it’s your Friday good news

by Alison Green on September 18, 2020

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

1. I’ve been working my first real full time job after college for the last year, and during quarantine I decided I had had enough. With the free time from being furloughed, my husband suggested that I apply for jobs in my degree field in the city we’ve been wanting to move back to for a few years.

I thought most places would have had hiring freezes due to all the craziness right now, and I wasn’t sure if I could find something that would keep me in the public sector. On a whim I submitted an application for a job that I thought could be a huge asset for me even though I felt sure I’d be turned down immediately for my lack of experience. Surprisingly, I got a call for an interview and after brushing up on my interview skills using your resources, I felt like I blew the interview out of the water!

It’s only been 3 weeks since I first submitted my application and as of yesterday I have received a job offer from this wonderful company in the public sector for a job using my degree! I hesitate to put all my eggs in one basket, but this is a huge leap towards my endgame and based on my interview, I feel confident that I will gain a lot of very useful experience here with the opportunity for significant growth in my role.

Thank you for all the suggestions that you give your readers. I wouldn’t have been as confident and prepared for an opportunity like this without your blog.

Read an update to this letter here.

2. I’ve been at the same company for 10 years, and a low-level manager for the last 2. Pre-COVID, a promotion was on the cards for this fall- it was to be a small bump to doing the same basic job with a bigger-picture outlook, and promoting one of my team to manage more of the detail work in our department. With no warning, the company decided to open a department similar to ours at a European location and offered me the role of training and building that team (remotely, still living in the US). Based on advice I’ve read here for negotiating and setting expectations, I was able to help re-write the job description to suit my tastes and let me take on the exciting and visible expansion role without entirely abandoning the team I currently lead. The raise they offered me was a bit higher than the company’s standard promotion-associated amount, and was right at the amount I’d hoped to negotiate to. The company will be rolling out transparent salary band information soon, so in a year I’ll be in a good position to know if there’s room to ask for a raise, and to have a strong track record in the new role to support the request.

3. I was laid off at the end of June when the nonprofit I worked for suddenly and unexpectedly folded. That was a real blow, since I loved the work and my boss, the pay was great, and to top it all off, they had just offered me a promotion that would have been great for my career. My field is small, informal, and mostly word of mouth, so I immediately started reaching out to contacts and applying to whatever I found. I revamped my resume and cover letter using your advice, and submitted them for a job I thought looked promising. I heard back that afternoon—they said they loved my application materials and were very interested in me. We met, they offered me the job, and I just started this week. I think it’s going to be a great fit, professionally and personally, and it even cuts my commute in half. The icing on the cake? I just heard from my old boss that they’re trying to revive the company and may succeed; if they do, they want me to do some work for them in whatever time I have free (something common in my industry). Hooray!

I’ve loved the Friday good news section and hope this cheers someone else up like the other stories have cheered me up. :)

4. My good news is that after working 3 jobs, I have gotten a single job for double what all 3 of my jobs pay combined! I used the interview question regarding what makes someone great at this job versus simply good at it, and they loved the question. I am already getting some rest and balance back in my life and am super excited for my new job!

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{ 27 comments }

{ 27 comments… read them below }

  2. Porcelain Pig*

    Love these updates! My spouse was just laid off this week due to a COVID-related downturn in the business, so it’s really heartening to see what’s possible even now.

  5. Red Tape Producer*

    #1, 3 weeks between submitting your application and getting an offer in the public sector?!?! I just received a request for references for a role I applied to in July, which is still pretty fast compared to previous selection processes I’ve been a part of in the public sector. That’s a public sector HR miracle! Congrats!

    1. OP#1*

      I was shocked, I know! The job I just left took 6 full months to get from application to first day of work for a non-degreed office job, so I was certainly expecting a longer wait. It felt blindingly fast! I did go from local government to school district administration though, not sure how those normally compare speed-wise.

  7. TimeTravlR*

    OP 4 – that is my favorite question to advise people to ask. Everyone should be researching the company/firm/agency enough to be able to ask the usual questions. But this one is so unexpected it can be a game changer!! Good for you for using it!

  11. FindThisVeryInteresting*

    Please, never stop doing this weekly post! Love ending the work week on a tremendously positive note. :) Congrats to all four writers who have found a great fit!

  12. pleaset AKA cheap rolls*

    Not actually good news, but in my small global organization I really appreciate most small, working Zoom calls with colleagues all over the place. This covid crisis is terrible in many ways, but it’s also busting down some barriers between places.

    1. Radio Girl*

      That is definitely good news. And kudos for reporting it here!

      I am happy for you and your colleagues.

  13. Evening Shift Eddie*

    I have my own Friday good news story to report….

    Before Covid, I was working in the office on evenings and loved it. Since March, I’ve been home and working days. It’s been an adjustment to be up so early in the morning but it’s somewhat mitigated by the fact that my commute is 30 seconds now.

    Two weeks ago, I was told that I was being switched to a project that would require me to go back to the office AND be on days. The worst of both worlds. I pushed back saying that I did not feel comfortable returning to the office and if I did go back, I did not want to work days.

    In response, I was told it was safe and I had no choice. Not long after, unrelated to this, I was asked to confirm that I wanted to continue working days. I said I was declining the shift change along with my reasons for doing so.

    Apparently, that was enough because my manager called to tell me that they didn’t want to open the office in the evenings for just a few people so I was being removed from the new project and could go back to the remote work I was doing, albeit in the evenings.

    So basically, I’m worried about getting Covid = too bad. I don’t wanna wake up early = that makes sense, ok.

    I think how I got to the end result was ridiculous but I’m happy with the result.

    1. Thankful for AAM*

      I got an office out of the deal, similarly crazy process but am happy to have it for now, I know it wont last.

  14. BridgeNerdess*

    These are all great! #4, your update made me especially happy and I hope everything goes well for you! You deserve the rest.

    Congrats and hooray to you all!

  15. Cassidy*

    I love this section.

    As someone who knows what unemployment is like, and what it can do to a person, I have shed tears periodically for those who find themselves without an income, health benefits, and the self-value that goes with being employed. “Hang in there” is so trite, but it’s really all we can do.

    Virtual hugs to those struggling. You’ll get there, somehow, some way; nowhere to go but up.

  17. LM*

    I commented last week saying I’d got to the second round of interviews out of a pool of 50 candidates, this week I had the interview and was offered the job literally an hour ago. I’m so happy as this new job will allow me to work from home and will be less of a physical toll on my body!

    1. Cassidy*

      Some much needed good news on this evening of very troubling news. Thanks for sharing, LM, and congratulations!

  18. Roja*

    #3 here with an update! I sent that into Alison in early August, I think, so I have an update. :) My old boss did not succeed in reviving the company–due totally to circumstances outside of her control. She was SUPER close and then poof it all got pulled from under her again. Really heartbreaking for her and for all of us involved.

    In much better news, I’ve been loving my new job, so that’s a bright spot in these times. It’s a good fit for me and I like the culture very much. Thanks for the kinds words, everyone!

    1. 'Tis Me*

      It’s a shame that things fell through for your old company but hooray for the new job being such a great fit!

  19. 221 Baker St.*

    Congrats to everyone for making the move and getting what you deserve! You earned it and need to enjoy it.

    I’m looking to move into an entry level position for a field I’ve been working in for a few years and decided to revisit this site as well as her interview tips. I really like this happy addition for people who took the risk and applied. I hope I get the best job fit for what I want to do.

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