OT: Career advice

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will1066

Fonz Drury
Oct 12, 2008
43,139
58,713
Folks,

I dodged a bullet. The company here is restructuring after acquiring another. This entire week has been nerve-wracking and my one-on-one with the head was originally Wednesday but was pushed to just a half-hour ago, extending the agony.

But I'm still employed. It would've sucked otherwise especially this time of year.

Much calmer now.
 

Crease

Chief Justice of the HFNYR Court
Jul 12, 2004
23,976
25,014
Going on a week vacation tomorrow. Can't focus at work, though word has gotten around and I'm getting hit from all sides.
 
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TheGortonConspiracy

Wow its a nice GM
May 2, 2017
2,504
3,601
NYC
Is there an uptick in hiring in December? I have this narrative in my head that some companies make a real push to fill open positions around this time of year so they can start the new year fully staffed.
 
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will1066

Fonz Drury
Oct 12, 2008
43,139
58,713
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Vinny DeAngelo

Jimmy Easy to defend
Mar 17, 2014
13,983
4,573
florida
I got a 10% raise this week so I guess that's cool
During my year end performance review my boss told me she was going to recommend to the COO that I move to a role that “fit me better” little did she know it was something I’d enjoy 100x more than my current spot.

I’m make the jump from Back to middle office. For you finance people. Legal to operations. Then I’m going to try to work my way into trade support.
 

will1066

Fonz Drury
Oct 12, 2008
43,139
58,713
During my year end performance review my boss told me she was going to recommend to the COO that I move to a role that “fit me better” little did she know it was something I’d enjoy 100x more than my current spot.

I’m make the jump from Back to middle office. For you finance people. Legal to operations. Then I’m going to try to work my way into trade support.
I have no idea what all this means but congrats
 
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SnowblindNYR

HFBoards Sponsor
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Nov 16, 2011
51,667
30,095
Brooklyn, NY
So, since this is public I'll try to keep it high level. As you guys know I haven't had much luck in the job search process, well today I got an offer today for a job. So high level:

Pros:

It sounds like an interesting job in an interesting field
It sounds like it might be transferable to other companies
It's a growing company, so possible growth opportunities
It's in the NY area

Cons:

It's entry level, albeit it sounds like there would be good responsibilities
It doesn't pay well and I have student loans, plus I'm 32
It's in NJ, it's very close to where I live but I'll have to pay twice the money for travel (PATH + MTA)
I heard that the benefits aren't the best
Opportunity cost: my friend keeps swearing up and down that his team will grow and THAT role seems like it would be higher paying and more senior. He said he'll speak to his boss about it today.

If I think of anything else I'll mention it. I've been out of work for a while now, I probably can't afford to turn it down? And as I said it does sound interesting and keeps me in NY.
 

will1066

Fonz Drury
Oct 12, 2008
43,139
58,713
So, since this is public I'll try to keep it high level. As you guys know I haven't had much luck in the job search process, well today I got an offer today for a job. So high level:

Pros:

It sounds like an interesting job in an interesting field
It sounds like it might be transferable to other companies
It's a growing company, so possible growth opportunities
It's in the NY area

Cons:

It's entry level, albeit it sounds like there would be good responsibilities
It doesn't pay well and I have student loans, plus I'm 32
It's in NJ, it's very close to where I live but I'll have to pay twice the money for travel (PATH + MTA)
I heard that the benefits aren't the best
Opportunity cost: my friend keeps swearing up and down that his team will grow and THAT role seems like it would be higher paying and more senior. He said he'll speak to his boss about it today.

If I think of anything else I'll mention it. I've been out of work for a while now, I probably can't afford to turn it down? And as I said it does sound interesting and keeps me in NY.

If you've been out of work in a while, and the prospects besides this still don't look rosy, I'd take it and see how it plays out. Based on the info provided, it sounds like a career pivot. I don't speak from experience, but pivots are not easy to make, so if you have a chance to pivot, then go for it.
 

SnowblindNYR

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Nov 16, 2011
51,667
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If you've been out of work in a while, and the prospects besides this still don't look rosy, I'd take it and see how it plays out. Based on the info provided, it sounds like a career pivot. I don't speak from experience, but pivots are not easy to make, so if you have a chance to pivot, then go for it.

