Life after Lay-off

The following are some notes that I prepared for an interview (with my country manager) with the Star on-line. I am posting it here albeit with a little bit of tweaking. It's in a Q&A format. Hope it will help you to help others....or maybe you may find something useful here for your own self.


Q: Loosing a job could be traumatic for many. Even those who anticipated it could feel totally devastated. Why is that?
A: Research has shown that loosing job is no. 2 or 3 in the list of what frightens people most. And, that says a lot. They have invested so much into their jobs and for many, their identities are sometimes linked to their jobs. The job makes the man(and woman)they say. And sometimes, it is not the job loss that they feel upset about but the way they feel about how the company has treated them. Lets face the fact - many of our managers are not trained to handle these matters professionally.


Q : What would be some of the feelings of an affected employee? Are these emotions normal?
A : Some very common emotions are feelings such as wonder what has hit them. They will also feel angry, insecure, ashamed, frustrated, rejected, dejected and depressed. Imagine that you have just invested on your dream home and your husband has just bought a new family car and suddenly a big part of the financial equation .ie. your salary, is now in serious jeopardy. How will you feel? Or, imagine that you have all these plans to retire in your job as after 17 years of good service you are quite confident that you are very much wanted by the company. And so, you send two of your kids off to do medicine in Russia. Then one day, your world comes crashing down. How will you feel? So, it is perfectly normal to feel this way. This feelings will not be stable too. You may go on an emotional roller coaster and that is very normal. Remember, your job is a big part of who you are just like your spouse and loved ones and so, loosing it will be painful. Accept it.
Then of course we have those who actually may feel relieved as finally they have a reason to take stock of their lives and do what they have been thinking about all these years. Many of our clients are actually in the midst of considering going into business. But even this feeling of relief does not last long for some. We know this and we are always there for them too.

Q : How can one come out of these negative feelings and move forward?
A : First, you must accept that it is ok to feel sad and insecure and even angry. Give your self time to feel the frustration and accept it.
Second, believe that it is a business strategy (for whatever reasons)and it is not a reflection of who you are. You are not a failure. The company may be failing but not you. Third, reflect on all the skills and expertise you have which are not only your functional skills but also your transferable skills. Just because you have been a line supervisor in a FMCG company all these years it doesn't mean that you can't do part time lecturing in ITM. Finally, tell your self that a job loss is a transition period. It is not a permanent period. In fact that's why we always advise our candidates not to use negative words such as ‘ I have lost my job’. We tell them that they are ‘in-between jobs”. For me personally, I call my clients 'candidates' as they are indeed candidates for greater things in life.

Q : What would be some of the major steps that one should take to begin searching for a new job?
First, accept your new situation. Second, plan your next steps. Third, put your plan into action. Searching for a new job should be viewed like a project management and you are the project manager. Where is your project planner? Where is work-table? Where is your budget? I guarantee you that you are not going to make headway if you wake up every morning in your sarong or nightgown and sit in front of Oprah and flip through the newspaper in the hope of finding your next job.


Q : Many people depend on newspaper adverts when searching for a job. Is this a good idea?
A : Yes and No. Yes if you are looking for probably entry level jobs
Yes, if you just want to give it a try as one of your strategies.
No if that is the only thing that you do. Our research shows that only 20 – 30% of job openings are filled through job advertisements in the paper. The rest are through networks. This percentage is higher when you are talking about higher level jobs. Also, just because a company is not advertising job openings it doesn't mean that it will not hire valuable talents. Out of almost 20 candidates that I have coached in the last 5 months, 80% of them have landed a job via referral and direct marketing.

Q : So, what should one do then?
A : Well, you must utilize all avenues. If you see a job opening in the paper, make sure you meet at least 70% of the job requirements before you even bother to apply. Research the company first. Don’t send out a generic application to 15…20 companies. As far as possible address it to a person. Remember to follow up after 1 week.
If you are using on-line services, make sure you have updated your online resume. Make sure you have used the key words. For example, if you are looking at a Regional Financial position in a multinational company, make sure you have that stated somewhere; say in your Career Summary.
Use your networks too : close friends, former vendors & customers, your social group members You should also utilize job placement agencies. Meet their consultants face-to-face to make sure they have experience placing people at the level you are looking for and in the industries that you are interested in.

