How does one find a job after getting fired?

[Linea_Norway]

Congrats with the new job.

[hoping2retire35]

Wow, that was fast!

Awesome, congrats on the next stage.

[DavidAnnArbor]

Congratulations Johnez.  Think of this as a chance to get skills in HVAC for which there is hot demand.

[Rylito]

Awesome news!  Congrats and I hope you like working there.

[Johnez]

Congratulations Johnez.  Think of this as a chance to get skills in HVAC for which there is hot demand.

Great advice.  Look at this as a wakeup call: you have to be always investing in your career, especially in durable, hi-demand roles.

Well, the focus on this thread was how to get past the firing and I didn't really detail what I've been doing beforehand-which was going to school! I've been training for the HVAC/R field for quite a while, just haven't finished yet. Hopefully I'll be done this coming year.

[Embok]

Congratulations on the job. 

One suggestion:  think through and practice slowing down, taking a deep breath, and saying little, or better yet nothing, for a few minutes if someone annoys you — then speak only with great politeness. 

Getting angry and yelling at any time during work simply is ineffective and will get you labeled as difficult to work with. 

As a female lawyer, in a male dominated field, who gets interrupted by idiots all the time, I have actually spent a lot of time figuring out how to advocate for my position without getting angry ( or at least without expressing my anger). 

It can help to think up, and even to practice,  responses before anger triggering events occur.  Chilly politeness, or the careful use of humor, can be useful.  But if you can become more measured when responding, it will help you move forward in your career.

[Roadrunner53]

Johnez, can you give us an update on your job...how is it going?

[Johnez]

Congratulations on the job. 

One suggestion:  think through and practice slowing down, taking a deep breath, and saying little, or better yet nothing, for a few minutes if someone annoys you — then speak only with great politeness. 

Getting angry and yelling at any time during work simply is ineffective and will get you labeled as difficult to work with. 

As a female lawyer, in a male dominated field, who gets interrupted by idiots all the time, I have actually spent a lot of time figuring out how to advocate for my position without getting angry ( or at least without expressing my anger). 

It can help to think up, and even to practice,  responses before anger triggering events occur.  Chilly politeness, or the careful use of humor, can be useful.  But if you can become more measured when responding, it will help you move forward in your career.

Thank you for your point of view.  The "practice" is a good way to counteract the immediate knee jerk responses that might arise in the future.  This is an incident that I could and should have controlled.  I still reflect on this day in my head, and can't believe it got to where it got. 

Johnez, can you give us an update on your job...how is it going?

Hey Roadrunner!

Job is going awesome.  I've been fast tracked through probation, given a whole bunch of papers to sign and will be an official employee as of Monday.  It was made very clear to me that probation was taken pretty seriously by the company and is used to see if employee and employer were a good fit, a trial period so to speak, with no expectation of full hire.  The fact that I had the schooling really helped here as training was a breeze and I was able to sharpen my skills and am now ready for the road.  Been given a van and asked to put together a wish list of tools and materials to stock for December when the van is officially assigned to me.  w00t! 

[Roadrunner53]

Johnez, I am so happy for your success! You were so down and out previously and now this great news of a permanent job as of Monday!

Wow, so, so great news!

Now, when you can, try to pay back by helping another person who needs a hand up! We all need help in one way or another!

No job is perfect and I have had some bummer jobs but when I did I had to tell myself to laugh all the way to the bank with my paycheck. I had to zip my lip and pretend to like my job and do it well even though I hated every minute of it! We all have to pay the bills! So if this job should ever fail to make you happy, just smile while taking your check to the bank! Then look for something else if it come down to it!

I am rooting for your success!

[Johnez]

Heck yeah!  Thanks Roadrunner, many of your posts have helped me keep going.  I just went through the thread and man I didn't detail it much but I was going through the wringer over here, guess it bled through enough to notice-I truly was down and out.

Now, when you can, try to pay back by helping another person who needs a hand up! We all need help in one way or another!

This I will definitely keep in mind.  Here in the forums and in real life.  A little kindness goes a long way, and I appreciate the people's contributions here in this thread.  I've got an awesome job here thanks to you guys!  Remembering this puts things in perspective and I really am quite lucky. 

Thanks again everyone!

[frugalnacho]

I'm late to the thread, but I just experienced the whole thing start to finish in like 15 minutes.  What a wild ride! congrats on the new job.

[Johnez]

Hey all, it's been a while!  An update of sorts, some good some bad.

First the bad:
I underwent a performance review shortly after the beginning of the year, and it was determined I was not up to snuff.  Initial training went well, however once I was let out on my own troubles mounted.  This is a small company and to not have a tech 100% ready to go was too costly.  I was pretty bummed, as I had felt I reached a turning point from being totally overwhelmed to only calling when I wasn't sure on specific issues, however apparently it was not quick enough.  Though this job ended on a sour note, the real world experience in the field has built my confidence.  I've completed repairs entirely on my own, from trouble shooting, to diagnosis, to repair and have learned a lot about the process. 

