Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with employment

How do I rid myself of a bitter "fuck you" attitude I'm now feeling towards ANY future employer?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:41:07 -0800

I am bitter towards companies in general, and that's not a useful attitude to have as (hopefully) a round of January interviews approach. Help me. I was laid off more than a year ago. When I was laid off, I was told -- at some length -- about how the decision was not in any way, shape or form a reflection of how they felt about the job I had done for them. It was strictly based on seniority -- they were cutting many people that day, and of them, they were cutting the two most junior employees in the department in which I worked. I had been there for nearly three years, but I was still the second most junior employee in that department, and thus was shown the door. (Parenthetically, I have an educated guess that the local human resources employees who laid me off that day had next to no slack on who was selected; I am pretty sure the company's central office micromanaged precisely which cuts were made from where with no input from local HR. Some of the people let go elsewhere were bulwarks of that company who, if local HR had any input, would almost definitely have been kept.)

At the job prior to this last one from which I was laid off, I was fired. It was good that I got fired, because it shocked me into realizing a faulty tenet that I had been carrying around until then: that somehow, some inherent sense of justice in the universe meant that I was "owed" a place to go where I could give them my labors and they would give me money in return. I still don't think I did a poor job there, but there were a number of significantly distracting and very large-scale personal issues going on in my life that really prevented me from giving my all, and in retrospect, my firing was understandable, if not kind.

That changed at my next employer. I grew to actually really like that company. I devoted myself to my job, and brought all my skills and talents to it. I went above and beyond; I was constantly given sterling reviews and better-than-the-company's-average annual salary bumps. I was one of those guys that everyone feels fairly warmly towards. I was always willing to offer anyone a helping hand if I could possibly do it. I was never even asked to do it, but I gave them a lot of free overtime, cumulatively, figuring that being asked to stay late 20 minutes or so wasn't bad, especially as the company was equally flexible with the extremely occasional moments I needed a little give.

The tenet I began to form at this employer -- again, subconsciously -- was one I think a lot of people share. If you give an employer your best, and make yourself as invaluable and as good a "buy" for their salary money as possible, then you're a valuable asset and the company will accordingly continue employing you.

Now, it feels as if that can't be relied upon either, and the replacement proposition one might form from my experience is: "An employer will be happy to fire you the moment its bottom line is threatened. It has absolutely no interest in you other than as a cog in its processes; if you're a bad enough worker, you'll break the machine and then they'll fire you. But they don't care if you're a particularly good cog, either. They'll swap you out the moment they want to."

And, to some extent, I know that's true. But it's also a deeply cynical worldview that inclines one to go around each and every day with an attitude of "Fuck you, [employer]!" And not only does that incline you towards being a poor employee, that also is just a poisonous emotion to have in your psyche about the place where you'll spend eight-plus hours of each day. I really don't want that emotional baggage in my head each and every day. Some other stuff has had me a lot happier in general, so I really don't want to be renting brainspace to this emotion for an indefinite lease.

I've not been confronted with the question yet because companies have simply not been hiring for my position for most of the past year, so interviews have been near non-existent. That is already showing signs of significantly changing next month.

How do I do this? How can I go to an employer and interview with them and not feel so deeply hostile towards a company that, as of yet, will have done nothing to deserve it?

Need minor surgery but I'm just about to change jobs (and health plans). Disaster?

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:16:38 -0800

I have a small health issue which will probably require minor surgery. Pretty routine and low-risk kind of thing. I'm employed and have a good health plan through my job. But here's the problem: I might be changing jobs (and therefore health plans) very soon. Will this create problems getting the procedure paid for? I won't find out for sure if I need the surgery for a couple of weeks. And I'm sure that if I do, it will be even longer before I'm able to get the surgery. I might be in a new job much sooner than all that gets resolved. Questions:

1) Will I be able to sign up for my new employer's plan quickly enough to help with this?
2) Will that insurer decline to pay for my surgery because "it was a preexisting condition?"

Nothing's done yet. What should I be considering? Suggestions for a plan?

Legitimacy of regular employee forced to become contract employee.

Oireachtac — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:10:50 -0800

Legitimacy of regular employee forced to become contract employee. (please reference my earlier long posting here... http://ask.metafilter.com/139060/Coping-with-a-boss-who-doesnt-care-about-the-business-any-more)

My employer, in a desperate act to save gross receipts taxes as an employer, is forcing me to accept transitioning from being a regular employee to being a contract employee...is this, in fact, legal?

Am I planning to act unethically?

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:35:52 -0800

After five months of being out of work, and seven months of looking, I have recently been offered a job. Great, right? Of course it is, but it's presenting an ethical dilemma for me. The scenario: The job I've been offered is really not what I want to do in either the short or long term, and is a big step backward career-wise. This is a job that I could do in my sleep, and I just simply don't WANT a job I can do in my sleep. In fact, I've done this particular job for years, before making a substantial career leap within the same field about four years ago. I do not anticipate that this job will involve any future growth, making it the very definition of "dead end." However, it is a paycheck, and a damn good one at that. After being unemployed for as long as I've been I'm really in no financial position to turn it down, as I've nearly exhausted my savings and will have to tap my 401k within the next month or two.

