A Case Of The Mondays: Vent Your Work Spleen Here

[Browncoat]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:42 PM, BlueSkies said:

Perhaps this isnt the best question to ask on a thread called vent your spleen about work but How Many People Actually Like Their Jobs?

I think I've liked 80-95% of every job I've had.  There are aspects of any job that I will never like -- with my current job, it's mostly the commute I hate.  With most of the jobs, there's usually some paperwork-y, administrative stuff that I don't particularly care for.  But I am working in my chosen field, for which I have college degrees, so I can't complain too much.  I have had some real shitheads for bosses, too, but even they didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the actual work.

I even mostly liked my summer job at the amusement park, back in the day, when we got literal peanuts with our paychecks. (My least favorite part of that job was the costume.)

[Cloud9Shopper]

Didn’t get the job. It was my only good lead at the moment too. 

This job market feels very…damned if I do, damned if I don’t. My mom wonders why I took a call center job, and it’s not the kind of environment I do well in, but if I hadn’t accepted it, who knows how long it would have been until something else came along? And I’m screwed in another way because once you work customer service some employers seem to think it’s all you can do. 

On the other hand I would love to change careers into something more marketable but if I do and it doesn’t pay off or no one will hire me for lack of experience, damned if you do again. if I don’t go for it then I’ll have to keep competing for jobs with tons of people just like me who don’t really have hard skills. It just feels like no matter what I try to do I cannot win. And it sucks when I have to be happy for others getting their dream gigs when who knows if I’ll get another job that I liked as much as my old ones ever again. I’m disappointed this job didn’t work out especially because I felt good after the hiring manager round. 

[JTMacc99]

On 6/22/2023 at 12:02 PM, Browncoat said:

I think I've liked 80-95% of every job I've had.  There are aspects of any job that I will never like ...  But I am working in my chosen field, for which I have college degrees, so I can't complain too much. 

Same for me. It probably doesn't hurt that I have the technical and people skills that allow me to succeed in my chosen field. I am wired correctly to do what I do, and therefore I like doing it.

I've been fortunate enough to only once land in an organization which was not a fit for me. I am much happier in a mid-size corporate setting than I am a huge corporation. I like to know that the work I'm doing makes a difference as opposed to working hard and then having no idea if actual decision makers did anything with it.

[emma675]

I guess I've been lucky, too. I've only had two jobs that I actively despised and that made my life miserable. And both were because of my managers, one of which had severe mental health issues she refused to address and the other because I had 3 different managers in 18 months. I've been extremely lucky at every job to have wonderful coworkers, some of whom I'm still friends with today. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

I'm no HR expert, but I'm thinking this would be universally frowned upon - 

woman-arrested-employment-meeting-sheriffs-department

[Moose135]

I'm thinking she probably didn't get the job...

[DearEvette]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:42 PM, BlueSkies said:

Perhaps this isnt the best question to ask on a thread called vent your spleen about work but How Many People Actually Like Their Jobs?

Oh, I love my job.  I have worked in Higher Ed for almost my entire professional life both in the corporate sector (for a major education software vendor) and in the education sector for different colleges and universities.

My current job I've been in the longest and worked my way up to an assistant directorship, have a lot of autonomy and seniority, and have earned (based on what my boss tells me) the respect of a lot of my colleagues.

Speaking of... my boss texted me today to tell me that one of my least favorite people ( a particularly snotty professor that I had a rather public  falling out with about 10 years ago because I knew something better than he did and he didn't like it so he decided to show his ass) was put on administrative leave, access to his university email and other systems have been removed.  I am dying to know the hell happened.  The amount of fucked up you have to do for a tenured professor and dept. chair to get this level rebuke is major!

[BlueSkies]

I'm impressed in a good way, there's still a good amount of people that enjoy their jobs.  That gives me hope.  I always thought most people just sort of grind it out after a while for the bacon 

 

 

[Cloud9Shopper]

I haven’t gotten any further interviews since the job I thought I was a good fit for rejected me. I guess at this point it is my resume that’s a problem and I’m hoping my career counselor can give me some good feedback to improve it and hopefully secure more callbacks. (She is not a resume writer, however, but I am open to hearing what she has to say.) Once she gives me some feedback, I will thank her and stop having appointments with her, part because I want to see how a revamped resume goes on the job search and also because she gave me bad advice on choosing a career (“don’t choose a job because it’s stable”), and I think the advice was irresponsible. Sorry I have bills to pay.

