Ask a Manager

It’s your Friday good news!

1.  “I read your blog for about a year and realized just how toxic my workplace was; senior leadership cussed people out in meetings regularly, an overall lack of respect, being berated for not meeting super unclear expectations, etc. … I read up on your resume advice and cover letter advice, submitted 60+ applications, AND GOT A FANTASTIC JOB.

The first green flag was the department clerk giving me super good parking directions when I came to interview — I didn’t even work there and she went out of her way to respect me. In the interview, the manager was listing out the different training sessions she’d sign me up for if I accepted the job … and the green flags continued from there.

Dear readers, when you’re discouraged, don’t stop. There is an employer out there who will set you up to do interesting work, pay you well, and respect you. I’ll be doing happy dances all the way to the bank.”

2.  “I’ve been reading your blog for years now, and I wanted to thank you. My first managerial role started three years ago, and as I’m about to leave it (my job is one that rotates often by design), I’m struck by how much I learned from you and how successful I was able to be because of it. My staff here (who do not rotate like me) have expressed how much they appreciate how I managed them. It really came down to a few points, learned from you:

1) Tell my staff what our goals are.
2) Empower my staff to make those goals happen.
3) Encourage the staff when things are rough.
4) Provide my staff the tools they need.

I’m apparently the first manager they’ve had in a long while who didn’t micromanage, who didn’t needlessly find fault, and who trusted them to get it done. As a result, we’ve been incredibly successful, and this has led to me being personally successful — a raise, followed
by a promotion, followed by awards (with money attached.) And I have you to thank for it.”

3.  “I quit my job — a full-time contractor but actually underpaid employee with very few benefits and opportunities for promotion — in April. I was devastated to leave the job, it was my first job as a college grad and a new immigrant. But this blog helped me face the facts, and face my fear of standing up for myself. I kindly refused to negotiate by pointing to the lack of benefits, which was a tip I think I learned from AAM and the commenters. During my job search, AAM helped me build my confidence. Being paid and recognized so little made me quite insecure during the early days of my job search. I had no idea that certain tasks I did (blog posts, training documents, working overtime without pay (which is bad, I just learned!)) counted as anything noteworthy. This realization helped me make my resume so much better and accurate in showcasing everything I’ve actually done!

I interviewed for less than five places between April and August, and things were starting to feel really bleak. But last week, I applied for a job that 100% matched my (too niche to mention here, but it involves art and technology) background! I got an interview request within a few days. The AAM-endorsed question “what distinguishes someone who’s good at the position from someone who’s great?” blew the interviewers away! Their answers really helped me understand the company culture, and the fact that they knew exactly how to answer the question assured me that this is a place where people are acknowledged and celebrated.

I got an offer for a salary 35% higher than my last one, which will offer me much more stability than I ever imagined. Without AAM, I would’ve never known how to present my skills and accomplishments with pride. I’m so extremely grateful!”