Ask a Manager

It’s your Friday good news!

1.  “Six months ago, job-searching was NOWHERE on my radar. Yes, I was feeling bored at my stable-but-comfortable job of the last 5 years, where I had repeatedly mentioned to management my interest in moving up into something more senior. And, yes, I had heard in the news about the burgeoning Great Resignation. But it was only when a recruiter contacted me out of the blue in late spring that I started thinking about my options. The role in question was similar to what I was doing, but a step up in responsibility and a change in industry. Unfortunately, that job didn’t pan out, but just being contacted by the recruiter lit a fire under me.

So I started looking for similar jobs on LinkedIn. In mid-July, I saw one that looked like a good fit – and it turned out that several of my former coworkers worked at the company. I contacted one of them to see if he’d be willing to refer me internally, and he said yes!

I had my first interview within 3 weeks of the referral. It was very different from my expectations: instead of a strict question-and-answer session, the conversation felt very organic and free-flowing, and we even discussed quirky stuff like animal-themed subreddits. After that interview, I was in shock – I realized that I suddenly wanted this job A LOT.

I had the second interview a week and a half after the first, this time with a panel of potential colleagues. I followed your advice and made sure to send a customized thank-you note to each interviewer. A week later, I got the initial offer from the hiring manager via email!

Because of you, I knew what to expect about negotiations, and had an idea of what salary range I was looking for – but that kind of flew out the window when I got the first salary offer from the HR rep.

Their first offer was 10k HIGHER than the top of the range I had in mind, and included more vacation to start than what my old company gave me after 5 years with them! They even offered to check if I could get a signing bonus to offset the fact that I’d be leaving before my old company’s annual bonus was distributed.

I told HR that I wanted the weekend to think about it to be really sure, but I was 90% sold at that point. Calling back to say yes the following Monday was a no-brainer.

When I gave my notice to my old employer, one of the VPs of my department called me, stated how valued I was and asked whether I would consider a counteroffer. Being a veteran reader of AAM, I politely declined. While the team was sad to see me go, I made sure to prepare transition documents and left the company on good terms – the VP even stated, in writing, that they’d be happy to have me back in case things didn’t work out.

Let’s just say that right now, that’s unlikely. I’m nearly a month into my new role and while I’m still adjusting, I feel like I’ve made the right decision. I’ve gotten a 40% bump in pay, 4 weeks of vacation, and a more senior title, all for a role that isn’t even a huge stretch from what I used to be doing. Plus, I’ll be WFH until at least next year, and when we do return to the office, my new commute will be shorter.

What’s even better is that my new boss is incredibly happy about having me on board. She said that she didn’t even realize I was referred, because my resume stood out on its own merits. What’s more, she feels my resume downplayed my accomplishments!

This improvement in my situation (a 40% increase in salary!) would have been unthinkable less than a year ago. But your site – especially the other Friday good news posts – taught me that huge leaps like these are possible. So I’d like to thank you and the AAM commentariat for all their hard work!”

2.  “Here’s a submission for the Friday good news. I have struggled my whole life with work. I live with severe mental illness and it has really affected my ability to become and remain employed. I was laid off in April for COVID-related reasons and it really affected me, I felt like I was never going to be able to find and keep a job that I could be good at. In June I got a six month temporary position at a large medical clinic. I am admin support to a team of people who had been without anyone in my role for some time. They have been super appreciative of me, always telling me how happy they are to have me, and how well I am doing. It has been really nice to hear that. Last week I found out they are extending my term for another six months with hope it will become permanent.

Then today, the team I work for asked me to come to their staff meeting, under the guise of helping them out with something. When I got there, they told me it was ‘(My Name) Day’ and they gave me flowers, a gift card to my favourite restaurant, a box of expensive bath products, even treats for my dog, and a lovely card that they all signed with some really thoughtful sentiments. They reiterated how happy they are to have me here and how well I am doing in this job. They were all wearing stickers that said ‘(My Name) Day’ that they wore all day! It was honestly one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me, I feel like I’ve been floating on a cloud all day. Thank you so much for your advice that helped me get this job, I hope I can keep it forever!”

Read an update to this letter here. 

3. “I can’t thank you enough for this blog and the community that’s developed as a result. Ask a Manager has been daily reading for me while I was searching for a job outside of my call center role. Years of dealing with the public all day drained me to the bone. The Open Threads were often a place I vented my frustrations.

I spent many weeks reading the Friday Good News updates, being happy for the writers while my heart sank because my situation hadn’t changed. But no more-I have accepted a position to move to a different department in my current company. My training starts the second week of November.

It came together really fast: the interview was last Wednesday. By Friday, she’d offered me a job in an adjacent department than I applied for(Job B ). She’d asked me if I was interested in the position I got while interviewing for (Job A). I just said yes, not really thinking about it. But it turns out Job B is more like what I’m looking for. The work is research based, which is one of my favorite things to do. I love to find things and create information with it. The best part: no more overbearing entities who dictate every second of my schedule!

What blows my mind is my new boss thought that I’d be a better fit for Job B. I must have impressed her enough that she saw something in me. She went ahead and offered it to me, even though I hadn’t formally applied. Honestly, if I didn’t apply for Job A, I doubt I would’ve ever discovered Job B. The universe was looking out for me and finally heard my desperate pleas (along with intermittent searches.)

Anyway, this letter is meant to bring hope to those who are in the position I was in for so many years. Feeling defeated and stuck in your situation. Putting off searching again for awhile after the 40th rejection because you think you can’t bear another one. I know that pain and frustration. If you’d told me a month ago I would be writing this letter, I’d have laughed in your face.

Thank you again! I’ve learned so many work norms from you. It’s helped me immensely navigating the past few years. Also, thank you not the AAM community for your support and insightful comments.”