The offer that I have in hand has been made on a temp-to-perm basis, where my new employer has the opportunity to "try before they buy", having me work for them as an hourly-rate temp through an agency with the (verbal and nonbinding) understanding that this is a trial period before making a direct-hire salaried job offer.

In addition, I am also anticipating a possible job opportunity with another company, for which an old friend and former colleague has been recruiting me for some time now. This position would be EXACTLY what I want to do, both short-term and long term, and would be pretty close to my dream position, in fact. The problem there is that this job is not expected to be funded for a few more months - which is longer than my finances will allow me to wait. By sheer coincidence, this job is likely to be funded some time around the expiration of the temp/trial period at my other potential job.

So, here's my dilemma: Is accepting a temp-to-perm job with the knowledge that there's a very good chance that I will end up declining a future planned salaried/perm offer to take another position unethical?

I'm seeing this two ways: On one hand, by not making a salaried offer at the outset, they're only committing to me for a few months, and it would be unreasonable for them to expect me to commit for longer than they are. On the other hand, while this is certainly a temp job on paper, I've every expectation that their stated intention to make a full-time job offer once my trial period is up in a few months is legitimate, and made in good faith, and I can't shake the feeling that by planning to possibly leave in a few months, I might not be acting in good faith myself.

I'm not a big fan of burning bridges, and I'm painfully aware that bailing after my temp period would be burning a bridge, both with the employer and with the temp agency, who would lose out on a substantial finder's fee if I accept a permanent job offer with this company.

The way I see it, I have three choices:

1) Decline the temporary job offer I have in hand in the hope that my "dream job" comes through in a few months. My personal finances and recent job-search history being what they are, this involves WAY more risk than I am able to tolerate.

2) Accept the temporary job offer I have in hand, and also accept the perm offer when/if one is made, despite the fact that this type of work REALLY doesn't interest me any more. This one is certainly ethically sound, but would undo years of forward progress in my career, as I would be stuck doing work that I hated and moved away from four years ago. It's also likely the one to be best for my personal finances, as my "dream" job is likely to result in a pay cut.

3) Accept the temporary offer with the knowledge that if an offer comes from my "dream job", that I will take it and leave the first job. This would be very good for my career if it works out, not quite as good financially, but questionable ethically, for the reasons I've stated above.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do here? I'm in desperate need of some outside perspective on this. I'm really starting to feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place here, with an abundance of bad choices to choose from, and I'm losing sleep over it. Am I just bean-plating over what should be a fairly obvious decision?

Incidentally, I have already spoken to an attorney and I'm in the clear legally speaking. Employment at will is a two-way street in my particular US state, and either the employee and employer are free to walk away at any time in the absence of a contract that says otherwise - and mine doesn't.

Alt email, just in case: amiactingunethically@gmail.com

How does one move across the country smartly?

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:24:24 -0800

I'm moving to Boston from San Diego in a year, but I don't know a soul there, nor do I know how to get the important stuff (job, apartment) set up from so far away. Questions follow. The last time I moved across the country like this was a decade ago, and I had friends on the other side who pulled some strings to get me a job and also had a room I could rent. I won't have that luxury this time. What I do have is experience as a creative director and graphic designer, some money saved, and a decade's worth of stuff to move... which is all way more than I had ten years ago. But this part I still don't know how to do....

1) What's the best way to find employment from across the country? And how soon does it make sense to start that process? I'll be able to live for several months without income if I have to by that time, and I can freelance for a while, but I'd breathe easier knowing I had a job lined up before I hit the road.

2) How the hell do I arrange for an apartment? I can pick one out and visit it, but I wonder how the application process is going to go. My credit is good (but not perfect). I'll be working at my current job right up until I move... but that will mean that my proof of income is all from a job across the country... a job I'm leaving. Does that matter?

I know that people do this sort of thing all the time, and I've done some Googling around, but this is very scary to me, and I don't know where to start!

Throaway email if needed: bostonorbustithink@gmail.com

Two Stupid Jobs

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:51:13 -0800

I went from possibly being unemployed to being offered two jobs I only sort of want. I need to take one of them in order to live, which should I take? I recently posted this anonymous askme about getting an internship in public radio, and I ended up getting the position. I then had to tell my employers at a full time job that I have worked at for four years (outsourced IT) that I would like to go part time for three months during the internship. Initially, they told me there was no place for me there while I was doing the internship and there was much hand-wringing and worrying about money, as well as applying for other positions.

