Help with Search
This is long so please bear with me and feel free to skip if you don;t want to hear my life story. I;I've been lurking on these boards for awhile and am trying to give enough info so good suggestions can be offered.
I need some help with my job search and would appreciate suggestions or tips. I am currently without a job, I was terminated without cause in July. The reason given was that it was not a good fit. Now, keep in mind that in my twenty years in the workforce I have never received a bad evaluation and have always been given more responsibilities in every job I've ever had. I have now had about a 10 interviews and 2 second interviews and no job offers yet so I was hoping I could get a little help. Here's a little background on my last position.
Back in January a co-worker told me about a job that was available in another dept (within the same University) that he thought I would be perfect for and would utilize my strengths and experience. It would be a promotion; both in pay and status. I had only been in my current position a year but I had just found out that there were no advancement opportunities. Unfortunately, this is why I took the job and I couldn't see myself in that job for 25 mind-numbingly boring years.
I interviewed for this new job in January and heard nothing of it until March. All of a sudden I was called and told I had the job if I wanted it. There were a few red flags but I ignored them and thought this was a good opportunity to be promoted to management-so I took it. The job was a nightmare from day 1. The boss was the classic toxic boss who used mobbing techniques to keep the dept divided and under his control and the entire department was terrified of him. I was given no personnel policy handbook, no information about deptmental policy and no org chart- no information whatsoever. During the interview I was told that the Manager wanted someone who could take the reigns and get the job done and that was what I tried to do. <p>
Of course I didn't know what a toxic environment this was going in and quickly found myself on his bad side by suggesting a recycling initiative. Yeah, I know sounds stupid but it was true-he was the classic micromanager and didn't want his Manager's to do anything unless it was suggested by him. He started going around telling the janitors that I was trying to make more work for them by making them separate recyclables when in actuality it would have made less work for them. Anyway, the next week I was called into his office and he suggested that I should tender my resignation. I had no idea what I did so I asked for further info. He said he didn't have to give me any additional info and said if I didn't tender my resignation he would terminate me effective the last day of the month. I called HR and found that he could not do this. When I told him the next day I would not resign and would file a grievance if he terminated me, he acknowledged that he misinterpreted policy and would not terminate me but instead give me another chance since I had a 6 month probationary period. He said he didn't think I was a good fit and that he was sure he could find something that would justify my termination at the end of the probationary period. Now, remember this is a guy who didn't bring any of this to my attention to address but simply fired me. I was stunned at the time. <p>
Well fast forward four horrible months, he said I made a minor mistake (that I didn't make) and gave me letter of termination. The official position is that it is a termination but not for cause-I was not a good fit for the position. I was looking for a job during that period but didn't get any interviews because who would want to interview someone who started a job in March and is applying for another job in May, June and July.
So, now as I mentioned I was separated in July and have had about 8 interviews, 2 seconds and no offers. I cannot stand not working and need to figure out what I am doing wrong.
I problem I have is the termination-it was not for performance but it is still termination. How do you deal with this?
Another problem is the "job-hopping" issue. In three years I had three jobs. The first I took a lower level job to gain entry into the University so that I could finish my Bachelor's degree. I was given more responsibility but University regulations prohibit merit raises and I was stuck with the pay I received when I started. My supervisor left and I did his job for 4 months and when a replacement was hired somehow I was left still doing 90% of her job. I started looking around for another job because I was three months from graduation. After a year and a half at this job I moved to a differed dept that assured there was low turnover and advancement opportunities. One I was hired in I found that this was not true, no staff had ever advanced from my position-it never happened and was never going to happen without a major reorg.I was excellent at my job and received more responsibilities but it was disheartening to know I would never be promoted. So, I stayed for one year and then moved to the job from H#ll. I thought this management job would make good use of my skills and my degree and would be a good opportunity to learn and grow but it turned into a nightmare. How do I convince someone I will not leave at the first opportunity despite a record of it on my job history?
Lastly, I am not getting interviews for management jobs but am getting interviews for jobs I am very overqualified for but I am very good at and obviously have experience with. I've tried to convince them that I would be an asset and not someone looking for the next opportunity but obviously haven't made my case yet. Any suggestions?
Thanks to those who had the persistence to reach the end, Tara
You are going to have some trouble with the job hopper issue. I think that you can say however, that you took these jobs while you were in school and now that you've graduated, you're ready to begin your career. And I think you should say that right in your cover letter. And you should say something in your cover letter about why THIS job IS the RIGHT career (not just any job).
So, something like:
As you can see from my resume, I was working for Acme University while attending school. Now that I have finished my Bachelors in Basket Weaving, I'm eager to begin building my career in the basket weaving industry. As a basket weaving industry leader, I am excited about the opportunity to be considered for an Assistant Basket Weaver position. (yada, yada, yada)...
I'm also wondering if you can combine the jobs? If I follow this correctly, you were still with the same employer (the University), so why not just combine them like this-
Acme University- 2004-2007
Assistant Worker Bee - the job you got fired from (duties here)
Pre-Assistant Worker Bee - the job you were bored in (duties here)
Entry-level get in the door and get educated job (duties here)
That shows more consistancy in employment, and it shows a progression of responsibilities. Then, when the termination comes up, you just need to say something like:
I was promoted into a new position and unfortunately, it was just not a good fit. My boss and I did not communicate well together. I've never had this experience before in all my years of working, however, I have learned a big lesson from it. I now know that I function much better in more of a team enviornment where my input, skills, education and experience are valued. That's why I think this will be such a perfect position because (bunch of stuff here about why you think THIS job and THIS company is the right fit)....
