View Full Version : Job hunt
Thought I’d detail my job hunt.
I reactivated my LinkedIn profile and was contacted by a recruiter. The job they were trying to interest me in was pretty much the same of what I do now, but with a 25 minute longer drive and a $15K pay cut.
Hell, no!
ApatheticNoMore
8-9-23, 1:31pm
Makes sense, the lack of disability accommodations is a reason enough to look elsewhere, but doesn't mean one has to take just anything.
Makes sense, the lack of disability accommodations is a reason enough to look elsewhere, but doesn't mean one has to take just anything.
It’s not just that. There’s a customer who is abusive in both emails and phone calls. He’s called me a lazy bitch. Owners won’t say a thing to them as we make lots of $$ off them. I’m not allowed to say anything. The guy’s staff sends emails consistently late for important stuff to be done and he goes off on me instead and I’m supposed to deal with it? Hell, no!
Teacher Terry
8-10-23, 10:21am
That’s indeed horrible Tradd!! No wonder you are looking for a new job.
chrisgermany
8-11-23, 8:35am
Good luck with your job search.
Are you familiar with askamanager.org for job searching advice?
Good luck with your job search.
Are you familiar with askamanager.org for job searching advice?
Yes, I am, thank you!
Man, another reason to be gone from current job. Owner comes in this morning and is pushing EV. We have to be more green, he says. I didn’t say a word. There’s no charging at home and a good number of us rent or live in older condo complexes where wiring would have to be massively upgraded to allow for home charging. For some of the newer folks, an EV would probably be close to a year’s salary. If he really wants to be green, he could let us work from home, but that won’t ever happen.
Teacher Terry
8-15-23, 11:16am
It’s none of his business what cars his employees drive.
Talked with a friend who is a recently retired employment attorney over the weekend. Other people I know had suggested a lawsuit over hostile workplace due to the one customer, plus filing a complaint with the state labor board. Friend said while the situation I’m in sucks, a lawsuit/complaint to the state? Nope.
We calculated the cost of an EV, a hybrid or a gas powered replacement car. We could afford any of them. Decided to simply drive much less, group necessary trips and live more simply. Thus we choose the much cheaper gas powered but one that right now is getting us over 35 miles per gallon. We fill up at max once a month.
Got to just ignore comments about lifestyle that do not fit your own plan and life. A friend has an EV and they plan on an EV truck. BUT, they also have massive solar panels and do not rely on power plants to power their cars or home. I just ignore the comments on why we should think about an EV.
We calculated the cost of an EV, a hybrid or a gas powered replacement car. We could afford any of them. Decided to simply drive much less, group necessary trips and live more simply. Thus we choose the much cheaper gas powered but one that right now is getting us over 35 miles per gallon. We fill up at max once a month.
Got to just ignore comments about lifestyle that do not fit your own plan and life. A friend has an EV and they plan on an EV truck. BUT, they also have massive solar panels and do not rely on power plants to power their cars or home. I just ignore the comments on why we should think about an EV.
Yeah, I’m having to ignore the EV comments from a ton of people, both IRL and FB. It’s really annoying.
Obviously a car is a major purchase. People aren't going to replace one before they think their current one is used up or they are just tired of it or whatever. I'd love to get an EV. But my current car still has a lot of life left in it. And EV technology is improving quickly, both the cars themselves and the charging networks. For me, unless something about my situation changes, it makes sense to wait several years before buying one. As little as I drive I'm hoping that my next car will be my last car, so letting the technology mature a bit more makes sense for me.
In the meantime I'm probably going to buy an electric bike in the next couple of months. It doesn't really make sense financially, but it'll use a lot less energy for most of my needs. The grocery, library, and most of the hiking trails I do regularly, are within easy electric bike distance. I'll only need my current car for longer trips outside of our fairly small city. And I rode several electric bikes at an EV expo a couple of months ago and they were a blast to ride so this will be a cheap way of getting the "fun" of an EV without anywhere near the expense of a new car. As soon as our front porch project is finished I'll finalize the rearrangement of our garage (contractor's tools and the supplies for the project are all in there now) so that there is space for a bike and then get one.
jp, I have a few friends with e-bikes. They got them for much the same reason you did.
jp1 how do you secure your electric bike when you are in the store, library, or just going to a restaurant or restroom? Around here, bikes/scooters/even motorcycles are the most stolen articles. Had one cop tell us the only secure place for a bike is on our second floor with us. And I do not think he was kidding. We do live urban.