Q : Many of us attended interviews years ago, what would be some quick tips for those who are attending interviews?
A : The basic rules of attending interviews apply. That means your dressing, your punctuality, your body language and your manners. Apart from that, in a situation where you are looking for a job after being retrenched, you need to feel confident about your self and don't show that you are desperate for a job, any job!
You also have to now demonstrate that you are adaptable enough to the culture of a new company. One of my candidate who has been with particular global multinational for almost 15 years, had to answer multiple questions in relation to this. The interviewers’ main concern was whether my candidate can adapt to their culture.
Remember that an interview is for you also to test whether you want to work for that company. The company on the other hand wants to know whether you can do the job, whether you will do the job and whether you fit in.

Q : Even resumes might be to ‘old’. How should a good resume look like?
A : There are various formats for an effective resume. Choose the one that is beneficial for you. If you have many job experiences, you may want to use a chronological one (from the latest). If you have only one or two job experiences but for many years, you may want to use a functional format where you can highlight your various positions and functions in that one or two jobs. But, our advise is to keep a few additional pointers in mind :
First, remember that a Resume’s job is to get you an interview. The interview’s job is to get you the job. So your resume must move the person reading it to call you.
Second, if I am a hiring manager in today’s busy world, I want to be able to have some idea whether you are suited for the job after reading the FIRST page of your 3 page resume. So, I am not interested to know about your marital status, number of children, etc. which is what we are so used to putting in the 1st page. Move all these to the last page. In the first page, you got to tell the reader who you are, what are your strengths and what you could potentially contribute to the company.
Third, for each job experience you need to highlight your key achievements that make sense to the company. For example, if I was a Line Supervisor and my job is to manage 12 people in my shift then I must be able to identify 2 or 3 key achievements in that job that have benefited the company….in other words the ROI for the company. So, I must be able to say “ I managed a group of 12 production operators and reduced absenteeism to less than 5% in one year” OR “ I set up a quality team that reduced rejects to less than 1%”. Now, that is what the reader wants to know!

Q : Coming back to managing emotions, In your experience, what are some of the major worries of someone who has been retrenched?
A : Well, the men often find it difficult to break the news to their wives and children. So we coach them and make them feel confident enough to tell their family members. Our clients who are too specialized in a particular skill area often fear that their choices are limited. This is not necessarily true. We help them to identify their technical skills and their transferable skills and help them market these skills. Some also worry whether they can command the same kind of salary packages. So far, all our clients have landed jobs that in its entirety have similar or better salary packages as the previous one. Remember, if a company is trying to get you on the cheap just because you are out of job or 4 months pregnant, we don't think that's a company you should dedicate the next 10 years of your working life.

For those of you who are in between jobs, take heart that you are a candidate for better things in life. For those of you who know somebody else who is in -between jobs, become his or her catalyst for a brigter future.

Cheers.

Proton Exora!

Proton surprises me. Proton Exora delights me.

Named after the Ixora (the humble bunga jarum-jarum), a plant native to tropical Asia especially India, the Ixora is a popular item in the long list of Hindu prayer items.

Anyway, I hope nobody at Proton or the Prime Minister’s office is going to take offence to the ‘ties between’ Ixora-Exora and decide to change the name of the car! Stranger things have happened in this beloved land of ours.

The Proton Exora is a beautiful expression of what Malaysia and especially Proton is capable of. A car designed and priced for the times. My earlier postings have lamented at the sheer lack of creativity and common-sense business practices at Proton. Things have indeed changed. If the car indeed looks as good as it looked on print and the waiting list is at reasonable length, the Exora is going to smell heavenly on our roads; not to mention what it is going to do to the health of Proton’s coffers.

