TheBanyanTree: New Job

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Good things come to all who wait and finally a good thing happened to me.
I've been looking for another job for at least six years since my area was
bought out by another company.  I knew that I would be working with
hysterical menopausal women and my working environment would be intolerable.
And it is.  We call it toxic.

We gave this company almost 500 clients and over the last six years they
have trashed through that group and we're down to around 75 clients.  The
company would never admit it, but its toxicity reaches out and poisons its
sales and retention of current customers.  They keep reorganizing at the top
and the waste flows to the bottom and they release the bottom feeders and
keep adding to their management staff.  The company is so top heavy, it can
barely make a decision on what kind of pencils to order.

At first, I wanted to get out of my field, and I sent out resumes to try to
change direction.  That was dumb, because I wanted to keep the same pay, but
I didn't have the experience to back it up.  Of course, I got no offers and
I felt frustrated.  I quit looking for a while when I found a job I really
loved, but it would only pay $10 an hour.  I couldn't live on that.  Money
is important to me.

Meanwhile, back in the land of the loonies, we had a shift in our working
units.  My new coworkers, including my manager are alcoholics.  And I'm not
exaggerating.  They think nothing of going out for two to three hour liquid
lunches and slamming down a few drinks.  Then they DRIVE back to work, are
quiet as mice, because they don't want anyone to know that they've been
drinking, and wait for happy hour so they keep pouring the alcohol down
their throats.  Needless to say, they're moody, can't make it to work on
time, leave early, lie about really dumb things, and are barflies with
cigarettes dangling from their fingers and drinks clutched in their hands.
It's sad, sad, sad for them and for anyone who works with them, like me.  No
one in my work unit ever put in a 40 hour week.  No wonder we were losing
clients!

So I started sending out resumes again.  This time, I watched for jobs more
closely related to my own.  I was willing to take somewhat of a pay cut, but
not a lot, because I still had a job.  What's the point of taking a HUGE pay
cut when I was making decent money?  I wasn't laid off or desperate.  Even
though I hated my job, I realized I was in a position of strength.

A company saw my resume on monster.com and called me at the end of July.
They called ME!!!!  I had three interviews and didn't hear anything.  I
called the HR guy I was working with and he told me to wait a month and call
back.  OK, I thought, this is the brush-off.  At least, I had a job, but I
was really disappointed.  I thought I was in alcoholic prison forever.

But I did call them back a month later.  In fact, it was weird, because the
HR guy said he was just going to call me and set up an interview for me the
next week.  The interview was to go over my job duties.  Did this mean I had
the job?
I was afraid to ask.

I put on my new summer suit for the fourth time and met with the second in
command.  He apologized for the mix-up, but he said they wanted to be sure
exactly what my duties would be before they offered me the position.  We
talked for about an hour and he then offered me the job.  The company didn’t
brush me off, they were actually straight with me, and I was amazed to be
treated with respect.  I accepted their offer without knowing the salary,
because it didn’t matter at this point, because this job is a perfect fit
for me.  I shook his hand and my life changed in that moment.

The HR guy called me later and offered me a bit more money than I make now.
We decided on a start date, October 18.  I wrote out my resignation and laid
it on my alcoholic boss’ desk.  Oh, it was a moment of indescribable joy!

It’s like the last puzzle piece fit into place and my life is complete.  My
quest for the ultimate job is over.  We can get our house ready to sell next
spring and buy ourselves a small, one floor rambler somewhere in this area.

Yes, good things happen to all those who wait.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
Be a star!

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

You wouldn't believe
On All Hallow Eve
What lots of fun we can make,
With apples to bob,
And nuts on the hob,
And a ring-and-thimble cake.
~Carolyn Wells