Brschembri on 13/12/2022 - 00:53
      +1

      tbh i said 20% of devs as i don't want to say exactly the number and who got fired as I don't want to give too much of the company away as they treated me super well and don't want to give the name up.

  • NotAnAudiophile on 12/12/2022 - 18:19
    +1

    Companies who do layoffs right before xmas don't deserve to be worked for.

    • KaTst3R on 12/12/2022 - 18:59
      -1

      Elon Musk take note….

  • markathome on 12/12/2022 - 19:04
    +2

    signed my first-ever rental agreement (stupid I know because it was before my 6 months probation but I needed to get out of where I was)

    I'd challenge this. What were you supposed to do? Live on the streets and shower at Fitness First before heading into work? In fifteen years, you'll have money but you'll be upset you didn't enjoy your youth more. So try and enjoy your time off. When you're ready start putting some job apps out there. Enjoying unemployment isn't a skill I've mastered but, if you can do it, it's a skill well worth having.

    • Quantumcat on 13/12/2022 - 08:51
      +1

      Enjoying unemployment isn't a skill I've mastered

      Username doesn't check out?

  • Tiredman on 12/12/2022 - 19:24

    Hope you have been saving up.

  • GrueHunter on 12/12/2022 - 20:06

    Hope you're not one of the many poor b*stards at Services Australia that have been shown the door. Renting in Canberra is f'n brutal, finding work won't be made any easier with so much supply suddenly dumped on the market all at once.

    • pyramid on 13/12/2022 - 07:39
      +1

      Count me in. Survived August hammer but culled in December slot..now sitting home…applying new jobs

      • GrueHunter on 14/12/2022 - 23:29

        Good luck with this, hope you find something good soon.

    • Quantumcat on 13/12/2022 - 08:51
      +1

      This is why we had people let go at my company. Definitely important for consultancies to not put all their eggs in one department!

  • bobbified on 12/12/2022 - 21:23
    +1

    Just before Christmas…. what a way to show they 'care'' about their employees!

    Is this an American company?

    • whoamitoblame on 12/12/2022 - 21:48
      +3

      Doesn't matter if it's American or Aussie. I joined an Aussie startup that made a bunch of us redundant after hiring us a month in. 4 months later they had another hiring spree.

      • bobbified on 12/12/2022 - 22:04
        +1

        Not saying that it doesn't happen in Australian companies, but American companies are known to be more cut-throat when it comes to this shit.

  • DemocracyManifest on 13/12/2022 - 00:17

    Are you eligible for centrelink? That will help with your rent over Christmas as a safety net. Good luck.

  • pyramid on 13/12/2022 - 07:41
    +1

    Seems so many people lost job in last 2 months including myself. Hoping to get back on job in few weeks…now time to find new job….

    • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2022 - 16:13

      Why wait for the bad news, just start looking for one. Next year atleast the first half is surely going to be rougher than 2022 with the interest rates rising after that we can reassess the second half. Layoffs are becoming more normalised parts of business cycle now.

    • pyramid on 15/12/2022 - 15:05

      Well project was to go on for another year and half so wasn't expecting layoff in week time. But all good , got next gig.

  • doctordv8 on 13/12/2022 - 08:09

    It is nigh on 2 weeks out from Xmas… but regardless.

    Like everybody else, chin up, get your Resume out, beat the footpath and hit all the local stores.

    Apparently most are screaming for Xmas and beyond staff.

    Are you handy doing anything else? Can you assemble Flat pack, mow lawns, clean house. There is work….go find it.

    Good luck.

  • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2022 - 16:15

    Never leave your work at workplace, always keep a copy of your own work with yourself. Release your own work in the open source domain ;-) More people with benefit with the front end they enjoyed.

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