They will even steal accessible parts from a bike securely locked to an immovable object. We see frames with nothing else but a locked device.
Teacher Terry
8-22-23, 11:50am
Unless some moron hits me and totals my car the one I own is probably my last one. It’s a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 69k miles on it. It’s never needed anything besides brakes, oil changes and tires.
iris lilies
8-22-23, 12:31pm
DH is outdoors right now tinkering with his 2009 Ford Ranger that was hit from behind and “totaled” by the insurance company, but we had it fixed and it’s up to around 60,000 miles. Still chugging along but it has a battery problem today.
jp1 how do you secure your electric bike when you are in the store, library, or just going to a restaurant or restroom? Around here, bikes/scooters/even motorcycles are the most stolen articles. Had one cop tell us the only secure place for a bike is on our second floor with us. And I do not think he was kidding. We do live urban.
They will even steal accessible parts from a bike securely locked to an immovable object. We see frames with nothing else but a locked device.
i've always just taken the front wheel off and put the mega kryptonite U lock (it's not called mega, but it's the kryptonite heavy duty version. I forget the actual name) through the frame and both wheels. The only time I ever had a bike stolen was when I'd locked it to a street sign and the crooks took the no parking sign off the top of the post (the sign was on the ground next to the post when I got back) and slid the bike, lock and all, up over the top. This was in front of the NYC Union Square Barnes and Noble 25 or so years ago early on a summer evening with lots of people on the street.
Where we live the bigger problem is not public spaces, it's thieves taking stuff from unlocked garages or outdoor areas around people's homes. Our garage is always locked and within the garage I will lock the bike.
Talked with a friend who is a recently retired employment attorney over the weekend. Other people I know had suggested a lawsuit over hostile workplace due to the one customer, plus filing a complaint with the state labor board. Friend said while the situation I’m in sucks, a lawsuit/complaint to the state? Nope.
Years ago I was let go from a job where I had a good case for wrongful termination according to a few people, including an attorney and HR professional. BUT as the HR manager pointed out that even if successful, the case would take a lot of time and would probably impact my next job such as time away from the job, focus on the past, that sort of thing. I decided it was better to let it go, get on with my life rather than devote any more headspace to the place. Besides, I wanted time off for vacations not court dates.
Years ago I was let go from a job where I had a good case for wrongful termination according to a few people, including an attorney and HR professional. BUT as the HR manager pointed out that even if successful, the case would take a lot of time and would probably impact my next job such as time away from the job, focus on the past, that sort of thing. I decided it was better to let it go, get on with my life rather than devote any more headspace to the place. Besides, I wanted time off for vacations not court dates.
Exactly. I know some people whose answer for everything is a lawsuit.
Exactly. I know some people whose answer for everything is a lawsuit.
Years ago I was taking an insurance class and one of my classmates told a story of being stopped by a cop for something and how she had called her lawyer up while dealing with the cop. My response was "you have a lawyer on speed dial?"
iris lilies
8-26-23, 2:57pm
Years ago I was taking an insurance class and one of my classmates told a story of being stopped by a cop for something and how she had called her lawyer up while dealing with the cop. My response was "you have a lawyer on speed dial?"
That is been a practical consideration I’ve wondered about.
in calling my attorney from jail, my one phone call? “ My attorney “does a law practice of wills and trusts. She’s not even in my contact list. I don’t know who I would call.
That is been a practical consideration I’ve wondered about.
in calling my attorney from jail, my one phone call? “ My attorney “does a law practice of wills and trusts. She’s not even in my contact list. I don’t know who I would call.
She should at least be able to recommend someone.
That is been a practical consideration I’ve wondered about.
in calling my attorney from jail, my one phone call? “ My attorney “does a law practice of wills and trusts. She’s not even in my contact list. I don’t know who I would call.
I suppose it's true that I could also say "I'm calling my lawyer" from speed dial. My friend B is a lawyer, but like your attorney, B doesn't do criminal work. She works for an insurance broker negotiating insurance contracts on behalf of her clients.
Another reason to be looking for a new job. I was at my concealed carry renewal class today and my Apple Watch starts blowing up with texts from a couple of salesmen and import manager. One salesman is brand new. There was this hot hot rush air freight shipment into LAX that was landing at 10 am and had to be customs cleared ASAP. I got the texts a little after 9, class started at 9, and I wasn’t going to get home until about 2 (we also have a range qual). I just told them I wasn’t available until at least 2pm. The new salesman starts demanding I leave wherever I was and go home (I have the Remote Desktop software on my personal a laptop so I can do occasional shit from home) and to the clearance. I said no. Salesman started again, and I said no means no.