I am happy, though, because I’m considering a completely new career after the revelation I had that I am smarter than I’ve been giving myself credit for and am considering a change into accounting, which I previously shut out because I believed I couldn’t handle it, but upon more research, it actually sounds like a good fit and has the added bonus of being needed everywhere. I’m also thinking about healthcare administration but accounting is slightly winning right now because I’m finding that if you want to get into healthcare you’re generally expected to do a customer service type of role to break in. I’m exhausted of customer service jobs like receptionist and call center and I don’t want to do them anymore. Period. 

Plus I am going through a free bookkeeping course on Intuit’s website so if I end up deciding I would totally hate accounting, then no harm done. But I am still determined to break out of the call center. I was complaining to someone at church that I was freaking out about being 38 and she said “you’re still young!” (She’s in her 60s.) 

[ginger90]

5 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I’m also thinking about healthcare administration but accounting is slightly winning right now because I’m finding that if you want to get into healthcare you’re generally expected to do a customer service type of role to break in.

Healthcare administration is customer service, ever day.

[isalicat]

6 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Plus I am going through a free bookkeeping course on Intuit’s website so if I end up deciding I would totally hate accounting, then no harm done. But I am still determined to break out of the call center. I was complaining to someone at church that I was freaking out about being 38 and she said “you’re still young!” (She’s in her 60s.) 

Accounting is not the same thing as bookkeeping, so you might want to look into this a bit more. Most accountants do considerably more than a book keeper, such as compile and file a company's or individual's tax returns, so you may need to take some coursework (your local community college is usually a great place to start) beyond simply learning how to use bookkeeping software. Good luck! (and yes, you are still young! - I'm in my late 60s 😺 )

[BlueSkies]

6 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I haven’t gotten any further interviews since the job I thought I was a good fit for rejected me. I guess at this point it is my resume that’s a problem and I’m hoping my career counselor can give me some good feedback to improve it and hopefully secure more callbacks. (She is not a resume writer, however, but I am open to hearing what she has to say.) Once she gives me some feedback, I will thank her and stop having appointments with her, part because I want to see how a revamped resume goes on the job search and also because she gave me bad advice on choosing a career (“don’t choose a job because it’s stable”), and I think the advice was irresponsible. Sorry I have bills to pay.

I am happy, though, because I’m considering a completely new career after the revelation I had that I am smarter than I’ve been giving myself credit for and am considering a change into accounting, which I previously shut out because I believed I couldn’t handle it, but upon more research, it actually sounds like a good fit and has the added bonus of being needed everywhere. I’m also thinking about healthcare administration but accounting is slightly winning right now because I’m finding that if you want to get into healthcare you’re generally expected to do a customer service type of role to break in. I’m exhausted of customer service jobs like receptionist and call center and I don’t want to do them anymore. Period. 

Plus I am going through a free bookkeeping course on Intuit’s website so if I end up deciding I would totally hate accounting, then no harm done. But I am still determined to break out of the call center. I was complaining to someone at church that I was freaking out about being 38 and she said “you’re still young!” (She’s in her 60s.) 

If you like Accounting or Bookkeeping I'd recommend taking a course in Quickbooks.

 

I believe that is the software most small business use and then you would have the hands on experience kind of thing 

[luv2lurk]

6 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I am happy, though, because I’m considering a completely new career after the revelation I had that I am smarter than I’ve been giving myself credit for and am considering a change into accounting, which I previously shut out because I believed I couldn’t handle it, but upon more research, it actually sounds like a good fit and has the added bonus of being needed everywhere. I’m also thinking about healthcare administration but accounting is slightly winning right now because I’m finding that if you want to get into healthcare you’re generally expected to do a customer service type of role to break in. I’m exhausted of customer service jobs like receptionist and call center and I don’t want to do them anymore. Period. 

Plus I am going through a free bookkeeping course on Intuit’s website so if I end up deciding I would totally hate accounting, then no harm done. But I am still determined to break out of the call center. I was complaining to someone at church that I was freaking out about being 38 and she said “you’re still young!” (She’s in her 60s.) 