Eventually, me and my employers were able to come to an agreement where I would move away from my current position in account management toward a more sales-oriented position. I will be taking a pay cut, from 73k to 60k, which won't impact me much. For the three months that I am part time, I will be making 30k, which, while difficult, I can handle. My continued employment is provisional on my success in this position, and will be reviewed again when the internship wraps up at the end of March

During the period of hand-wringing and application sending, I applied for a position at a non-profit as their operations manager. This non-profit works with first amendment issues and, as someone who wants to work in journalism, has a mission that much more jibes with my world view than the corporation I currently work at. About 2/3 of the job will be administrative and kind of dry, but there is a third that will allow me to work on education initiatives, writing for the website, and other things that I feel like I would actually enjoy. The executive director of this non-profit has basically told me that he would like to offer me the position and that he just needs the approval of the board.

The problem with this position is that it starts, full-time, at 36k a year, a little less than half of what I make now. Additionally, the director has made it clear to me that it will require more than the standard 40 hours a week, and will include having to go to conferences (pays us for travel and lodging, but no per diem or anything.) The director has made it clear that they are not looking for "nine to fivers," and they want a person who can commit outside of the standard 40 hour work week. I live in New York city, and I'm paying about $825.00 a month for rent. Doing the math, if I were making 36k a year, after taxes, rent would be just under half of my total monthly income.

So I'm faced with a choice. In one corner, a sales job that I almost certainly won't enjoy, at a decent pay rate, with the provision that I need to remain successful or I will be let go, and in the other a job which I might like a little more (though still saddled with a lot of drudgery) for very little money, requiring hours beyond the standard 40. Honestly, neither of these are holding a very strong appeal for me at the moment. My focus is on radio and journalism, both admittedly difficult fields to break into.

I guess my question would be, which one sounds less painful to you?

Should I go for financial security and take the sales job?

or

Should I go for a position that I might potentially like more and work for peanuts for the forseeable future?

Your help would be appreciated. Any questions can be sent to throwaway email address:

radiodreamjob@gmail.com

Any recourse for a shorted work contract?

KevinSkomsvold — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:18:45 -0800

I'm a contractor. In October my contract was extended per an email from my recruiter, to Jan 31, 2010. This was a bit of relief since X-mas is always a tight money situation. Yesterday I got a call from my recruiter telling me they "revised" the contract and it will end on December 30, 2009. This puts me in somewhat of a bind. Am I fucked in terms of recourse?

Quit now, or wait to be laid off?

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:44:01 -0800

My friend has been in a job in NY State for close to 2 years. From the start her salary was substantially lower than she felt she should be paid and she was verbally promised a bonus which never materialized. Nevertheless she stuck with job. Now, the company is going down the tubes. Many people have been laid off. She's been hoping for many months to be laid off herself so she can get unemployment benefits to aide in a transition. But, for a variety of reasons -- mainly that she's a very efficient employee -- she hasn't been let go. This stressful climate of layoffs and, with it, an increase in workload for her, has made it a very inhospitable workplace. She wants to quit ASAP. But she also doesn't want to miss out on unemployment benefits. What are her options? More inside... Specific questions: (1) Can she argue that the nature of her job has changed, so she can no longer work at the company, and therefor, despite quitting, is deserving of unemployment? (2) If, after quitting, she's able to find a short-term work (a week or so) paid through a payroll company with taxes taken out, would this then qualify her for full unemployment? (3) What if she quit her current job because she was offered another job, but that job fell through -- would she still qualify? (4) Should she suffer through additional weeks and months until she is laid off, knowing that the ship is likely going down? (One potentially complicating factor: The failing company where she's currently employed is switching to a different 3rd party HR company and has asked her to fill out some paperwork so her paychecks come through them, beginning Jan 1.)

Should we stay or should we go to The Great White North?

salsamander — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:30:26 -0800

Are my skills employable in Canada? My wife is considering a Ph.D. program in Toronto, and I don't know if my experience as a paralegal and journalist would allow me to find employment. Help! My wife is considering getting her doctorate at several schools. She's applied to several here in the US (where we're citizens) and is being encouraged to apply at a specific, and very attractive and exciting program, at the University of Toronto. We're worried that I won't be able to find employment in Canada to pay our bills! Owing to the current state of the economy, I've been laid off from my last two jobs and haven't found work in months. I've worked as a paralegal in various capacities (litigation, Federal court matters, collection, quasi-regulatory financial) and also have a background with web-based journalism. I can assemble and fix computers, so I've considered taking some sort of certification test.

I know Toronto will be expensive, and the stipend my wife would receive probably wouldn't cover our expenses. Should we play it safe and stay in the US? Or is it worth the risk to accept any offer from Toronto and hope I can find a job?

Is there a website that tracks information about companies that have offshored information technology jobs?

cosmic.osmo — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:25:50 -0800

Is there a website that tracks information about companies that have offshored information technology jobs? I'm looking for a website that tracks companies that have offshored information technology jobs, and that can provide information about the locations and sizes of their offshore offices.

I've seen references to one at techsunite.org from around 2004, but it appears to be defunct.

warning your references ahead of time

diode — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:59:25 -0800

I've found a great potential job, given them references, and know the references will be contacted on Monday. To what extent is it typical to let your references know beforehand they will be contacted by my potential employer? My list of references are friends and a couple of people from work including my supervisor.