They all knew about this shipment on Friday. If I’d been told about it, I could have done the clearance (simple and took no more than 10 min) before I went to my class today.
I will be having a discussion tomorrow with the owner (the nice one I like) who this new salesman reports to.
Teacher Terry
8-28-23, 10:42am
Lack of planning on their part is not an emergency on your part. Most of us had a sign in our office saying this because clients were infamous for wanting things that they knew about for a long time at the last minute.
The urgent air freight shipment that got dumped on me yesterday? The salesidiot knew about it on Friday, but couldn’t be bothered to let me know ahead of time. The import manager got pulled off the golf course and had to go into the office since she couldn’t login from home. If salesidiot had bothered to tell us ahead of time, we would have been able to take care of the shipment before we were occupied for the day.
Import manager and I were both told that if we objected to doing weekend stuff with no notice, we could go elsewhere.
I’m cancelling my Mexico trip for December. There is more than $1K in diving fees, airport transfer, food, etc., that I still have to come up with the cash for. Airbnb said I would get a 100% refund by cancelling this early. I’d have a credit for plane ticket.
happystuff
8-28-23, 9:30pm
Import manager and I were both told that if we objected to doing weekend stuff with no notice, we could go elsewhere.
Well, that's one good way to lose two employees!!!!
Hope you find something soon, Tradd.
Teacher Terry
8-29-23, 11:08am
The employer is not going to be able to keep good employees.
The idiot owner got an outside broker to do the weekend stuff, but he’s very angry about it and was making nasty comments about “working when we want to” because I objected to no notice on the stuff Sunday.
The employer is not going to be able to keep good employees.
The import manager has been here 20 years. She said she zips her lips many a time. I don’t know why she puts up with it.
Sometimes it is a pro/con decision. Bad management vs steady paycheck vs time spent to try and find another job vs perhaps personal insecurity vs good commute/bad commute.....................................
A very personal decision for each person on what is acceptable.
She does live very very close to the office.
rosarugosa
8-30-23, 6:22am
Sometimes it is a pro/con decision. Bad management vs steady paycheck vs time spent to try and find another job vs perhaps personal insecurity vs good commute/bad commute.....................................
A very personal decision for each person on what is acceptable.
Well said. There is almost always something one doesn't like at work. That's why they pay you to do it.
Well, work has gone off the rails. There’s belt tightening because of decreased business due to the economy and not the huge margins as during Covid. But the belt tightening is being done in weird ways. Cutting the extensive business travel of the bigwigs would make sense. Are they doing that? Noooo!
They’re no longer buying paper. Every department is paperless except for my department, which is me and one coworker. We have to be able to print shipment documents for our files for customs purposes. We pretty much ran out of paper Monday and they’re refusing to order anymore. That means we have to supply it ourselves. Coworker and I scrounged through the unused printers and found about two teams. We each have our own printer. I have about a half team at home (I don’t print at home anymore). I got a team by asking on local Buy Nothing group
Then there was a meeting yesterday. Beginning today, the fridge, microwave, coffee maker, and hot water spigot will be unplugged. They wanted to start yesterday but people had brought lunches that needed to be heated up. They tried to ban fans at our desks, but in an office with a lot of menopausal women, they backed down on that immediately. Wonder what they’ll say about personal heaters come winter. A number of people have those. We've also been banned from plugging our smartphones in at our desk (we’ll often stream music quietly). Someone asked about bigwig business travel during the meeting and they were told it’s non-negotiable. Of course, the peasants suffer.
I’ve brought my own pens since day one as I’m picky, as well as my own cheap small notebooks for notes. But we use a lot of the whiteout tape dispenser things (dates on shipments change a lot) and they don’t provide those anymore. You ask about the order and you’re just told the items never arrived. So I ordered my own from Amazon over the weekend.
Ditching the travel would save a lot more $$ than the measly savings they’re going to get from not ordered paper/office supplies as well as unplugging the kitchen appliances. This is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard about. I can afford the paper, it’s just the principle of it. What business doesn’t supply the absolute basics?
Yes, my search continues. Nothing yet.
I’m getting around the new restrictions just fine. I’ve always brought my own coffee. I’m just bringing sandwiches and fruit for lunch. I have a backup battery pack for my phone.
happystuff
10-4-23, 1:19pm
Tradd, I don't understand how they are not providing the basics (i.e. paper) to do your job? I know in my job, if they are not providing me with what I need, then I use what they give me. If they don't give me anything, well, that particular aspect doesn't get done. Maybe if/when they don't have the printed copies for customs, they will start buying paper?