 

9 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Accounting is not the same thing as bookkeeping, so you might want to look into this a bit more. Most accountants do considerably more than a book keeper, such as compile and file a company's or individual's tax returns, so you may need to take some coursework (your local community college is usually a great place to start) beyond simply learning how to use bookkeeping software. Good luck! (and yes, you are still young! - I'm in my late 60s 😺 )

@isalicat is absolutely correct - there is a difference between accounting and bookkeeping. I qualified as a CPA, then went into the field of marketing research (strange as it sounds, there are similar skill sets for both). Off the top of my mind, I would say attention to detail and analytical skills - accounting is not black and white; nor is interpretation of survey results. 

And the analytical skills can only work if you talk with people and ask questions to gain an understanding.

A few years ago, I took the job as interim bookkeeper at my church which has an incredibly complicated fund accounting system. I had to use the skills I acquired decades ago to be an effective bookkeeper. And yes, I did have to file tax returns, payroll remittances, etc. Learning the bookkeeping software was the easiest part. It was a fun job and involved a lot of interaction with members of the congregation who would just wander into the office for a chit chat as they did their volunteer work. The only reason I didn't make it permanent is because of long commute and low pay with no benefits.

[BlueSkies]

I call CPA's Certified Pains in the Ass 🤣

[luv2lurk]

3 minutes ago, BlueSkies said:

I call CPA's Certified Pains in the Ass 🤣

Well, I don't think it is appropriate to attach a label to any profession or occupation. It depends on the individual.

[BlueSkies]

2 minutes ago, luv2lurk said:

Well, I don't think it is appropriate to attach a label to any profession or occupation. It depends on the individual.

I was just having some fun 😉

[Cloud9Shopper]

1 hour ago, isalicat said:

Accounting is not the same thing as bookkeeping, so you might want to look into this a bit more. Most accountants do considerably more than a book keeper, such as compile and file a company's or individual's tax returns, so you may need to take some coursework (your local community college is usually a great place to start) beyond simply learning how to use bookkeeping software. Good luck! (and yes, you are still young! - I'm in my late 60s 😺 )

My dad was an accountant (never a CPA though; he’s worked in one place for a utility company his whole career) so I do have some familiarity with the field. I am also looking at an accounting learning path on LinkedIn Learning so I am getting there. 

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

Healthcare administration is customer service, ever day.

Good to know…sounds like it’s what I’m trying to run away from then. 🤣

[BlueSkies]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

Healthcare administration is customer service, ever day.

Truth.  

 

While it's a hard field and not for everyone I think its a pretty steady field.  Especially with the baby boomer generation getting older   

[theredhead77]

3 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Healthcare administration is customer service, ever day.

And typically those customers are mad about something. Every job has a level of customer service though. As a Business Analyst, I don't talk with external customers; I provide customer service all day, every day, to our internal customers. It's not all sunshine and roses because their my coworkers. 

[BlueSkies]

Sometimes it gets annoying waking up work.  Well I mean going through my whole morning routine 

 

Takes me a 1/2 to somewhat wake up after coffee 

Go into the bathroom and well handle business there

log onto to sites like here posts some notes

 

my commute really isn’t far but I have to be like really alert yet as the drive is intense 

[StatisticalOutlier]

17 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

accounting is not black and white

And I bet that would come as a huge surprise to the vast majority of people.  It sure was for me--I still remember when I first realized it, like 30 years ago.

[Sweedish Fish]

I have a dilemma.  I have a interview with company on Monday.  I was very happy until another company called and I have had a phone interview with them. And another scheduled for Monday - same day as the interview with the first company.

The second one is the one I want.  What to do or say if I am offered the first job?  Tell them I am still interviewing?   I don't know.

[isalicat]

14 minutes ago, Sweedish Fish said:

I have a dilemma.  I have a interview with company on Monday.  I was very happy until another company called and I have had a phone interview with them. And another scheduled for Monday - same day as the interview with the first company.

The second one is the one I want.  What to do or say if I am offered the first job?  Tell them I am still interviewing?   I don't know.