I've been amongst the under-employed for a bit. My current position went from full, to half, to quarter time in the past year and three quarters. My skills and interests are seemingly diverging from their needs.

I'm not too concerned about the references I will get from my friends. My supervisor, on the other hand, I don't know how this will go. The potential job did not specifically request the supervisor's contact info but I put it down anyway thinking it would look strange if I did not do so.

As a note, I did not notify my references beforehand they were a reference.

I'm still working there, albeit quarter time, when other folks have been let go entirely, so the company sees value in my continued presence, though apparently not enough to employ me full time.

So, what I'm wondering is whether I should be contacting my references to let them know they are likely to get contacted. In particular, my supervisor is one key element.

At this point, I'm thinking something along the lines of simply letting him know this is occurring. He's clear I'm looking for work, or at least should be since other potential employers have contacted him in the past.

I had originally thought to do a little pre-programming with my supervisor to remind him of my successes and best attributes. I think it's a little late to do this now.

I'm wondering what the hive-mind knows about this subject and whether it's considered good form to contact your references to let them know in advance.

Propitious places to move to & unusual living situations for having 3 or 4 days a week free to work on personal project

cotesdurhone — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:39:38 -0800

I'm working on a project that requires at least 3 or 4 full days attention each week. What are some places in the US or world I could move to, &/or unusual living situations, that would give me a good chance of doing this? Other considerations:

• Part-time job terminating Jan 1, and definitely want to move elsewhere (currently live in Boston)
• Have $5000 savings. Will probably also be able to continue receiving unemployment (about $1,000 month) if I move out of state (but not country, obviously)

• Age 30. US Citizen.
• Languages: English, Russian
• Skills: Writing and editing, visual art, Russian translation (but no graduate-level degrees to show this)
• BA from Liberal Arts college + semester (2 terms) at Oxford

Any and all reasonable options considered.

• Preferred urban environment: vibrant arts scene, inspiring architecture, not overrun with college students or sports fanatics, ethnically and age-ally diverse
• 'Ideal' destinations: Montreal, France
• Hypothetical order of preference: 1. Montreal & France (tie) 2. EU, Scandinavia, & Turkey 3. Eastern Europe 4. USA & Canada 5. South America 6. Asia 7. Australia/New Zealand 8. other

• Preferred rural environment: the more (interesting) people around, the better

• "unusual living situations" = housesitting - caretaking - living in some cabin - (earnest) meditative community - collective farm - kibbutz - teaching abroad - or anything else

• If it's helpful to know— the project is of a literary nature (a novel and other writings)

Finally, what are the very best resources (books, websites, magazines, etc) that might be of help?

reference advice

crazylegs — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:03:32 -0800

What is the protocol regarding asking for academic recommendations? I am a recent PhD seeking a job in academia. I've been feeling badly about burdening my former MA and PhD advisors for job references, because I know they're very busy people. But I tell myself "hey, it's part of their job, don't feel badly". Well, yesterday I received an email from one of them that smacked me down pretty hard. She took me to task for a couple of other things, and said that the references were "a lot to ask" (I have sent her around 10 or 12, most of which could be an identical letter, sent to a different institution).
Is there any other way to go about this job search? It seems that my advisors are the best people to use for recommendations; as I am not yet published (and even if I were), who else is familiar with my work?
Did I do something wrong? The last thing I want to do is to alienate the people who, to some extent, hold my future in their hands.

An ADD-like condition helped me screw up at work big time. How can I protect myself?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:41:50 -0800

Serious mistakes made months ago at work have been uncovered. Facing possible discipline (even termination), I'm wondering how (or if) I should disclose mental health issues that likely contributed. I work as a consultant to a government agency. My work performance has been exemplary from the beginning, and in the 2.5 years I've had the job, I've never earned anything less than an "excellent" rating on every performance evaluation from the client. No one questions my skills or the quality of my work.

But inconsistencies in my time reporting have come to light, and in a time when corruption within government agencies is under intense scrutiny, even the appearance that one has falsified one's time-keeping could realistically be grounds for termination.

The basic problem: half the time I forgot to clock in, or out--or both--on the electronic time-clock, so my written time-sheets (which are used to bill the client) don't match my electronic ones. I am now required to address the inconsistencies and provide documentation that I was working when I said I was, going back more than six months.

While I'm confident that I worked the hours I claimed (and billed for), I'm having difficulty proving it. Because of inbox quotas, I don't have any e-mail messages prior to late July, so I can't retrace my steps that way. I do have some solid documentation, but an awful lot is left to a "best guess" scenario about when I was where, and what I was doing there. I don't dispute that I made mistakes or that I should perhaps be disciplined for them, and I realize my case doesn't look good.

Here's where it gets messy. I suffer from hypothyroidism, with attendant mental health issues: fatigue, "brain fog," difficulty focusing and maintaining concentration, difficulty with detail-oriented work, forgetfulness/absent-mindedness. The symptoms are very much like ADD, and frankly, I think it's a miracle that I've been able to perform as well as I have on the job--know one knows about my problem.

