where are they now? 5 more reader updates

by Alison Green on December 15, 2012

Here are five more updates from readers whose questions were previously answered here.

1. Update from the reader wondering about accepting a job offer without ever meeting face-to-face

Thank you for taking my question and for the excellent advice. Your site was invaluable for my job search process. Thanks to all of the readers for all of the interesting discussion in the comments.

I did arrange a visit with the hiring manager when I received the call offering me the job. The hiring manager was happy to accommodate a visit (I paid for the trip and coupled it with an apartment search) and completely respected my desire to visit before making a decision. They said that the would love to have people interview on-site, but the budget does not allow for it.

During my visit, I was able to spend an hour with the three people I would work most closely with and meet several other people in the office. Talking with my coworkers gave me some important background knowledge since this field is new to me. I think asking to visit was the right choice because it allowed me to get a sense of the atmosphere in the office and increased my enthusiasm about accepting the position. It also made my first day much smoother!

2. Update from the reader who was concerned her boss was discriminating against her coworker

What ended up happening was that I moved halfway across the country and started a new job! That wasn’t in the plans yet when I emailed you. Your advice did help me feel a lot calmer about the situation while I was still there, because I had a much better idea of what to do if I saw it happening again. Now I’m in a semi-managerial position, and I’m keeping it in mind from the other side. So thanks, even if I don’t have much of an update to give!

3. Update from the reader worried he’d hit a higher tax bracket if he got a raise (#7 at the link)

I was asking about hitting the next tax bracket….Well, since I did get a 50% increase, I’m rich!! Haha!

I received a promotion at another company. I also switched from the “Wellness” field to “Clinic Operations,” which changes the pay grades. But the total was 53%!

4. Update from the reader asking about pushy recruiters

Since my last email about dealing with pushy recruiters and recruiter etiquette, I decided to post my resume on a job board directly aimed at the field I was interested in. Within hours of changing the location to the area that I wanted to be in, I was contacted by an in-house recruiter for a contracting company looking to fill a permanent position with a federal agency. My phone screening was scheduled within the week, and then within two weeks of that, I had an in-person interview on a Friday. By Monday, the contracting company is calling me, telling me the client loved me and we were moving forward with salary requirements. I successfully negotiated 150% of my previous salary. I started 2 weeks after I agreed on the offer.

I’ve been with this client since October, and I absolutely love the client and my contractors! I since took down my profile (marked as “not looking for employment”), and the number of recruiters contacting me went from 10-15 daily to 0, then recently back to one or two a day, most from the same company. All in all, I had a very pleasant experience with the recruiters that has absolutely affected my current career for the better!

5. Update from the reader wondering about how to negotiate a different title when accepting a job 

You answered my question about negotiating a different title – I was interviewing for a job that was listed as a marketing coordinator, but the duties and requirements were in line with a managerial position. I was rejected from that job via form letter (which wasn’t really a surprise), but I’m happy to say I’m two weeks into a different job – with a manager title! They recruited me after seeing my LinkedIn profile; I went through two interview rounds and received an offer after Hurricane Sandy. I was able to negotiate a higher salary using some of your negotiation tips, started after Thanksgiving, and so far things are going well. Happy ending!

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  2. Blinx*

    I agree — it is very encouraging to hear of people landing jobs, especially with such huge increases!

  3. Anonymous*

    Makes you wonder if there’s some sort of correlation between writing in to AAM and landing a great new job! haha

    1. Jamie*

      Ha! As everyone reading starts preparing our letters and Alison battens down for the onslaught…

      In all seriousness I do think readers here are at a significant advantage for access to such customized guidance…it makes it a little easier to navigate amongst the hegemony.

  4. KpT*

    4. Update from the reader asking about pushy recruiters

    Just curious, did you change the location even though you didn’t relocate yet? Or were you waiting on the offer before even considering relocating?

    1. Anonymous*

      From the letter, it sounds like they changed the location before physically relocating. This makes sense – recruiters looking to fill a position in a certain city isn’t thinking of “Jane from Wisconsin who wants to move to Chicago” – they’re going to simply filter for “widget makers in Chicago”

    2. KPT*

      I asked b/c if I’m looking to relocate, it’s better to put that I;m at their location even though I’m really not.

  6. Artemesia*

    Glad so many of these worked out. But, what is it with people who don’t understand how taxes work. When you move into a higher tax bracket you don’t pay higher taxes on what you earn now — the higher tax bracket only applies to the marginal gain. So you can’t lose in a normal job by getting more money. (if you are on welfare and lose welfare, you could of course be disadvantaged by a higher salary.)

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