It is rare to be offered a job on the same day as the interview, but it is also entirely acceptable to ask for a day or more to consider any job offer, so you can relax a bit. Should you wind up with both options, brilliant! Plus, get it all in writing - a verbal job offer is not binding and you don't even have to start to consider taking a job before you get the offer in hard copy.

[StatisticalOutlier]

That's another way the job market has changed--I never got a job offer in writing.  Or maybe the time I got an offer for a judicial clerkship in another city--that may have been by letter.  But for sure all other jobs they just told me I was hired (I can't remember whether at the interview or subsequent phone call) and what day to show up.

Talent acquisition.  Onboarding.  Teams.  Direct reports.  I don't think I'd even know how to have a job any more.  😀

[theredhead77]

31 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

That's another way the job market has changed--I never got a job offer in writing.  Or maybe the time I got an offer for a judicial clerkship in another city--that may have been by letter.

When is the last time you took a new job? I got a written offer for my very first corporate job which was in the early 2000s.

[Browncoat]

In 2013, when I got my current job, I got the initial offer via e-mail, which was followed up by a snail mail letter.

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

When is the last time you took a new job? I got a written offer for my very first corporate job which was in the early 2000s.

Before the early 2000s.  😀

The last major job I had was general counsel for a small state agency in the early 1990s, and I'm sure there was no written offer.  But maybe that's because it was a state agency, and the salary for the position was set, and benefits were the same for all employees, so there's nothing really to pin down in an offer? 

[GHScorpiosRule]

So. I had my annual performance evaluation on Friday and it went really well. Not only did I get a higher raise, but also my performance bonus was tripled from last year. My eyes, if I were a cartoon character, would have bugged out of their sockets when I saw what my salary increase was.

I also had a follow up with my manager a couple weeks ago, letting her know how the trial went. I tried to be as objective as possible. Tried to keep it simple, but when she asked for details, all I told her was of the dismissive behavior and the Senior Para’s refusal to listen to any helpful suggestions I offered or how to do things more efficiently. I really thought I had put this behind me, so I was shocked when I broke down and couldn’t stop the tears.

So all this is to say she apologized to me that what should have been a good learning experience wasn’t. And she apologized again at the end of the evaluation. I didn’t go into the nitty gritty shit talking she did, because there was no point nor would anything be done.

My manager had also sent me a candle/soap/bath bomb(?!) set two days after our follow up. Thanking me for the support-but I knew it was an apology gift. It was nice of her. I certainly didn’t expect any kind of gift or anything because of the narcissistic bully.

But it did make my self esteem/confidence ramp up when I read all of my attorneys’ comments for my review. 

Anyhoo, just wanted to share with you all as even though you weren’t witness, you all were a great source of support when I was venting while at trial. It meant and means a lot to me. And I felt less paranoid if you will, when I spoke with three of my closest work colleagues, who know my work, and who I’ve worked with. They were all outraged on my behalf. I don’t know what the word is, but it made me feel better. 

Oh! And I now have the title of “Senior Paralegal” and my old group is again sending me work again, though I’m no longer their dedicated paralegal. And I’m thrilled! Why? Because I’ve missed working with them.

Edited July 9, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[Gramto6]

@GHScorpiosRule Congrats on the great review and the raise!! It is fitting considering what you had to put up at that trial. Glad you were able to vent a bit about the whole situation. 👏

[EtheltoTillie]

@GHScorpiosRule What a great story.  So wonderful to know that everyone was watching and seeing the truth all along, and they're not a--holes.  You are appreciated.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

@GHScorpiosRule What a great story.  So wonderful to know that everyone was watching and seeing the truth all along, and they're not a--holes.  You are appreciated.

Thanks. And just to clarify as upon reading my initial post, that I may have conflated the two issues.

My review was for my performance from May of last year to April of this year. I won’t be reviewed for the work I did at the nightmare trial until next year.

But reading the comments as I stated above, assured me I shouldn’t doubt myself. All I know is I’m not going to work with that team or office again. And I’m grateful that the senior paralegal who was supposed to train me and provide guidance-WON’T be reviewing my work. I get to choose which attorneys from the matter for that. But that’s all behind me now and I’m focusing on my cases that I’m in charge of.

[JTMacc99]

On 7/7/2023 at 1:06 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

And I bet [accounting is not black and white] would come as a huge surprise to the vast majority of people.  It sure was for me--I still remember when I first realized it, like 30 years ago.