Thanks, yeah, it is. My last job was also a pivot but I decided to pivot again because my last job was hell.
 

SnowblindNYR

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Nov 16, 2011
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Also my friend said it'd take a while have an opportunity at his company and advised me to just take the offer. Makes things simple.
 

SnowblindNYR

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 16, 2011
51,667
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You're overthinking this. Nothing is permanent and you can always switch gears -- it's just a matter of finding an employer who values your experience. Go make some money.

Yeah, though I suspect my last pivot hurt my recruiting efforts this time around since last time I looked for a job I had much more success and this experience was positive if anything.
 

will1066

Fonz Drury
Oct 12, 2008
43,139
58,713
Also my friend said it'd take a while have an opportunity at his company and advised me to just take the offer. Makes things simple.

Some money coming in is better than none. Some kind of healthcare coverage is better than none. At least temporarily. Plus it'll get you doing something and a new routine at least.
 
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TheTakedown

Puck is Life
Jul 11, 2012
13,689
1,480
So, since this is public I'll try to keep it high level. As you guys know I haven't had much luck in the job search process, well today I got an offer today for a job. So high level:

Pros:

It sounds like an interesting job in an interesting field
It sounds like it might be transferable to other companies
It's a growing company, so possible growth opportunities
It's in the NY area

Cons:

It's entry level, albeit it sounds like there would be good responsibilities
It doesn't pay well and I have student loans, plus I'm 32
It's in NJ, it's very close to where I live but I'll have to pay twice the money for travel (PATH + MTA)
I heard that the benefits aren't the best
Opportunity cost: my friend keeps swearing up and down that his team will grow and THAT role seems like it would be higher paying and more senior. He said he'll speak to his boss about it today.

If I think of anything else I'll mention it. I've been out of work for a while now, I probably can't afford to turn it down? And as I said it does sound interesting and keeps me in NY.

Where do you live now? is moving to Jersey an option? What part of jersey is the job in?
 

SnowblindNYR

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 16, 2011
51,667
30,095
Brooklyn, NY
Where do you live now? is moving to Jersey an option? What part of jersey is the job in?

I live in Brooklyn, I can move to Jersey for sure. It's close to Manhattan, it's just that I can't transfer for free from the MTA to the PATH. I've wanted to move to Jersey lately. It's just a bit expensive, I don't know if this salary would be enough to afford that.
 

Machinehead

GoAwayKakko
Jan 21, 2011
141,172
109,592
NYC
I got a 10% raise this week so I guess that's cool

My union is fighting for a 100% raise.

That's not a typo, they wanna double our salary.

Personally, I don't think we're getting anywhere near that, but I'd be happy as a pig in shit if I got half of that.
 

Machinehead

GoAwayKakko
Jan 21, 2011
141,172
109,592
NYC
My friend got a job last year with ConEd. He's in love with it. Makes good money with good benefits, and perks. Doesn't even work full-time and he's got an apartment (with a roommate).

The only downside is that you're gonna be part-time. They just don't start people full-time. But my friend is swinging it.

I'm going to be frank and criticize my friend for the purposes of the thread. Ok, nicest guy in the world and I love him. But he has ZERO confidence and he's not exactly in the dictionary next to "competent."

If he can manage this job, anyone can, and it's a very decent job. Nothing glamorous but it puts bread on the table.

I was gonna put in for it, but then I got more hours at work and the possibility of a big pay raise.
 

Machinehead

GoAwayKakko
Jan 21, 2011
141,172
109,592
NYC
I can. As an HR Manager and former VP, you're setting yourself up for a lawsuit. Which, is unfortunate. Parents over the last 30 years have done a piss poor job of preparing their kids for the realities of life. No, you can't be whatever you want. Yes, you're going to fail often. Life can be a cruel, miserable ***** at times, learn to deal with it. Instead of parents teaching these lessons to their kids, they left that responsibility up to the school system, which also failed them. As did their university. When they finally make it to the corporate world, it is starkly different from what they expected and managers now have to spend time teaching these kids the life skills that should have been instilled years ago. There is a great video from Simon Sinek on this subject called This is why you don't succeed - Millennial Generation. The purpose of the video is not putting blame on millennials, rather it is putting blame on the people that have failed the millennial generation.

