Laid Off w/ Severance But Not Getting Interviews To Return

[slackerinabox]

I've been in a similar situation, it boiled down to:
1. I always performed above and beyond, but no one really liked me there - i wasn't a "team player" in that after hours at the bar never interested me and spending the weekend with coworkers was the last thing i'd want to do, so I failed at politics and networking. I never made the right friends. Maybe you never made the right friends, or you made the wrong enemies - over something not performance related.

2. Someone new is always cheaper, and new is exciting. A new person doesn't felt owed anything, nor will they start negotiations from their prior salary. Someone new is always sexier too, both figuratively and literally - maybe they'd be fun at karaoke! maybe they'll bring in great brownies on fridays. maybe office nicknames can happen! or maybe they're a young hot kid straight out of college, willing to work for cheap! happened to me, replaced by a college kid who made about 1/2 of what I did, and looks much cuter as a member of the company's bowling team (I never went).

no matter what, new beats you. it's a lot like dating. don't be pathetic and run back, 'what do you mean, you said you're not looking for a relationship at all but you're dating the girl from the bar!!! take me!" have some pride, walk away. i say this after emailing the ceo after I saw a job vacancy for my job months after I was laid off for 'lack of work.' of course he never wrote back. this was a decade ago, i'm not that desperate these days!

 

[JEDIYoda]

I've been in a similar situation, it boiled down to:
1. I always performed above and beyond, but no one really liked me there - i wasn't a "team player" in that after hours at the bar never interested me and spending the weekend with coworkers was the last thing i'd want to do, so I failed at politics and networking. I never made the right friends. Maybe you never made the right friends, or you made the wrong enemies - over something not performance related. -- ahh the old I wasn`t a team player after hours excuse....probably more like I thought so much of myself that I was NOT a team player while I was working with other!!

2. Someone new is always cheaper, and new is exciting. A new person doesn't felt owed anything, nor will they start negotiations from their prior salary. Someone new is always sexier too, both figuratively and literally - maybe they'd be fun at karaoke! maybe they'll bring in great brownies on fridays. maybe office nicknames can happen! or maybe they're a young hot kid straight out of college, willing to work for cheap! happened to me, replaced by a college kid who made about 1/2 of what I did, and looks much cuter as a member of the company's bowling team (I never went). -- The old I was so good at my job that they hired a younger person because they can pay this person less to do the same job I do.....truth hurts I know...

no matter what, new beats you. it's a lot like dating. don't be pathetic and run back, 'what do you mean, you said you're not looking for a relationship at all but you're dating the girl from the bar!!! take me!" have some pride, walk away. i say this after emailing the ceo after I saw a job vacancy for my job months after I was laid off for 'lack of work.' of course he never wrote back. this was a decade ago, i'm not that desperate these days! -- I can agree with this!! Hold your head up high!! Do some self searching and see if it is you that caused your own problems and take corrective actions!!

Good Luck!!

 

[BoomerD]

As has been mentioned...they're trying to tell you something.

Laying you off and paying you severance might be a way of avoiding any legal hassles that might have arisen had they just fired you.

It might not be that you actually did something wrong...but that they felt you just "weren't a good fit" for them.

Good luck