Sorry your working conditions have disintegrated so much! Continued good luck with the job search.
If we don’t comply with printing stuff and CBP came in and requested it, my license could possibly be at risk. I can’t risk that at all. So I’m going to buy the paper. We’ve asked for it to be ordered. They don’t order. They’re flat out refusing.
iris lilies
10-4-23, 3:43pm
If we don’t comply with printing stuff and CBP came in and requested it, my license could possibly be at risk. I can’t risk that at all. So I’m going to buy the paper. We’ve asked for it to be ordered. They don’t order. They’re flat out refusing.
Ah, I understand why you are buying the paper. Protect your license. Makes sense.
Ah, I understand why you are buying the paper. Protect your license. Makes sense.
Paper is about $42 a case off Amazon for the cheapest stuff. I can well afford that. Would last me at least a month.
happystuff
10-5-23, 8:47am
Okay, I do understand why you are buying it yourself. That stinks, though!!
Unplug the microwave to save money??? That has got to be the most absurd thing I’ve heard in a long time.
My MIL had a frugal elderly friend who, every time they went out, would unplug everything. Recently I did a brief Internet search to see how much money she would save by doing that, and it turns out to be quite small. Most things are on "standby" mode and don't leach much energy. Other things (like microwaves) could potentially save energy by being unplugged, but from what I see, it is a minimal amount (less than $100/year).
It sounds like your bosses are desperate. It's ridiculous that you have to buy your own office supplies. Having employees waste their time doing things that divert their attention to non-work related tasks is probably going to hurt them in the long run.
Unplug the microwave to save money??? That has got to be the most absurd thing I’ve heard in a long time.
Not just the microwave. The fridge even!
The other coworker in my department is not careful about printing pages that don’t need to be printed. He blew through the ream in his printer pretty quickly. That was the last of the office provided paper, aside from the ream in my printer. I caught him printing on MY printer today. I told him that once the office provided paper is gone, we’ll have to provide our own. I told him I will NOT be providing paper for him.
The job search is bringing out the crazies. Company wanted to set up a video interview but stipulated I was NOT allowed the blue the background. They really want to see my living room full of dive gear?
iris lilies
10-6-23, 2:36pm
The job search is bringing out the crazies. Company wanted to set up a video interview but stipulated I was NOT allowed the blue the background. They really want to see my living room full of dive gear?
Actually, that’s a pretty bad ass background Tradd, dive gear.
Actually, that’s a pretty bad ass background Tradd, dive gear.
Not when it’s spread all over the LR, on the floor, on couch, etc.
Well, the great paper caper is over. When I was working from home yesterday due to car issues, another department needed paper to print things for a big project,, noticed there wasn’t any, and things blew up. The short version is that the office will go back to supplying paper and other needed supplies. I was willing to go along with it as I knew that it would come to a head sooner than later.
The job search is bringing out the crazies. Company wanted to set up a video interview but stipulated I was NOT allowed the blue the background. They really want to see my living room full of dive gear?
That certainly seems intrusive. They certainly wouldn’t ask for a tour of your home if you had come to their office for an interview. I actually ran into a similar issue when my company’s ceo called me to respond to an email question I’d just sent him. I don’t blur my background and since this was the first time we had spoken he commented on the picture of the Eifle tower on my wall. While I like Paris I don’t think it was an accurate representation of who I am so I bought an enlarged photograph of a neon car wash sign in Palm Springs from a friend of ours that runs a photography art gallery down there. Haven’t talked to the ceo since then but my boss commented on it on our next weekly team call.
iris lilies
10-11-23, 6:40pm
Well, the great paper caper is over. When I was working from home yesterday due to car issues, another department needed paper to print things for a big project,, noticed there wasn’t any, and things blew up. The short version is that the office will go back to supplying paper and other needed supplies. I was willing to go along with it as I knew that it would come to a head sooner than later.
This whole business of unplugging appliances and not buying paper and etc. at your office is just so very very odd. It is even too much for Dilbert to satirize.
Things at work have definitely calmed down. The Indian owner has been gone for most of the last three weeks, which I just fine with me. Whether he’s out of town or at the other office, I don’t care, as long as he’s not here.
The office kitchen appliances are able to be used again. The several Indians in the office complained that they always bring food from home and need to be able to heat it up. That was the end of the not being able to be used.
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