It would be great to be able to give people honest, candid feedback about why they weren't selected. In 2018, that is not an option. Managers are afraid of being labeled and being sued and when those lawsuits happens, it costs jobs.

I will give you a perfect example. A colleague interviewed an extremely well qualified female candidate for a job. She was their top pick at the phone interview stage. This person was aware that the dress code at this company was more on the formal side and still shows up to the interview in a pair of dark jeans with a coat. If he tells her he didn't hire her because she couldn't follow directions and her lack of professional business attire, he is being sued for being sexist - 100% guaranteed. Maybe she just didn't have the wherewithal to realize that she was under dressed. He can't do that - opening up that can of worms put his job, his families sole source of income, and the jobs of others at the organization at risk.

This is the world we live in.

On a side note @SnowblindNYR I've done tons of interview coaching. I would be happy to help you should you be interested in my feedback. Interviews are what get people jobs. Resumes just get you in the door. This is why people who have great resumes but need some interviewing polish have an easy time getting interviews but a hard time actually landing a job. Then after so many rejections, it becomes hard to remain positive as the candidate feels rejection is inevitable, almost to the point of it being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

One last thing, not just for snowblind but for anyone here, if you have questions about interviewing or resumes, please don't hesitate to reach out. Getting a completely unbiased opinion is usually a goo idea. Those who know me can vouch, I will tell you exactly like it is, good, bad, indifferent.

Obviously, I'll be disciplined if I'm too off the cuff, but for these reasons, I try to be as real with my students as I can be.

I think education can be a great thing, and I fancy myself an important factor in their lives, even if only for a few months, but I see where education has failed us. We've left young people with a lot of debt and a lot of skills that aren't taking them anywhere, with some missed lessons along the way. I do my best to impart things that will actually help them.

For example, we do presentations in my class, and every time, half the class tries to opt out because "I'm not comfortable with public speaking." No. We're doing it. In most workplaces, you're going to have to present. So we're doing it. And I'm not harsh on these. Most of them get good grades. But you're f***ing doing it. When we do written assignments (and I tell them this straight up) I don't care if it's not William Shakespeare. I care that you follow directions. I just graded a pretty bland paper today but the girl got an A because she followed the format 1000%. Another student gave me really deep, intelligent stuff, but he didn't get an A because he was too cavalier. If you wanna get introspective, come sit in my office and I'll make coffee, but on the paper, you better follow directions.

That's not to say I discourage creativity. There's something to be said about innovation in the workplace and I think it's also an important part of being a healthy human when you go home for the day. But you have to do it within the parameters you're given.

Another student of mine gave me something similar. Really intelligent, spectacular thoughts, but not what we asked for. But this student did something the other didn't - he sent me a draft. He got some work done early and asked for feedback. That's a relevant skill. That's applicable to jobs. And because he did that, we got his deep thoughts into a system that works, and he got a perfect score. That guy has a bright future.

The advantage I have is that, on an assignment, I absolutely can give honest, candid feedback. And again I'm not gonna kick your shit in for not being a wonderful writer, I'm gonna kick your shit in for being irresponsible and not following directions. I hope and I pray, since I can give honest feedback, that because I tore you a new one, an employer will never have to.

Of course, don't mistake this for me being some hardass. I'm a marshmallow. I put chocolate out in my office and stay late for students who want extra help. But if you don't follow directions and aren't willing to try things you don't wanna do, we're gonna have a bad time. Many students, unfortunately, say "oh well" to that and take their C. They're adults, I can't force them. But other students dramatically improve, and those are the people that get me up in morning.

When you finish my class, frankly, I couldn't care less if you remember facts about sociology. I want you to leave with self-confidence, the ability to follow directions, and the notion that you're able to present your findings, work with peers in a productive way, and work with supervisors in a productive way.

Your knowledge of Emile Durkhiem isn't going to make you money. Your ability to give your boss exactly what they asked for to your highest standards is going to make you money.

