it’s your Friday good news

by Alison Green on July 3, 2020

It’s your Friday good news, with more accounts of success even in this weird time.

1. I just wanted to say a huge thank you! I left a job in November due to ill health, and got a new job in March. I got amazing feedback from the recruiters thanks to your advice, but two weeks after I started, lockdown began, and two weeks later I was furloughed.

But after a bit of moping and really thinking through what I wanted, I managed to land an amazing new job near me- and they’ve just offered me a salary that’s 10% higher than I was even going to ask! Thank you so much for your advice and sample CVs/cover letters, I feel so relieved and excited about this next chapter.

2. I have been reading the blog for some time and over the years I have picked up that it is completely appropriate to ask an interviewer for their salary range for a position before revealing what you are looking for. Today I had an initial interview with a recruiter for a position closely aligned with the work I’ve been doing for years but at a completely different kind of organization. The figure I’ve had in my head that I’d put out if I needed to reveal my goal first was 20% above what I have been earning, but the amount the organization has budgeted is nearly twice my current salary. I am optimistic that I am well positioned to fill this role and thrilled to know that if I do join them, I will be compensated at a market rate that far exceeds my current industry.

3. I have some Friday good news to share!

I have been in my current position for a little less than a year. To say this is not a good fit is an understatement. My boss is an overwhelmed but can’t help himself from micromanaging everything I do. Blame culture is prevalent, and morale is low. The project I was brought in to work on has serious structural issues that prevent me (or anyone really) from being successful. Rather than acknowledging these structural issues, my boss chooses to blame me for everything going wrong.

I was in the early stages of looking elsewhere when the pandemic struck. While we are all working from home, the micromanaging ramped up – think twice daily check-ins and the expectation that we are available to work outside of normal hours.

However, I continued my job search and landed an interview with a similar organization! I was nervous about leaving one dumpster fire for another. I used your advice in terms of interviewing and especially questions to ask and felt confident that the team I was interviewing with has more structure and is a more supportive environment than my current one. I was offered the position, recieved a pay increase, and start next month!

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{ 11 comments }

{ 11 comments… read them below }

  2. Patrick Feole*

    I got to say, with the fact that the market is not doing great and a good amount of people are going to be stuck in jobs we may not love due to it. I’d love to add a weekly or monthly quitting story!

  3. Artemesia*

    I love stories like #3 where terrible bosses lose their good employees. Hope the new job is all she hopes for. And so impressed with people who pick themselves up and manage to land new jobs in this dumpster fire of a year. Good luck to you all — you’ve earned it.

  4. EPLawyer*

    Congratulations to all 3.

    But my takeaway from all 3– salaries are out of whack. People are not being paid properly and they have to go elsehwere to make a significant chunk o’change. If companies want to retain good people they need to consider this.

    1. OP#2*

      I was very pleasantly surprised with the salary range for the job I interviewed for earlier this week, but it would be moving from the non-profit to for-profit (publicly traded org.) sector. I interviewed at another non-profit this week and the high end of the salary range is about 20% more than I’ve been making, but it sounds like the staff also regularly work 10 – 15 hours more per week than I have been (maybe 5-10, depending on how they account for lunch).

    2. That'll happen*

      They really don’t, though. Employees will stick around out of fear of the unknown, especially in the US where almost every state has at-will employment, health insurance is tied to employment, and you have programs like FMLA that require you be at an employer for a year before you qualify for it. Someone looking for a new job is taking a risk and will often be looking for a large pay increase to justify taking that risk. Most employers will do just enough to keep their people from wanting to leave. As someone with health issues, losing FMLA eligibility and my current insurance are a big deal and have definitely held me back from looking for new employment, even when I’ve really wanted to leave a job. It’s unfortunate, but employers hold most of the cards.

  5. 30 Years in the Biz*

    These are always my favorite types of posts! They’re uplifting and demonstrate the enormous impact reading Ask a Manager has on our work lives. Congratulations to the posters and standing applause for Alison’s expertise and her support of us! Of course my next favorite type of post often includes stories of stolen spicy food, quacking colleagues, and psycho bosses :)

  8. allathian*

    Thanks for sharing the good news and congratulations! These posts are a special treat.

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