[BC] It's not just Engineers....

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

Job security for me has always been the ability to
get another job. During my heyday of broadcast
transmitter design, I would often encounter the
CEOs of competing companies attempting to
recruit me at the NAB Convention! It was certainly
an ego builder!

After I went into the medical electronics industry
and helped invent GE’s phased-array Ultrasound,
I thought the trend would continue and it did –for
a bit. After Jack Welch’s corporate whackers had
extracted as much body and soul as possible from
the Advanced Development Group, they closed
the facility after booting all the engineers and
scientists.

Some went on to create Siemens Ultrasound, an
eventual competitor. A few, including me received
a “white slip,” instead of a pink one. It stated
something like, “should you appear at your own
expense on or before some date on the doorstep
of GE Medical in Milwaukee, we will reserve some
unspecified position for you, should you elect
to continue your career with General Electric…”

I declined, and went on to the Irex division of
Johnson & Johnson. I was going to help develop
a digital version of the Ultrasound technology I
helped invent. However, alas, GE’s lawyers sued
Johnson & Johnson, preventing them from using
my inventions. The facility was closed. I did not
have to sleep on park benches, though. The
medical industry has conventions much like the
NAB. I had done the appropriate networking
so I never qualified for unemployment
compensation, being out of work for only a
few days. 

Incidentally, Irex paid for an outplacement
service where engineers like me would
learn not only how to write a resume, but
also how to present oneself during an
employment interview. We were taught
how to hold our hands, what words to
use (and not use), and how to make a
presentation of previous work, etc. We
were videotaped and critiqued. I was
appalled the first time I saw a playback
of my interview. After many lessons,
I actually liked to watch the actor (me) handle
the interviewer! I learned a lot about one-on-
one interviews, which are difficult for both
parties, by the way.

Since that training, I have been to a two job
interviews and have always received an offer for
employment! I have been at my present job for
about 25 years so what I learned about the job
interview process might be obsolete, for instance,
companies generally do not give a damn about
whom you might be sleeping with anymore.

However, learning to make the public presentation
has continued to help me in business meetings
and formal design reviews so getting whacked at
Irex actually contributed to my engineering longevity.


--
Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Read about my book
http://www.LymanSchool.org


 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Rich Wood <richwood at pobox.com>
> ------ At 04:41 PM 5/3/2008, Milton Holladay wrote: -------
> 
> >I don't believe there is such a thing as a *really* secure 
> >situation, not these days, not ever. I was at one place 21 years and 
> >suddenly it was sold ad shortly I was unemployed--and that was in 
> >the much more stabe era 1990.......................
> 
> I can't recall a time less secure. Maybe the middle days of 
> consolidation when entire staffs were terminated so one person could 
> do the job of eight might be the closest. There's never been total 
> security even in heavily unionized operations.

[Snipped..]