A month ago, my doctor--acting on my complaints of the above issues--decided to try an ADD medication on me. The drug has been nothing short of a revelation--I can't believe the difference in my daily work life. I haven't forgotten to clock in ONCE since I started, and my record keeping is superb. I have no trouble maintaining focus and concentration on detail-oriented assignments for long periods of time. I can read long documents without falling asleep, and don't seem to drift off when studying spreadsheets and data. I feel like I've turned my mental clock back 10 years--it's been a breathtaking change.

I now have no doubt that my previous mental state contributed to my forgetfulness and poor record-keeping at work. But I've never disclosed this information to my employer or the client, for obvious reasons.

Now that my mistakes have been revealed, I'm concerned about practical things like protecting my right to claim unemployment benefits should I be dismissed over the errors.

I'm not trying to escape discipline--I know I should have told my boss what was going on, and perhaps should have addressed the problems sooner. But I also don't think I should have my career and future ruined because of a problem that I have don't seem have anymore.

I am loathe to reveal this information to my employer on the chance that this situation does NOT lead to my dismissal. Why bring the baggage of mental health into a situation where it won't matter because the problem is solved?

But what if I am dismissed? I'm interested in suggestions on how best to protect myself, my unemployment benefits, and my future. For what it's worth, I live and work in the state of Illinois. Throwaway e-mail: hypothyroid.at.work@gmail.com

I hate my job and I want out. How?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:15:39 -0800

I’ve worked for the same company for fifteen years and I recently started realizing I need to get out if I’m to maintain sanity. Problem is, I have no idea where to start, I feel like I’m trapped and my skills have atrophied to the point where it seems this is the only job I could possibly get. This is a multi-part question. Picture the most insane Dilbert cartoon, multiply it by Office Space, add a dose of David Brent and you might get an idea of what I’m dealing with.

I have no idea where to start: Fifteen years ago there was no monster.com and most people didn’t have email addresses. My resume was done in Amipro and still says I have experience with Lotus 123. Due to some fortunate circumstances I got this job and the one before it without really trying. I was “good with computers” which, at the time, was pretty much all they needed to hear. I’ve never gone to a recruiter or a headhunter. I’ve never had a really tough interview. Last time I actually looked for a job I circled ads in the newspaper.

Question 1: Where do I start? What’s the best format to put a resume in? What websites are the best for looking for jobs? Should I just call a headhunter, tell him my skills and wait for something?

I feel like I’m trapped: Fifteen years is sort of an investment. I get quite a bit of vacation time, it would be hard to go back to only having a week. I get paid pretty well for the work I do, considering over the years my skills have deteriorated to the point where I feel like this is the only job I’m qualified for. I’ve always been a jack of all trades, master of none. I’m in healthcare I.T. but I’m not a server guy, I’m not a DBA, I’m not a network guy, etc. I support departmental applications of all shapes and sizes, most of which nobody outside of the industry has heard of. How do I work that into a resume?

I don’t think I want to stay in healthcare. I think my ideal job (besides “astronaut”) would be working in a small IT group for a medium-sized company. Honestly, I’d probably be happiest not working in IT at all but it’s really the only thing I’m good at and probably the only thing I could do where I could get paid well and have insurance.

Question 2: How do you start over? I’m 40, I have a family, I need to have health insurance. My wife cannot get health insurance for the family. I want some vacation time to spend with them. We have some savings, so I could handle a pay cut if I had to.

Question 3: Is this even a good idea right now? I have a job that I’m well paid for and if there are any jobs at all there are a million people, people with better skills, applying for them. Should I suck it up and stick it out for another couple of years? Should I just consider myself a lifer? The devil you do know, etc.

Sorry for the ranty-ness of this post. I’ve been mulling this over for years, putting it off, and now I’m worried it’s just too late. I honestly have no clue how to get started with all this.

I know I'm lucky to have a job, I know it's my own fault that I let my skills and resume lapse. Still though, I gotta get out of here. I'm in the Boston area, if that matters.

What jobs can a 14-year-old apply for?

not_on_display — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:14:51 -0800

My son's 14, and wants to get a job. For instance, the local grocery stores employ kids his age--but they are not hiring at the moment. And state law says he can't operate a fryolater, among other reasonable restrictions listed here. So, who hires 14-year-olds? What alternatives, over- or under-the-table, would you suggest? He shovels walks in the winter, and sometimes goes door-to-door offering to take on odd jobs for small change.

Thanks!

How to move my unqualified behind to Europe?

