I've been trying to find a job for the past several months - and I'll be honest, what I'm seeing out there is not good. There are available jobs, I was able to get offers, but the pay is nowhere near what I'm making here. Even with benefits as crippled as they are here, nothing came close to tempting me to accept and leave this job.
Which in turn managed to make me even more nervous and anxious - considering the lack of job security here.
I hope other people are having more luck than I am...
@1jqr. The corporate profit share was 3% THIS year. That's not guaranteed. For a 10% bonus, you must have been hired into a band 7 or 8. That 10% is also subject to a corporate modifier, which in most years is < 100%. If you are expecting big salary increases each year, don't. Depending on where your salary falls in the Market Range, it could be 0-3%. Medical benefits are good compared to some other companies, but the culture is predominantly the same as T I think. Hope you can squeak a few good years out before you become jaded by Vz as well. In the end, it's a job.
Noticed everyone is referring to others by using the part of their post IDs, so wanted to share this feature I recently discovered, makes it easier to track replies. If you use the part of post ID behind the hyphen (like this: @1wpx ) or the full post ID (like this: @Yfwg8Fj-1jnz ) text turns into a link to the actual post you are referring to.
It is not easy finding employment after leaving AT&T......good luck!
@j-1wpx No one is getting pensions anymore. They still match 6% of salary for 401k.
Management no longer getting pension or retirement since 2006....so Verizon not such great benefits. Phone store employees are not union....just saying
@j-1lrn I have no reason to lie about the salary. T raises do not keep you up to market value. I was lucky to get 1-2% each year. It's well known the best way to get your market value is to swap jobs. Verizon gives a 10% annual bonus plus 3% profit sharing. From what I'm hearing from people they are treated better also. They don't feel like they are on the chopping block any day now.
Having a bit of a hard time with the “31K” higher salary at Verizon vs. T for the OSP engineer position. Other than that, I have always heard their benefit package is slightly better, in line with what has been described below. I’d love for someone in the know to provide a cost comparison between the management medical plan coverage offered at VZ vs T though...
I have since held three new positions at two different companies. AT&T is a good name to use. I took two pay cuts and I am now beyond where I was with T. A pay cut isn't a bad thing. Stop being so scared and take a leap of faith to better yourself. I am far better off 16 months later.
@j-1ckz I guess people here could be lying, but I don’t see why they would do that. I do know that it is not “BS” that Verizon is hiring in large numbers, simply check their website or LinkedIn.
What a bunch of BS posts. Verizon is surplussing employees faster than we are, and their employees may be more unhappy. Look at their layoff board.
I was also recently hired by Verizon after being surplussed by T. While my pay relatively stayed the same, their benefits are better...two more paid holidays, target bonus % is higher, they have profit sharing and match 100% of what you put into your 401K up to 6%. Verizon seems to be hiring a lot of surplussed T employees.
@j-tfe - Good for you man. I'm looking hard at Verizon too. Best of luck to you.
@j-ify Outside Plant Engineer and my starting salary was 31k higher than AT&T plus get 2 extra paid holidays.
OP I have been here 25 years in various management roles for most of that time and I am in ATO, so I know it'll be coming for me at some point. I too have been looking, though not terribly seriously as I want my severance. Those of you constantly posting that folks should voluntarily leave without their severance can stuff it; I do feel I am entitled to it, I am not miserable in my current role, and I have a couple kids in college. That money will be a couple years tuition at a minimum and I'm not walking away from it. It might be different if I were to be offered a huge pay raise for the next opportunity, but to your point, that is not likely at all from what I have seen. The encouraging thing is that I have gotten a lot of interest and inquiries, and have even taken a couple interviews to brush up on those skills as it has been a while. I am just starting to accept the fact that it's most likely I won't be earning as much to start at the next gig, and trying to prepare for that by saving as much as I can and eliminating debt wherever I can.
@j-ula "I just got hired with Verizon after being surplussed. The pay is better and benefits are better. Lets just be real. Everything is better". I'd love to know what type of role you were hired in to. And I am guessing you are relatively young. Verizon recently went to great lengths and cost to rid themselves of senior, long tenured, highly compensated management. They have been doing a lot of hiring but they are not replacing like for like from what I have seen. Meaning they are not looking to backfill one of those positions with basically the same exact person coming over from T.
I've been casually looking since the beginning of the year, I get plenty of interviews but as soon as it becomes apparent they are looking for a senior level engineer at junior or mid level pay and that I'm not desperate for the first job offer that lands in my lap we part ways. The reality is that higher level positions aren't open as often as lower level positions and it takes time to find something even if you have highly marketable skills.
Question for OP: What is your title and skillset?
I just got hired with Verizon after being surplussed. The pay is better and benefits are better. Lets just be real. Everything is better.
Thank you, feeling the same way here in Denver; waiting for that 'surplus' email each quarter is torture.