Now the good:
The genesis of this thread was me getting fired, and now I've come full circle.  I've been re-instated!  This is not a step forward in my career unfortunately as it's back to the warehouse, however its a good paying job and will keep the bills paid while I go to school.  All on a single income thanks to this site! 

More good:
Speaking of school, after getting sacked from the refrigeration company I decided to go full bore into school.  I had previously endeavored to earn a single certificate, however I decided the AS degree was worth shooting for.  I enrolled in as many classes as I could, 2 units shy of the limit.  I'm now on track to earn my AS next May, however this past May I completed, and just yesterday I finally got in the mail my Refrigeration Certificate!

It's been a hell of a year, I have learned a lot.  Resilience, perseverance, and flexibility have paid off. 

There's still a lot of work to be done.  Thankfully back with my original company, I've more opportunity for simple transfers in their refrigeration division, though I have to wait 6 more months due to disciplinary reasons.

I've yet to address my mental health.  Though I believe the entire issue was mostly stress related and there's no issue currently, my SO would still like me to see a doctor.  I've resisted, and though I've seen what good treatment does for anxiety and depression, I just don't think going the formal route will yield much.  I got angry, got fired, sometimes get angry at home.  99% of the time I'm pretty chipper and positive.

Alright, I'm still riding high on finally getting my certificate.  Just reworked my resume and about to start a cover letter for my dream company.  Thanks all for reading and your contributions.  They've helped immensely.

[Roadrunner53]

Hi Johnez, nice to hear your update. Sorry for the bad news but glad for you on the refrigeration certificate! I am the one who previously commented on my Hub being an S1-Contractor in CT. He originally was an oil burner service person for about 7 years and then went on to refrigeration/HVAC for more than 30 years. He is retired now but keeps paying for his license renewal each year. It is too precious at this point to give up. Not that he plans to go back any time soon!

Just want to say that he gets job offers in the mail quite often with companies all over CT! HVAC is a high paying job and companies are having harder and harder times filling positions. He must have gotten at least 10 offers this summer alone. If I could only clone him I would be running to the bank with wheel barrows full of money every week!

You are under a lot of pressure going to school and working. But it will pay off in the end. Keep focused but treat yourself and your SO with kindness along the way. My Dad always said you always hurt the ones who love you most. Plan some things to do together for fun to blow off some steam. All work and no play will make Johnez a dull boy!

Congratulations on your success and keep going forward. Keep us posted on your future successes. Don't give up when things get a bit wonky!

[Just Joe]

Congrats Johnez!!!

[norabird]

It sounds like you're doing great. Keeping a positive attitude is honestly the biggest thing to do in times like these, while taking constructive steps for the future, and you've excelled at both! Life is full of set backs, it's just how we meet them that matters.

[Johnez]

Thanks again for the support guys. Semester's going well, looks like I'll pick up some more certs in December.

@Roadrunner53 Thanks for your feedback. Reminds me to set my sights higher, there are just so many more opportunities the higher one takes education. I'm looking more into commercial/industrial (ammonia/co2 systems) being some of the work is in very heavy demand. Unfortunately educational opportunities are limited around here in those systems, though principles remain the same or similar. Your hub's expertise ges good with FIRE, pretty neat your hubby can take a job on a moment's notice, might be able to swing travel and lodging costs to some nice places!

[Roadrunner53]

Thanks again for the support guys. Semester's going well, looks like I'll pick up some more certs in December.

@Roadrunner53 Thanks for your feedback. Reminds me to set my sights higher, there are just so many more opportunities the higher one takes education. I'm looking more into commercial/industrial (ammonia/co2 systems) being some of the work is in very heavy demand. Unfortunately educational opportunities are limited around here in those systems, though principles remain the same or similar. Your hub's expertise ges good with FIRE, pretty neat your hubby can take a job on a moment's notice, might be able to swing travel and lodging costs to some nice places!

Johnez, unless there is something catastrophic, Hub is never going back to work again! He says retirement is the best job he ever had! In his last job he worked at he could have gone on the road as a Technical trouble shooter. He would have basically travelled all week and come home weekends. He is a homebody so that really didn't interest him. Plus, at that point he was older and just wasn't his cup of tea. Would be a perfect opportunity for a single person who wants to see the country. Or, a person who just wants to get a lot of experience in different parts of the country and loves to travel.

Some of the worst parts of his job was some of his managers. One in particular was mechanical but was not well versed in HVAC. It is hard to work for managers who have less experience than you when they are trying to tell you what to do and it is wrong! Very frustrating!

Good luck!