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:05:22 -0800

Ex-pat filter: How do I get a job in Western Europe without a Master's degree? Is it even possible, or should I suck it up and go to grad school? Due to the way my life has worked out, I'm an American citizen but haven't lived in the US in nearly a decade, and I have no desire to live there again. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the US, but when I visit, it never feels like I belong there. Right now I'm working in Asia teaching English as a foreign language, but nothing about this job feels permanent to me. I'd like to start thinking of something more long-term. Ideally, I'd like to work in the public sector, especially in non-profit. I studied abroad in Britain during university and I've been on extended holidays to Europe several times in the past, and I'd really love to move somewhere in Western Europe, specifically the UK or Ireland. But -- and here's the thing -- I don't think I have any real qualifications. Here's what I do have:

1. I have an Honour's (4 years + dissertation) B.A. from a well-known Canadian university in History.
2. I've worked in education for the past four years, two years at university level in Canada, two years in a private school in Korea, teaching both English grammar/writing and EFL. I have no problem teaching anything related to social sciences or the humanities. However, I don't have any official teaching certification.
3. I'm a native English speaker, I speak decent French, and I speak elementary Korean.
4. I've lived in four countries including the US, and I've been to 20 countries around the world.
5. I'm in my twenties, I'm a fast learner, I'm good with languages, I'm highly sociable and love working with people, and I'm very open-minded.

In all honesty, I don't even know where to begin looking for jobs. Do I have any hopes of landing a job in Europe with this, or should I go to grad school? I've been looking at several grad programs in Sweden and Norway that may lead to non-profit work. I'd love to move to Europe but I have no idea if I want to go back to school, especially since the only subject I really ever loved was History -- a field that doesn't lead to a wide range of career opportunities if I get an MA in it.

I'm posting anon because I'm embarrassed at how naive all of this sounds. Any and all advice would be much appreciated, even if it's just you telling me I need to get my lazy bum to grad school.

Volunteer editing

Caduceus — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:41:58 -0800

Where can I get volunteer editing experience in the Portland, OR area, or via the internet? I have been looking for an editorial publishing job since I graduated with a Master's in June, and have had no luck. I'm living in the Portland, OR, area, where there are virtually no positions, so have mostly been applying for positions in other cites. My working theory is that there are so many qualified applicants around right now that no one has had any need to dip into the non-local applicant pool. I've also applied, at a lower rate, to local non-editorial but vaguely related positions, and similarly had no luck.

At this point it doesn't seem likely that I'm going to find a position in the near future, so to keep my skills from atrophying and to possibly make some new contacts, I want to start looking for opportunities to do volunteer editing or proofing work, but I don't have the first clue as to where to start. I'm looking for suggestions or ideas as to what organizations I could volunteer at and actually get to do editing work, rather than general office busywork or anything else that's not related to what I want to do. It doesn't necessarily have to be for an organization that does publishing, though that would be preferable.

What job is this? Can I make a living with this?

fishmasta — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:31:04 -0800

I hate coding. I like conceiving of what the code could do . Work please? I've always been a tech-oriented person, but never much cared for programming/tech support (I deal with enough of that from family)/computer science sort of work. Lately at work they've had me testing out new software, where I diagnose bugs, suggest better ways to implement features, etc. I've found it really fits the way I think and seems to help the IT staff out a lot (we're not a software company, but do produce our own specialized software for internal use). I've been pretty unhappy with my current job and would like to move into something more suited to my interests, so I'm wondering if this is something that might be good for me.

This sort of work is pretty random at my employer, so there isn't a way to transfer into this as a full time position. I'd like to find something that suits my tech-knowledge without the programming focus and that lets me think outside of how the software currently works and how it could work if improved. Our coders are so focused on fixing current problems that they rarely have time to think of how to improve the interface as a whole. Is this something that A) is a job people would be looking for and B) something that would pay the bills with potential for more? Thanks.

Can I phone-verify and employee's doctor appointment?

Shohn — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:36:56 -0800

Can I, as a supervisor, call an employee's doctor to verify that said employee was actually seen on a certain date? It was mentioned to this employee that his number of unexcused absences was starting to creep up, though not enough to trigger any disciplinary action. Just a heads-up. So the next day he provides doctor's notes for all his previously unexcused absences, the earliest of which was in July. All these notes are dated the same day- October 22.

The weird thing is that there were two absences on consecutive days, and he brought a separate note for each. I smell a rat, but I'm wary of a potential HIPAA violation.

So since the employee and his doctor have already provided this information, can I just call the office to verify that it's true? I couldn't care less about any diagnoses or treatments or anything- I just want to know if he was really there.

Was I let-go legally?

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:49:10 -0800

I was 'let go' from my job last week, but I'm not sure it was entirely legal. YANML, but please lend me your ear... (warning, long) I work at a medium sized non-profit. I started temping there last winter, and was made perm in April.

Things had been going alright; I can’t say that I loved the job or the people outside of my small regional office, or even the cause we were fighting for. But a job’s a job, especially right now. Decent pay and benefits.

There are two reasons I could have been let go. One was pretty much confirmed for me by my main boss – that a higher-up, in a different department, who has senior management’s ear, had decided that my manager and I needed to go. Now this person isn't in our department, much less works with our department. I’m still scratching my head over this one. He is a pretty nasty person, with a bad reputation, but I’ve never had to work with him. He comes into the office every once in awhile, but I’ve always been polite and professional with him.