I was an accounting major in college. Started my career as an accountant / financial analyst because I was a capable accountant with a clear aptitude for analytical work. 

Eventually I settled in to the analyst work supporting operations as opposed to accounting closing the books and quarterly/annual reporting.

It's not much different. We make reports that look the same except mine come with words like "I think" "Probably" and "Depending on..." whereas their reports come with words that are forms of the verb to be such as "is" "was" and "were".

I work in shades of gray. They definitely work in black and white. They absolutely need to do some analysis and interpretation of what happened, but at the end of the work day, they make a definitive statement that something is what they say it is.

When I need to move on from my current job, I'm going to run out my career as an accountant again. I'm getting too old to have people arguing with me and my forecasts all day. I'm going to enjoy coming to work, cranking out some numbers, issuing a report that says "That is what happened" and go home. 

The Accounting department is also home to all of my fellow nerds, so I do enjoy their company. It's a great career for us nerds. You need to be smart; it has lots of rules like the games and puzzles we enjoy, and it's got an obsessive quality about how everything HAS to be exactly right.

[BlueSkies]

3:00 to 4:30 Robert Tepper shares my exact sentiments on Monday in general

 

 

[theredhead77]

10 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I was an accounting major in college. Started my career as an accountant / financial analyst because I was a capable accountant with a clear aptitude for analytical work. 

Eventually I settled in to the analyst work supporting operations as opposed to accounting closing the books and quarterly/annual reporting.

It's not much different. We make reports that look the same except mine come with words like "I think" "Probably" and "Depending on..." whereas their reports come with words that are forms of the verb to be such as "is" "was" and "were".

I work in shades of gray. They definitely work in black and white. They absolutely need to do some analysis and interpretation of what happened, but at the end of the work day, they make a definitive statement that something is what they say it is.

When I need to move on from my current job, I'm going to run out my career as an accountant again. I'm getting too old to have people arguing with me and my forecasts all day. I'm going to enjoy coming to work, cranking out some numbers, issuing a report that says "That is what happened" and go home. 

The Accounting department is also home to all of my fellow nerds, so I do enjoy their company. It's a great career for us nerds. You need to be smart; it has lots of rules like the games and puzzles we enjoy, and it's got an obsessive quality about how everything HAS to be exactly right.

I'd be a great accountant if I wasn't so bad with keeping numbers in the right order, and reading them in the order they were written in.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Got bored today so I decided to look up the person who got the job I interviewed for and wanted. It looks like she already had a lot of training experience and has managed employees plus had stats where she could point to improved employee performance and retention. So, I guess of course they picked her. I wish the job ad had indicated that they were looking for someone who had this track record already so I could have invested time into a more appropriate job for my level. I just wish I would get a chance because I know I can be a good employee and deliver impact so I have fancy resume stats too but no one will give me that chance. 

This is at least the second time I’ve heard that I was great and impressive but they found a candidate who had stellar credentials and they just couldn’t pass, so they hired that person instead. As long as people like this apply for the same jobs as me, I suspect it will be difficult to ever get the crack at things I deserve. 

Blowing up my whole career and starting over so I can put big impressive numbers on my resume at some point is looking better and better everyday. I hope I find a job title or industry/company where I will be accepted for what I bring to the table. Besides a freaking call center. 

I’m sure nobody will reply to this but it’s how I feel. 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Cloud9Shopper

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Got bored today so I decided to look up the person who got the job I interviewed for and wanted. It looks like she already had a lot of training experience and has managed employees plus had stats where she could point to improved employee performance and retention. So, I guess of course they picked her. I wish the job ad had indicated that they were looking for someone who had this track record already so I could have invested time into a more appropriate job for my level. I just wish I would get a chance because I know I can be a good employee and deliver impact so I have fancy resume stats too but no one will give me that chance. 

This is at least the second time I’ve heard that I was great and impressive but they found a candidate who had stellar credentials and they just couldn’t pass, so they hired that person instead. As long as people like this apply for the same jobs as me, I suspect it will be difficult to ever get the crack at things I deserve. 

Blowing up my whole career and starting over so I can put big impressive numbers on my resume at some point is looking better and better everyday. I hope I find a job title or industry/company where I will be accepted for what I bring to the table. Besides a freaking call center. 