But here is a thought – a dilemma even. I read that Perodua is building its own MPV. If this is true, we have an interesting situation in our hands : the product segment and differentiation of Proton and Perodua has blurred. Each is into the other’s turf and in a small market like ours, that may not be the most efficient way to go about doing business. When Perodua was only selling the Kancil and Proton its Waja’s, Wira’s and Perdana’s, there was an equilibrium. Then when Perodua introduced the Myvi and Proton the Savvy, the blurring began. The new Proton Saga, in terms of pricing, has blurred the lines even more and now with potentially two MPVs , it’s going to be interesting to watch. Then of course we have the Nautica (Perodua) and Satria Neo (Proton) which are, well, just there. Persona is probably the only one standing out in terms of well defined market segment and I don’t even want to talk about the ‘ancient’ Perdana.

What does this mean? A merger between Proton and Perodua? I think that's worth one or two rounds of teh-tarik discussion. Also, this merger can become an acceptable ‘excuse’ for the government to prolong the protection given to the local auto industry. After all, with the Exora priced so menacingly against its rivals in the same segment, there are going to be inevitable questions on high taxes imposed on other makes but with a merger of such significance, a few more years of ‘protection’ will be well justified.

So, what can make this dream merger work:

1. The government should provide structural support and then keep off them; let both companies run their business. This means; politicians and politically motivated interest groups should be kept out.
2. A Proton-Perodua merger will be a more attractive option for a potential strategic partner.
3. Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant can be consolidated.

We have a winner in the Exora and we have the opportunity to do something right for the local auto industry. By the way, don't forget Naza Motors in the equation!

All the Pretenders, please stand up!

“ For years these people are our lunch buddies…..but the moment they are selected for separation they become criminals in our eyes and we want to escort them out on the very same day of notification. I tell my managers we don't hire criminals so show some respect for those who are selected for separation”

(Shared by a participant in a recent thought leadership workshop).


An economic crisis has an in-built advantage. Just like the over flooding rivers of the African plains, economic crisis can be life-rejuvenating. It can bring forth new life, new hope. It is the ultimate differentiator of who can swim and who ‘thought’ he can swim. It is the ultimate arbitrator of who is preaching what he is practicing and who is preaching what he himself is not ready to practice. The proof of the pudding is in the crisis!

More than ever, today we need leaders who have the integrity and wherewithal to manage our organizations. We need leaders who can truly lead us out of the burning house. Superstar CEOs and celebrity managers who sashayed around with their PR and media consultants will be called upon to show their true mettle…to Lead. The integrity of those who preached honesty will be severely tested. The lofty service oriented mission statements of companies will be put to the ultimate test of profit vs service. The often repeated ‘my people are my greatest asset’ dictum will be up for a close scrutiny. Actually, now would be the best time to do a ‘Employer of Choice’ survey.

As I have said many times before, it is indeed a prerogative of an organization to reduce its head count or divest a subsidiary or close down an entire plant. But, how it goes about doing it will determine its future survival. How an organization treats an employee that has been made redundant will determine the morale, productivity and loyalty of those are staying behind. As my Country Manager said recently, “ For every one staff that we ask to leave, 50 others are left behind due to our negligence”. It will affect the organization’s future ability to attract talents and its ability to hang on to its existing talents when the good times return.

Managers and business leaders too will be put to a test. It is easy to engage in a rhetoric about integrity, empathy, team work, service orientation and such but much harder to exhibit these qualities when your back is to the wall. How many businesses that have cleverly branded them selves as ‘people oriented’ are willing to share in the people’s burden?


Ultimately, bad times brings out the true character of both an individual and an entire organization. Employees want to know whether they are indeed ‘the most valuable asset of an organization’ and consumers want to know whether the companies they are dealing with are indeed ‘caring’ and conscious of their ‘social responsibility’.

Maybe this crisis will bring forth new champions….true champions.