it’s your Friday good news

by Alison Green on October 27, 2023

It’s your Friday good news!

Coming into Covid, I had been searching for a new job, as I was no longer satisfied being in the same role for a decade, and I was in a place where it was only possible to move up if someone retired or died. I had several great interviews at the start of March 2020, all of which shriveled up and died when the world went topsy turvy a couple weeks later. I stayed through June 2020 when the company shuttered and laid us all off.

I wound up taking a job at a small local company. It wasn’t great, but it was remote work during the pandemic, and it kept the lights on. The owner expected me to take on a higher title and more work in return for … nothing. No raise, no benefits, not even extra PTO after being there for 2+ years. During the years I worked this job I was looking for other work and I had no luck. Sending dozens of resumes each month, to field a handful of phone interviews, and almost no actual interviews. The few I had demonstrated they were either a bad fit or just plain bad overall.

All this time, we had been getting by on my wife’s health coverage through her employer. They announced a buy-out was happening earlier this year and most of the staff were not going to carry over, as the competitor that purchased them wanted the market and some of the facilities. So, on top of my lackluster job and pay, we were looking at going down to just one income and super expensive COBRA coverage — the estimated monthly cost was more than our mortgage.

I had applied to one national company which is headquartered locally a couple of times before and never heard back. I saw a job that was a perfect next step for my career, based on my education and experience. I had a quick 20-minute phone interview with them, did some brief tasks they sent by email (about 40 minutes total), and was invited to a 30-minute interview with the director. Of course, that interview is when Zoom decided to freak out on my phone and nothing I did would turn the camera on. Despite the lack of video, I felt really good about how the conversation went. The director assured me they would call me back to schedule the next round of interviews the following week.

Instead, I got a call back the next day. My stomach dropped as I assumed they were calling to let me know I wasn’t going forward. Instead, they were calling to let me know they were skipping the rest of the interview process and offering me the job!

A 33% raise in pay, more PTO, full benefits which would kick in the same week my wife’s job was scheduled to end, and still fully remote work. They also sent me a whole work from home setup which included an entire desk being delivered and installed for me. It has been an amazing experience.

Hopefully this shine never wears off, though I definitely feel more supported and valued as an employee than I have pretty much ever before. I’m doing more challenging work and getting great feedback from management and my new coworkers. It’s been a rough few years, and hopefully this is the bright light at the end of that tunnel.

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{ 28 comments }

{ 28 comments… read them below }

  4. I Have RBF*

    Holy amazeballs! They even sent you a desk? That’s awesome for remote work.

    Congratulations!

    1. KateM*

      I do hope that they asked first if OP had room for it, though! My first reaction was to be horrified. ;)

      1. Good News OP*

        They did notify me in advance. They had me measure my home office and then sent me pictures and specs of their options for me to choose.

        For my previous job, I had been working off a rickety card table I salvaged from the garage. This is a huge improvement.

        1. All Het Up About It*

          Oh my goodness! That just makes it even BETTER. Congrats and best of luck to you AND your wife.

        2. Pat*

          It’s so great when your employer values your contribution to the company’s mission and does normal things like provide you with the equipment you need. I started a new job in 2020, and I was getting by with a friend’s old monitor and my own keyboard and mouse. When my manager realized I didn’t have the usual company equipment, he said I should immediately go to our service portal and order a large monitor, keyboard, and mouse, which were delivered to my house a few days later. What an improvement in my comfort while working!

  5. Goldenrod*

    yay!! I’m so happy for your good news! Good for you for persevering through the rough patch.

  6. Throwaway Account*

    Congratulations! I love hearing stories like this! I’m so happy for you!

    A couple of times in our lives, my husband and I “traded” like this: his income went down by a big chunk, mine went up by the same amount, I was out of work for 6 months, his salary went up enough to cover most of mine (mine pays so much less!).

  7. Yup!*

    This is great news and such a relief.

    The bad news under it all is working hard all your life, only to end up–by no fault or lack of planning of your own–being without affordable health insurance, and looking at potential debt or worse. I’m glad you avoided this. No one should ever be in such a terrible position.

  9. Lily Potter*

    Wonderful!

    And something tells me that, when you gave notice at your former job, the owner felt blindsided by your departure and can’t understand why “no one wants to work anymore”.

    1. Good News OP*

      The owner was blindsided. The HR manager understood and asked if I would be their reference because they were also looking.

  13. RJ*

    Congratulations, OP and may you continued to feel valued and supported at your new company who clearly deserves you!

  18. Tasha*

    Just stepping in to remind everyone that premims for ACA plans on the exchange are subsidized based on your projected income for the year and will almost certainly be cheaper than COBRA, notwithstanding the need to restart your deductibles.

    1. Maryland ACA Victim*

      Speaking as someone who had COBRA and is now on an ACA plan, the ACA plans are basically catastrophic coverage only. The deductible is almost as high as the max out of pocket – nearly $8,000. And three of the four doctors I see with any regularity do not accept my ACA plan. The only plan that would have let me use doctors I know and trusted would have cost almost as much as COBRA. With the subsidy making the premium less expense I’ve than COBRA, yes, I could afford some services, but since providers won’t tell you in advance what they’ll charge you, the only financially safe option is to forego “care.” ACA plans are a FABULOUS money maker for insurers— they get $695 a month and don’t have to actually cover anything.

      1. Garblesnark*

        Yeah. On my ACA plan I once called over 100 providers (everyone on the list) trying to find someone in network, and zero of them were.
        BUT if you have no income, your local hospital may be able to connect you with significant care discounts. That limits you to providers actually at the hospital, but it’s still better than nothing.

  19. Wow, really?*

    That is an awesome letter right there!

    I am so happy for you! I love that you’re working with people who value your expertise and act on it!

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