I’m sure nobody will reply to this but it’s how I feel. 

C’est la vie, I guess.  Or maybe that candidate had connections/was referred by someone within.  Or something like that. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

This is at least the second time I’ve heard that I was great and impressive but they found a candidate who had stellar credentials and they just couldn’t pass, so they hired that person instead. As long as people like this apply for the same jobs as me, I suspect it will be difficult to ever get the crack at things I deserve. 

This happened to me. I interviewed for a firm, that was my DREAM. I've always wanted to work there. I had interviewed at their NY office, but they kept dragging out who else they wanted me to interview, and my head hunter said, no way! If they liked me and wanted me, they'd hire me. That firm felt like the "one that got away" like we sometimes think in terms of, well, men. Well, I did, since I never dated and well, never mind. Wrong thread.

Anyway, so nine years later, back in DC, same firm interviews me. Two rounds. The first with the HR and who my manager would be; the second with the attorneys.

This would be in the appellate group-and at that time, I had no experience. Well neither did their paralegal in the San Francisco office, but they convinced her to transfer over and she was part of the second group I interviewed with.

So, the feedback I got? They LOVED me! I did so WELL! They loved my enthusiasm and attitude.  And I had just started chemo when I interviewed and was wearing a wig I was so afraid was obvious, but my friends assured me wasn't. It was a pretty good wig.

BUT. And there's always a BUT. The other person they interviewed, from a more prestigious firm, had the experience, so they went with her instead.

To say I was disappointed is putting is LIGHTLY. But I had the last laugh. This person didn't show much interest in the position and quit after a year. HAH!

By then I had moved on, but still looking for "my place" and lost jobs, and was doing contract work, and just applying, applying, applying, by myself for the last year, and landed the job I have now.

I've BEEN where you are. The frustration, anger, confusion. All I can say is keep at it.

The people here know. They were a great source of support and encouragement. Even when I was panicking during the conflicts check! They kept me calm. And I'll be celebrating five years next month. 

So I hope you don't take what I've written as a platitude.

[BlueSkies]

Today was a pretty painful "company day" so to speak that reminded me right of Office Space.

 

One of the big bosses I saw pulling a passive aggressive attitude on another manager.  

 

Then our company had a banner put up celebrating some of the "selling points" of our company.  

 

I only work 40 hours a week but with the amount of soul sucking this company does on a person might as well be 80.  

Edited July 11, 2023 by BlueSkies

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

This happened to me. I interviewed for a firm, that was my DREAM. I've always wanted to work there. I had interviewed at their NY office, but they kept dragging out who else they wanted me to interview, and my head hunter said, no way! If they liked me and wanted me, they'd hire me. That firm felt like the "one that got away" like we sometimes think in terms of, well, men. Well, I did, since I never dated and well, never mind. Wrong thread.

Anyway, so nine years later, back in DC, same firm interviews me. Two rounds. The first with the HR and who my manager would be; the second with the attorneys.

This would be in the appellate group-and at that time, I had no experience. Well neither did their paralegal in the San Francisco office, but they convinced her to transfer over and she was part of the second group I interviewed with.

So, the feedback I got? They LOVED me! I did so WELL! They loved my enthusiasm and attitude.  And I had just started chemo when I interviewed and was wearing a wig I was so afraid was obvious, but my friends assured me wasn't. It was a pretty good wig.

BUT. And there's always a BUT. The other person they interviewed, from a more prestigious firm, had the experience, so they went with her instead.

To say I was disappointed is putting is LIGHTLY. But I had the last laugh. This person didn't show much interest in the position and quit after a year. HAH!

By then I had moved on, but still looking for "my place" and lost jobs, and was doing contract work, and just applying, applying, applying, by myself for the last year, and landed the job I have now.

I've BEEN where you are. The frustration, anger, confusion. All I can say is keep at it.

The people here know. They were a great source of support and encouragement. Even when I was panicking during the conflicts check! They kept me calm. And I'll be celebrating five years next month. 

So I hope you don't take what I've written as a platitude.

It took 3 years and countless "they really liked you but..." rejections before I found this position. I was looking back on my application tracking sheet and this company was one of the very first I applied to, and this was the 4th position over 3 years. 

