Advice from HPAA members on job searching -- inside or outside HP. (Updated Feb 17, 2018.)

1. Members recommend spending most of your time searching outside the company -- you are a stronger candidate while still employed. Very few members report finding an internal job during their "redeployment period." Many report losing critical time and wasting valuable energy on discussions about internal jobs that ended abruptly without explanation

2. Use the HPAA's Career Checkup -- hard-earned advice from members on evaluating your career situation.

3. Advice and info on returning to HPInc, HPE, DXC, or Micro Focus -- including informal and formal restrictions. 

4. Use LinkedIn to reconnect with people you worked with in the past. You will be surprised at the help some will give. "Don't be shy about contacting each and every manager and friend you know and asking them if they know anyone who might be hiring. I know that's obvious, but hey, some techies are introverted and sort of reclusive. This is no time for that." CBS News 

5. "Job Searching for the Mature Worker" HPAA video. Pat Richards from nonprofit NOVA Workforce Services, Sunnyvale, California. Pragmatic, actionable advice. (Not the usual motivational fluff.) Questions and discussion.

6. Be sure to take advantage of any transition services provided by the company. Members consistently report that the Lee Hecht Harrison classes are excellent. Typical comment: "LHH was crucial in coaching me in how to find a job in today's market."  (LHH is helpful even if actually retiring from the workforce: "They had some really interesting self-reflection sessions about considering what to do in retirement.")

7. Check into local job-networking groups (often hosted by churches but not limited to parishioners.) The meetings may be primarily motivational -- but there is often a bulletin board or email distribution list with local opportunities.

8. Working through an agency is very different from direct employment. For legal reasons, you are treated differently -- for example, not included in staff meetings or celebrations. People's attitude toward you is different. Easy to get into a situation where, due to what the agency is charging for your services, you are expected to work at a much higher level than you are being paid for. When comparing alternatives, be sure to factor in the reduced benefits.

9. You will be approached about "business opportunities" -- such as franchises, businesses for sale, work-at-home schemes, network marketing, commission sales, etc. Good articles: Federal Trade Commission   AARP 
   "When the neighborhood is turned into a marketplace, something precious is lost... which is not easily regained." Multi-Level Marketing

10. There are bona fide alternatives to huge corporations:
    - One member joined a startup at low-but-steady-pay to learn a new technology. He was not surprised that the startup failed -- but his practical experience in the new technology helped him get a much better position than his previous HP job.
    - "You will find others who left HP have started their own little companies and may want your help in making it work. There you'll find the companionship you thought you'd miss, the dreams you thought you'd dropped, and the enthusiasm you thought you left back in your youth." --another member 

11. Regardless of whether you left HP voluntarily or otherwise, this pragmatic discussion by Jane Bryant Quinn is very helpful in thinking about your future: "The Golden Boot."

For additional career and job information: Professional networking, LinkedIn, "What I wish I had known before I left," Employment and Salary Verification, HPAA Job Posts, and more -- see the main HPAA page on Career and Job Issues.

Contact the HPAA volunteers: info@hpalumni.org 

The Hewlett-Packard Alumni Association is operated by former employees who volunteer their time. Not officially endorsed or supported by any company.