"Team enviornment" is code for "boss does not play nicely with others" without coming out and saying it. I do think from your description, that it probably very accurately reflects the specific issue with this last boss too. On your side of the fence however, I would suggest you think about your role in this. You're new in the management ranks. You may have been a little over-eager and perhaps made your suggestions too loudly or not to the right people or somehow otherwise exceeded your role and scope. With an insecure boss, that can send you down the drain quickly. When you first start a new job, spend a couple months getting the lay of the land before you start offering up a lot of input. Every company is different so it takes a while to get the hang of how things go there.
For example, I used to work for a company where my boss and her boss got LIVID when I responded to an email that was sent TO ME (and copied to them) by one of the Executives. My boss and her boss were out of town, it was sent to me, I responded, and never thought twice about it. They were besides themselves to think that I DARED to have some communication with one of these big guys (no matter that I was a manager and that's what I was hired to do). In my current job, same scope, different company, I talk to the Big Wigs every day, no big deal at all. As a matter of fact, this week I'm running a meeting for the muckety mucks while my boss is on vacation. Doesn't bother her a bit.
Finally, you need to target the right types of jobs. What is your degree in? What do you want to be doing? Don't just look for "any" job, look for something that builds your career path. I'd go back to the career center at your university for some counseling. They can help with your resume, suggest careers you may not have considered, do testing on your skills, abilities and interests, etc.
Hope this helps a bit!
Tess
Well, I made it to the end, but I will admit, I scanned over a few parts which caused me some confusion so I actually had to re-read it.
Both times, I came to the same conclusion, your explanation of why you have held three jobs in three years needs to be made clear in your cover letter. So, to that end, here is the start of a potential CL:
Dear Hiring Manager:
I recently read your advertisement for the position of Box Cutting Manager in the (local newspaper) and after reading the job description and requirements feel that I have the qualifications to be a viable candidate.
I have over 20 years of working experience in which I have received progressively more responsibility. At the time I made the decision to return to college to complete my Bachelors Degree, I resigned my position at (name of company) to work as a (title or position) at the University where I was continuing my education. When my classes concluded, I took a position to re-start my career and then after a year moved into a promotional opportunity which ended in July as the office did not fit my personality."
Blah, Blah Blah...which means highlight your skills and what qualifies you to be a manager at the company which you are applying.
You have a valid reason for taking a job that was lower in pay, responsibility and all of that other garbage and you have a valid reason for switching positions to one that was to lead to more responsibility et al. But you have to bring this out and put it in a positive light.
At the interview don't mention a conflict with your boss. Don't mention that you boss micro managed. Don't mention that the boss threatened to terminate you but when you called him on it, he backed down.
Contact the HR to determine what they will say when they are contacted by a company on a reference check. When asked by the interviewer if he/she can contact your old boss, explain that University policy dictates they need to contact HR as the supervisors are not allowed to give out this information. (I don't know if this is true or not in your case, but some companies are like that).
You have only been searching for a job since July which is nothing compared to some on here. Post your cover letter on the cover letter board and your resume on the resume board (minus all identifying information) and you will get some feedback.
Tess, Thanks for the feedback, it really is very helpful. I have to admit that I did consider structuring my resume so that that the main Employer is "Acme University" and that the three jobs show progressive responsibilities. I think what you outlined makes a lot of sense and will work toward addressing the issue.
My main concern is that I am terrified of waiting for the right opportunity. I have read these boards and have heard of people being unemployed for upwards of a year. I do have unemployment which should kick in the next few weeks but I am afraid that the longer I am out of the job the more unemployable or undesirable I will become. I have an interview tomorrow that would essentially be a job similar in scope and pay to the first job I had at the University. I am trying to justify taking the two steps back though telling myself that it would be better than nothing, but would it?
Do you think it would kill my chances for any further advancement in the distant future if I took the step backwards and took a job that is similar to the first job I held at the University? (and by entry-level, I mean this is entry-level for me-it is not bottom of the heap but a pay grade below top tier pay for support staff. It is still a good wage around here but it is support work and not administrative or management) I mean, let's face it I went back to school in my late thirties and am now forty and feel like I am starting over again. I went back to school because I felt I had the skills and experience but not the degree to back it up. Now I have the degree but am finding it hard to get the interviews for the administrative/management jobs.
Tara
I am not as concerned with a reference check for this last department because another Manager, one that I worked with closely and trained with, has agreed to by my reference.
My standard response when asked why I left my last position was that it was not a good fit for me and that I prefer to work in a more team-oriented environment.
I guess my biggest concern is that I am getting interviews for support jobs but I am not getting offers. It can't be the references because my references have been checked and are excellent-all are former supervisors. I just don't get it and the only conclusion I can come up with is perhaps they feel I am overqualified and will take the position until a better one comes along. I guess I must not be convincing them otherwise.
Tara
Generally speaking, I'm a big fan of any job is better than no job, but in your case, if you can hold out another month or two, it might be better to see if you can get an entry-level MANAGEMENT job. It is hard to jump that hurdle and right now you're positioned well to do it. If you need income in the meantime, I'd look at temp jobs so that you don't lock yourself into something below your rightful level.
Tess
Thank you Tess, this is really my instinct too but I am terrified of passing up a job. I would really like to stay in management if I possibly can. I have 6 months of unemployment so I am going to try to wait it out a few months to see if I can find something in management. As a matter of fact, I did just get a call this evening to interview for an account manager job on Friday that is very similar to my last job. This does make me feel a bit better. Now I need to go scour the interview tips board to help increase my chances.
Thanks for the advice, I think it is sound advice and I really am appreciative of it.
Tara