Those "they really liked you but...." communications suck. It's such a tough market with so many highly qualified candidates applying to every position and businesses can really pick someone that has the base skills down, and just needs to learn 'the business'. 

[BlueSkies]

I looked up a star basketball player from high school to see where he is now and he has a major position within a large insurance company.

 

This kid in the day was a huge jerk to his teachers and just a douche bag jock how I recall him.  Would brag about playing college basketball and all the exploits with girls he would have in the dorms.

 

I thought the real world would catch up with him one day but just shows you Jerks rule the world 

[Cloud9Shopper]

I finally lined up another interview next week. It’s just a phone screen for a marketing assistant role, but marketing is one of the fields I’ve had an interest in (it’s tied to my communications degree) and they’re not asking for any overly advanced marketing skills. There’s some general admin work involved as well, which I do have experience with. 

I have five months to see if I can meet my goal of getting out of customer service. I’m lucky (as lucky as one can get in those types of jobs) that lately I have been asked to handle digital support so I’m getting a decent amount of time off the phones. It makes it slightly more bearable in the meantime since emails and chats don’t yell, and when they do “yell” (in writing) it’s easier to deal with, whereas a bad day on the phones has had me in tears more than once. 

[Laura Holt]

You know you're moving on to the next chapter of your working life when you are starting to help friends and family members draft their letters of intent to retire rather than helping them brush up their resumes or write application letters.  Weird feeling.

[BlueSkies]

I dont care for gossipers at work 

[Laura Holt]

I mentioned upthread that I've been helping a few people craft their intent to retire letters.  My friend's husband though was, to be nice, a challenge.  I've rewritten and changed the letter a few times because, in his words "it's too girly" and "don't make it sound like I liked working here" and, my favourite "it's too nice".

Essentially he wants to send a telegram: Retiring STOP As of this date STOP You all sucked STOP

I finally pared it down enough that he's somewhat satisfied.  Luckily for him because I was ready to tell him to go find someone else dumb enough to help him!

[partofme]

I had no idea you had to write a letter to retire.  Is this in the US?

[Laura Holt]

5 minutes ago, partofme said:

I had no idea you had to write a letter to retire.  Is this in the US?

I'm in Canada and most of the people I know work for hospitals or for some level of government.  Sending the intent to retire letter is a way to let HR know you are leaving and they need to get their act together to get the ball rolling for your pension, and to replace you within the company. 

I don't think it's an actual requirement (but may be wrong) but I do know in most places I am familiar with they do expect at least 90 days notice that you are retiring.

[Salacious Kitty]

25 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

I'm in Canada and most of the people I know work for hospitals or for some level of government.  Sending the intent to retire letter is a way to let HR know you are leaving and they need to get their act together to get the ball rolling for your pension, and to replace you within the company. 

I don't think it's an actual requirement (but may be wrong) but I do know in most places I am familiar with they do expect at least 90 days notice that you are retiring.

My husband's hospital required something in writing. I didn't realize it was an art form! 😃

[Cloud9Shopper]

Have two phone interviews this week (two different employers). I’m a little suspicious of the employer I’m interviewing with tomorrow. I got contacted about two months after I applied (which doesn’t bother me too much; who knows what was going on behind the scenes) and received an email from “The HR Team” inviting me to interview. I found it weird that whoever wrote the email couldn’t even put their name but I think the company outsourced the job posting and screening interviews since the job wasn’t on their job board. So I responded and asked if I could have a copy of the job description since the job has been taken down. The HR rep gives me an interview time but does not acknowledge my request for the description, so I thanked her for letting me know the interview time and asked again if I could review the job description. She still hasn’t even acknowledged it or provided a copy. (Luckily I found it at the beginning of a notebook.)

I hope this is not indicative of what the employer is like to work for. At a minimum, I see a yellow flag but I will still do the call with this apparent HR robot and see what happens if I get to meet the employer. 

My interview on Friday has no red or yellow flags so far at least.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

[Laura Holt]

Follow up to the retirement letter I wrote for a friend. He got an email this morning thanking him for the letter and asking "what is your retirement date".  Information that was in the first line of a very terse letter.  This is one of the reasons a lot of people hate having to deal with HR.