I do my humble best to get them working that way. If I can get 2 or 3 of them out of the 25 they put in front of me to get their shit together, I feel pretty good at the end of the day. I would love for it to be all 25, but I know them for four months. I can't parent them. And unfortunately, the school system they went to until they were 18 is more concerned with teaching them how to pass tests than teaching them how to work. I mean, sure, many jobs will test you on basic stuff, but it's hardly the most relevant skill. It's the only skill they get in public school.
 

UAGoalieGuy

Registered User
Dec 29, 2005
16,237
4,212
Richmond, VA
Not sure if I can post this here but my company (Large Financial Institution) is hiring a manager in two different departments within their Commercial Payment Operations organization (Deposit Escrow and Lockbox). Location is based in Melville NY.

Shoot me a message if interested.
 
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will1066

Fonz Drury
Oct 12, 2008
43,139
58,713
Not sure if I can post this here but my company (Large Financial Institution) is hiring a manager in two different departments within their Commercial Payment Operations organization (Deposit Escrow and Lockbox). Location is based in Melville NY.

Shoot me a message if interested.
But it's in Isles territory

Joking of course
 

HatTrick Swayze

Just Be Nice
Jun 16, 2006
16,834
9,657
Chicago
Obviously, I'll be disciplined if I'm too off the cuff, but for these reasons, I try to be as real with my students as I can be.

I think education can be a great thing, and I fancy myself an important factor in their lives, even if only for a few months, but I see where education has failed us. We've left young people with a lot of debt and a lot of skills that aren't taking them anywhere, with some missed lessons along the way. I do my best to impart things that will actually help them.

For example, we do presentations in my class, and every time, half the class tries to opt out because "I'm not comfortable with public speaking." No. We're doing it. In most workplaces, you're going to have to present. So we're doing it. And I'm not harsh on these. Most of them get good grades. But you're ****ing doing it. When we do written assignments (and I tell them this straight up) I don't care if it's not William Shakespeare. I care that you follow directions. I just graded a pretty bland paper today but the girl got an A because she followed the format 1000%. Another student gave me really deep, intelligent stuff, but he didn't get an A because he was too cavalier. If you wanna get introspective, come sit in my office and I'll make coffee, but on the paper, you better follow directions.

That's not to say I discourage creativity. There's something to be said about innovation in the workplace and I think it's also an important part of being a healthy human when you go home for the day. But you have to do it within the parameters you're given.

Another student of mine gave me something similar. Really intelligent, spectacular thoughts, but not what we asked for. But this student did something the other didn't - he sent me a draft. He got some work done early and asked for feedback. That's a relevant skill. That's applicable to jobs. And because he did that, we got his deep thoughts into a system that works, and he got a perfect score. That guy has a bright future.

The advantage I have is that, on an assignment, I absolutely can give honest, candid feedback. And again I'm not gonna kick your **** in for not being a wonderful writer, I'm gonna kick your **** in for being irresponsible and not following directions. I hope and I pray, since I can give honest feedback, that because I tore you a new one, an employer will never have to.

Of course, don't mistake this for me being some hardass. I'm a marshmallow. I put chocolate out in my office and stay late for students who want extra help. But if you don't follow directions and aren't willing to try things you don't wanna do, we're gonna have a bad time. Many students, unfortunately, say "oh well" to that and take their C. They're adults, I can't force them. But other students dramatically improve, and those are the people that get me up in morning.

When you finish my class, frankly, I couldn't care less if you remember facts about sociology. I want you to leave with self-confidence, the ability to follow directions, and the notion that you're able to present your findings, work with peers in a productive way, and work with supervisors in a productive way.

Your knowledge of Emile Durkhiem isn't going to make you money. Your ability to give your boss exactly what they asked for to your highest standards is going to make you money.

I do my humble best to get them working that way. If I can get 2 or 3 of them out of the 25 they put in front of me to get their **** together, I feel pretty good at the end of the day. I would love for it to be all 25, but I know them for four months. I can't parent them. And unfortunately, the school system they went to until they were 18 is more concerned with teaching them how to pass tests than teaching them how to work. I mean, sure, many jobs will test you on basic stuff, but it's hardly the most relevant skill. It's the only skill they get in public school.

By the sounds of this, you’re one of the good ones man. This is exactly how teachers should operate IMO.
 
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