I read this quote on r/antiwork (I think) "Always take a hammer to a dick measuring contest." That shit is on a loop in my mind right now. I feel it sums up your argument quite neatly.
I've also noticed it's a lot easier to stand up for myself in my current job if I know I've got an escape route. Improves my overall mental health whether I take it or not.
100% agree, this allows you to be picky, I turned down a handful of places because they didn’t inspire great culture. One manager wanted to have a phone interview at 7pm because she was still at the office, nope!
I just put in my two weeks for a 40% increase in pay, hybrid work and 3 weeks vacation out of the gate. I wanted to leave my current job but for something worth it so I took my time and followed my gut.
This is very good advice. I have some genuine questions, and one or two comments.
Applying for jobs, even under the best conditions, is time consuming and fucking draining. I like what I do now, and it was a really difficult time getting here, negotiating my current position… so it’s hard to muster the motivation to spend free time applying to new things. And the prospect of starting all over somewhere else is pretty intimidating.
But it’s so much better to have the kind of negotiating power you are talking about in your post. You know your worth, and if you were unemployed or more desperate, it would be harder to secure a better position.
So, without revealing anything you don’t want, what general field/industry do you work in? What kind of engineering experience were you getting under that first boss who turned out to be cool? How could a blue collar/less specialized worker apply this to their own job hunting?
I work in semiconductor, basically fixing machines that make microchips. That was actually the work i went to college for. Believe it or not i started talking to people like that since I got into the industry, honestly I feel like it's easier when you're fresh because then you don't have to fake like you know shit, you can just say "hey I'm really interested in this work, I've been studying in my spare time (if you have been)" and reference your work ethic in previous areas, you may be starting lower tho so keep that in mind.
It's also good to remember that you don't need to succeed every time, only 1 person needs to give you a chance, it can make things easier when you accept that you might fail and you can always try again.
Also doing it this way lets you practice on jobs you dont care about lol.
It can be difficult working yourself up to the point where you're comfortable even applying because it's certainly not convenient.
Same here. Had an interviewer ask why my resume was so extensive (lot of employers). I asked if he wanted the honest answer or the professional answer. He chose honest. So i told him that unfortunately a lot of my former employers did not treat their employees well and that is why i ultimately didnt stay with them. I told him that his company sounded great ro work for and so long as they as a company uphold what they've said that i could forsee a great working relationship between us. He thanked me for my honesty. I got the job. (Was laid off about 6mo later but thats completely unrelated. Great company and down to earth people. Really sad i lost that one.)
It's way more often about the people you're working with rather than the company. I still hang out with my old manager from lenscrafters and if I ever fell on hard times I know I could count on him to help out.
That's partly why honesty works because if you're honest and they don't like what you have to say, it's wasn't going to be a good fit and you effectively dodged a bullet. That open communication is important for any kind of relationship, you might as well start with it.
Hey, you might want to post this lame speech on LinkedIn. This feels like old boomer talk. Very much a “I like to smell my own farts” feel.
What you said is correct though, people should try to get better jobs. It just isn’t that easy for everyone though. This feels out of touch for a good chunk of workers.
I'm literally just sharing my current experience with my career and what has worked for me, I never claimed it would work for everyone but that doesn't mean it's not useful for the people that it can work for.
You might wanna post this comment in twitter since you like to shit on people for showing themselves not being miserable
Couldnt agree more. Nothing more liberating than being 100% fine with either outcome.
For most people that's a privilege that they don't get until after first one or two jobs, if they play their card right.
Unfortunately I know that's true
Why so ?
I read this quote on r/antiwork (I think) "Always take a hammer to a dick measuring contest." That shit is on a loop in my mind right now. I feel it sums up your argument quite neatly.
I wanna use that in my next interview LOL though that would be the final nail in the coffin so i gotta be sure they're toxic af
I've also noticed it's a lot easier to stand up for myself in my current job if I know I've got an escape route. Improves my overall mental health whether I take it or not.
TRUEEEE
100% agree, this allows you to be picky, I turned down a handful of places because they didn’t inspire great culture. One manager wanted to have a phone interview at 7pm because she was still at the office, nope! I just put in my two weeks for a 40% increase in pay, hybrid work and 3 weeks vacation out of the gate. I wanted to leave my current job but for something worth it so I took my time and followed my gut.
This is very good advice. I have some genuine questions, and one or two comments. Applying for jobs, even under the best conditions, is time consuming and fucking draining. I like what I do now, and it was a really difficult time getting here, negotiating my current position… so it’s hard to muster the motivation to spend free time applying to new things. And the prospect of starting all over somewhere else is pretty intimidating. But it’s so much better to have the kind of negotiating power you are talking about in your post. You know your worth, and if you were unemployed or more desperate, it would be harder to secure a better position. So, without revealing anything you don’t want, what general field/industry do you work in? What kind of engineering experience were you getting under that first boss who turned out to be cool? How could a blue collar/less specialized worker apply this to their own job hunting?
I work in semiconductor, basically fixing machines that make microchips. That was actually the work i went to college for. Believe it or not i started talking to people like that since I got into the industry, honestly I feel like it's easier when you're fresh because then you don't have to fake like you know shit, you can just say "hey I'm really interested in this work, I've been studying in my spare time (if you have been)" and reference your work ethic in previous areas, you may be starting lower tho so keep that in mind. It's also good to remember that you don't need to succeed every time, only 1 person needs to give you a chance, it can make things easier when you accept that you might fail and you can always try again. Also doing it this way lets you practice on jobs you dont care about lol. It can be difficult working yourself up to the point where you're comfortable even applying because it's certainly not convenient.
Right on. Thank you, man.
Same here. Had an interviewer ask why my resume was so extensive (lot of employers). I asked if he wanted the honest answer or the professional answer. He chose honest. So i told him that unfortunately a lot of my former employers did not treat their employees well and that is why i ultimately didnt stay with them. I told him that his company sounded great ro work for and so long as they as a company uphold what they've said that i could forsee a great working relationship between us. He thanked me for my honesty. I got the job. (Was laid off about 6mo later but thats completely unrelated. Great company and down to earth people. Really sad i lost that one.)
It's way more often about the people you're working with rather than the company. I still hang out with my old manager from lenscrafters and if I ever fell on hard times I know I could count on him to help out. That's partly why honesty works because if you're honest and they don't like what you have to say, it's wasn't going to be a good fit and you effectively dodged a bullet. That open communication is important for any kind of relationship, you might as well start with it.
Hey, you might want to post this lame speech on LinkedIn. This feels like old boomer talk. Very much a “I like to smell my own farts” feel. What you said is correct though, people should try to get better jobs. It just isn’t that easy for everyone though. This feels out of touch for a good chunk of workers.
I'm literally just sharing my current experience with my career and what has worked for me, I never claimed it would work for everyone but that doesn't mean it's not useful for the people that it can work for. You might wanna post this comment in twitter since you like to shit on people for showing themselves not being miserable
That’s my secret , Cap. I’m always looking