The smaller reason is thus: a lot of the people I immediately work with, my counterparts in other regional offices are not the most ‘competent’ at their jobs. I’m trying to put this as nicely as possible – these people should not be given any professional responsibilities. My manager and I, we are constantly being the ‘odd men out’ of the department. Thrown ‘under the bus’ quite often, and chided for having proof that we didn’t “forget to send in requests” or “late reports”. But again, I’ve always been polite and professional with all of them, never a nasty email and lots of friendly overtones, for as much as I’ve questioned their employment, there is nothing I could have done that would stop the ‘blame game’.

So I was ‘let go’. Manger is has a ‘stay of execution’ to finish a large project but is soon to be gone. Keep in mind, I’ve never been written up, never given a warning – nothing. I knew the other department head didn’t like me, but didn’t believe I fell under his jurisdiction.

I was never given any paperwork, never signed a termination form, and wasn’t even provided with unemployment paperwork. In California, the UI Code, Section 1089 requires employers to provide the booklet. I emailed when I got home, asking for this, and was told:
”The state determines the unemployment and you can access online to file. Put 'termination' and on my end I will report that you 'worked to best of abilities' but not a good fit. That should qualify you. “

Ok so fine, I file unemployment. All the while wondering what is really going on. Next day, get an email from my main boss:
”COMPANY is willing to put a letter of voluntary resignation from you in your personnel file at HQ. For unemployment purposes, we will list “termination – worked to best of abilities, but not a good fit with position” but on your file we will list it as a voluntary resignation, that way if anyone calls HQ for a recommendation, they will be able to read directly from your file that you resigned and are eligible as a rehire.”

Obviously this seems a little strange to me – flimsy reasons for being fired, but hey, I’m in CA and we’re an ‘at will’ state. But asking me to pretend that I quit – am I putting my hand in the bear trap disguised as a cookie jar?

The question: is this legit? Is it worth fighting? Should I report the employer for not providing the unemployment booklet? Do I pretend that I quit? I already have a handful of people who will give me recommendations, so if I burn a bridge here, it wouldn't really harm me.

Thanks in advance. Questions can be mailed to anonisanona at gmail dot com

Wants to work hunting scammers

CollectiveMind — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:39:53 -0800

Someone I know wants to find a job as the person who is portrays themselves as seeking housing or employment, and is either preferred or discriminated against because of their race, sex, age, etc. I would guess a job like this; someone who portrays an apartment or job seeker, might be offered by the state, or the feds or a reputable non-profit, but I don't know. They are even interested in starting out pretending to be a customer who is victimized by mortgage fraud or auto garage scams as part of an investigation. Does anybody know which agency to approach and what credentials she might need to get her foot in the door?

Should I quit looking in the legal field and become a stock broker?

xspot — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:41:33 -0800

Out of work law school grad thinking about looking into another career...looking for suggestions....how about a stock broker trainee...? Some background info. Living in NYC area. Recent law grad from 2nd tier school, crappy grades. Majored in finance as an undergrad. Failed the bar first time, worked for a year (non-legal field), out of work for another year before I retook and passed three state bar exams. Since then I've been out of work for another year+. I havent been completely out of work during those 'out of work' times but nothing that I'd put on a resume.
The legal job market seems esp. tough. Amazingly, I've interviewed with a couple of firms for entry level attorney jobs since passing the bar but I know for a fact that two of the firms hired people with 5-6 years experience. Ugh. Have also applied for a bunch of attorney fed/state jobs with no luck. I've known that my prospects for finding a an attorney job in this climate was slim, but I wanted to at least get licensed and was hoping for some luck but I'm now more than ready face 'reality'.... so I'm looking/thinking about a new career path.

Two main questions:
1.Suggestions on a new career path? I know this a ridiculous question to ask to strangers but I'd love to hear some new voices/opinions.
2. There've been alot of stoker broker trainee jobs listing recently...What exactly does a stock broker trainee do and is it worthwhile? Would my law degree/finance degree help at all at getting and keeping this job?

Looking for nonlegal work as a JD was tough, I imagine it'll be the same with a law license. Should I mention that I'm licensed to practice law or that I even went to law school? I definitely dont mind starting from the ground up in a new field but I'm hesitant to switch fields and 'waste' my law degree/license. How hard would it be for me with become an attorney again after working in another field for 4-5 years without any legal experience? Despite how it sounds I dont feel like I HAVE to be a lawyer, I just would like to give it a shot but I'm tired of waiting and not making steady income! I'm not necessarily looking for suggestions in finding legal work, but suggestions or advice would really be welcomed. Thanks.

Help me with job titles associated with software development

Pontifex — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:04:50 -0800

Which jobs should I be searching for a stepping stone in the world of software development and eventually project management? Fresh out of college the depression started.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. I attempted to find some work in my area, but couldn't find anything in the way of "Junior Programmer / Software Engineer". I found some work eventually (3 months for a minimum wage service job) and have since found a relatively stable job that has nothing to do with my degree.

