I was a highly rated employee at Sabre and had great working relationships. Nevertheless, I was laid off at the beginning of the year and still haven't been able to find anything despite sending hundreds of applications. I'm even looking in other states. I believe my age is the factor here. I staked my life on going to work for Sabre several years ago and being able to finish out my career there. Boy that was a mistake. They basically just kicked me in the _. Can't seem to get past the age thing in today's market. I'm qualified for positions at Sabre, but don't even get a response to my applications. Seems like laid off employees would get a little bit of preference.
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How old is too old based on the employer criteria? Thanks!
Quit trying to get back on at Sabre. Your DPM was downgraded to "Unsatisfactory" so we could meet the bell curve we needed. You are not eligible for rehire at Sabre ever again because of that.
I am getting a few. Up until June, I didn't get any interviews, and then I started getting a few, and have had one here and there since. My first couple of interviews didn't go very well, because I was out of practice. I thought I'd be fine, but I was wrong. Now after having done several, I am much better at it. The age thing is a problem for sure. It's too easy for hiring manager to do a people search in peoplefinder.com or whitepages.com and find out your age. Do a Google search on the name of the website and opt out, like "peoplefinder opt out", and follow the criteria to have yourself removed. Some require a faxed copy of DL, you can mark out the DL number though. This URL will help: reddit.com/r/technology/comments/j1mit/how_to_remove_yourself_from Some of the information may be out of date, so if it doesn't work or seems to cumbersome be sure and do a search on the site like I mentioned above. And check out the UNT job website. Some of the lower developer jobs don't require experience, even if the job lists it as a requirement.
I'm in the same boat. It might be an age thing. Are you getting interviews?
Anonymous45998 - If I were still in my 30's, I wouldn't worry about it either way. Should be easy enough to find another job if you did get laid off. It's hard to say what Sabre will do, but they do have a history of ramping up followed by significant layoffs. The last set starting in fall 2013 and going all the way into the first quarter of 2014 was pretty severe and consisted of multiple rounds. Part of that I think, was getting lean prior to their IPO. Part of it was the new executives and the different way they operated. I enjoyed working in my particular area though, and probably would go back again if given the chance. Good luck!
Anonymous45765, I have got a JOB at Sabre as senior developer. currently working in a company which is stable. Now after seeing all the comments, I am worried abt the working culture there and stability of the company?! Also I am also 35+ which makes me think that it would be difficult to search another job if I am laid off after joining sabre..
Anon 45800 - Thanks for the tips. Especially the one about emailing the IT director. I hadn't thought of that.
Anon 45807 - Good observations. I'll add to it by saying that when I originally wanted to go to work for Sabre a tech representative from another company that had interacted with them asked me: "Why do you want to go to work there? They have some problems. Why don't you check out these other companies ..." and he named a couple. I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but now I sure do.
Quit applying to the company that kicked you out, why would you want to work for Sabre? They're a horrible company, only care about the bottom line and constantly layoff. Not only do they say that they're global to hide behind the low cost centers, they ousource to third world countries instaed of giving the jobs to Americans, reporting to a manager in India that expects everyone to stand up when he walked into the room and to bow down to him when he came to the US. As an American, I was a minority in Sabre. The company is full of backstabbers and liars and passive aggressive personalities (360 reviews is a policy that encourages the passive aggressive people). I hated that company and couldn't get out fast enough. I never understood the people that continue to go back. I think it's because they know nothing else. Believe me, there are great companies out there that truly care about thier employees.
If you don't mind, let me make a couple of recommendations. On your resume, separate your experience by title for the years you were at Sabre. Then remove the oldest experience, show only the last 10 - 15 years. Make sure that every cover letter is personalized, it should take no less than an hour to apply for a position, modifying your resume for the position that you're applying to along with a catchy cover letter. I know that talking to head hunters gets old but keep all lines of communication open unless of course you can't understand them or if you detect a call center. Are you on Linkedin? And if so, your profile should be rich with content and recommendations from as many coworkers as you can. Take a great picture in natural light and post on your linkedin profile. As with the resume, don't include the dinosaur years (I can say this because I'm up ther in the years too). Don't get discouraged, get up in the morning and be positive, apply, re-apply, search google for the it director for each job and send a resume to them too - you can usually guess the email address.