Now that I have some months on my resume, I'm looking around for software work in California. I'm starting in the North State and moving more steadily south, the first large city I'll be looking into is Sacremento.

I would like to have work that would provide me credible experience for developing software. Since I haven't any real world experience (Falling into the catch 22 of most intro jobs needing experience, etc) I'd like to start with an industry tangentially related to software development so that I can show some work toward real experience.

Instead of focusing on development work exclusively, I'd like to start with QA / Software testing work. I believe I could learn a lot about software development: Techniques, processes, culture, political realities of the work place, networking, etc. I also believe that such work could prepare me for an introduction into project management; Coupled with future software development work.

What sorts of job titles should I be searching for to maximize my return value for this type of work?

I also need a sanity check. In your experience does this plan provide the returns I'm looking for? Is there some other tangentially related field of software development that I should be investigating in parallel?

Really, how screwed am I?

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:13:49 -0800

Am I being fired? I was recently converted from a full-time employee at a $5 billion multi-national company to a contractor working at the same company. Now, my contractor boss has called me in for meetings with the contracting company's HR rep for "issues". Oh yeah, I'm pregnant too. In July, my boss with the large multinational corp (who I'll call Big Company) called me into the office to say that I had two options since my position was being eliminated. I could take the severance package and be "laid off" or I could be converted to contractor and move to a lower level job I previously held at Big Company. My salary would increase a small amount to cover the additional cost for medical benefits with the Smaller Contracting Company. They repeatedly tell me it's not a demotion, but they had to make tough choices and thought that this would be a way to keep me in a job. I have had only positive reviews while being employed with Big Company.

When I looked into taking the job with the Smaller Contracting Company, several issues arose. The medical plan was not comparable which was no big surprise. I would earn less vacation, also not a surprise. However, I would have no maternity benefits. In addition, since I would not have been employed with the Smaller Contracting Company for more than a year I would not be eligible for FMLA. I brought this up as a serious issue and was given 6 weeks paid maternity. Finally, I was told that I wouldn't be eligible for COBRA because I was accepting the contractor role.

The contractor job is at Big Company, which is subcontracted by Small Company. I take the lower level contractor role at a slightly higher salary. My new boss, who is also a contractor, doesn't schedule regular one on ones with me or communicate to me in the same frequency or tone as my peers, generally avoids me, does not provide me the information I need to do my job, etc. Basically, we have some serious communication issues for which we are both responsible for.

I think the turning point of uncomfortable to serious was when I provided her feedback regarding one of my peers about 2 weeks ago. I covered for this person while they were on vacation and discovered many issues. In addition, I was asked by 3 coworkers in other departments to speak up about the issues surrounding this employee because many people feel that concerns voiced to my new boss have not been heard. When I raised the issues, my new boss got very defensive.

Monday she asked me to do something that I felt was unethical (I didn't tell her I thought it was unethical, but that's how I felt). I asked her to confirm with our finance folks on process before I proceeded.

Tuesday I worked from home and came in late Wednesday because we had gotten elevated risks on our baby for Trisomy 18. I was a total emotional wreck after receiving the news and thought it best to work from home. This situation has not helped me in "being cool". Between hormones and this news, I've pretty much cried at the drop of a hat.

Thursday she sends me a invite for me, her and her boss. I ask her boss about it and am told Small Contracting Company HR will be attending as well.

Friday we have the meeting and she pulls out a two page list of everything I'm doing wrong. I didn't keep my shit together and cry. I told her I felt cornered that the meeting came out of nowhere and that I wasn't prepared with my list of issues either. They call off the meeting because I'm a total wreck.

Now I'm sitting here trying to figure out my next steps. The fact there was a written list and the Smaller Company HR folks were there really makes me think they are trying to make a case for me to be fired.

Obviously, there's more to the story, but that's the general jist of it.

Here's the questions:
-Am I being fired?
-The nut in me thinks this may be a complex plot to eliminate me from the company in a manner that would have the lowest liability for the Big Company. Am I crazy?
-How should I meet with HR/bosses? I would like to propose we work on our communicating styles together in one meeting, so that at the next meeting we can discuss the "issues" in an understanding and supportive manner. Is this out of line? I hate the idea of preparing a tit for tat list and worry about delivering something like this.
-I have a multiple high risk pregnancy that makes it likely I may have pre-term labor. I am very worried about the stress on the baby and it contributing to this. My boss's boss has voiced a concern that may stress may be negative for my pregnancy. Should I ask to see if HR would be willing to make temporary medical accommodations for the stress induced by new boss? Ideally, I'd like to report to my boss's boss, although I am open to other positions. I think it would reduce stress dramatically.

Background:
The Smaller Contracting Company has over 50 employees, although maybe less than 150. It's hard to tell the total number because they work with a number of companies in the area.

I was employed with Big Company for 4 years. Big Company has serious financial troubles. There have been several rounds of lay-offs in the last year. In the past the lay-offs got rid of poor performers.

I will call a lawyer on Monday, but the meeting is on Monday, so insight is greatly appreciated.

This is in Texas.