Job advice

[chpmnk1015]

So, how long has the department head been in the position? Is there some other spot in the company you can go to? I have been miserable in jobs because of a boss but when i was at my dream company doing what i loved/liked knowing there were opportunities internally... i stayed.. and always outlasted the boss or got moved to better...
If i was not miserable and everything else was great, i personally would wait...

[daisyduck]

Someone once told me that "you should run to a new job, not run away from a current job" so I always try to put things into that perspective. It sounds like you would be "running away" from your job so I would stay put, especially since it is your dream job for a dream company. Your boss and/or others in your Management chain will eventually change and then your concerns might go away.

[formerlyak]

I definitely get what you are saying. I had my dream job in a leadership role - Dean at a small university. But we had a leadership change and the new President was an ass and was sexually harassing me. When I brought it to HR, they brought it to the Board and I was told to get over it. To me, that was a reason to leave and I took a substantial paycut and left my leadership role to do so. But I was not going to stay in that situation.

I am now at a larger university in a job that I enjoy because I like my coworkers and staying adds to my state pension, but it's easy and boring and doesn't challenge me and I don't feel like leadership cares about my professional development (the unit leadership we had when I started did; we have a new leader). But, many jobs that seem interesting to me would require a big paycut. I am not willing to take another paycut at this point, so I figure I will hold out until the exact right thing comes up. I am doing work that makes a difference for a lot of students, so there is still personal reward in that respect. But, I am not intellectually challenged or stimulated at all.

I guess you have to ask yourself if the new role is good enough for that size paycut. Or if the current role is that bad that you need to take a paycut.

[dr.girlfriend]

I would see if there's something you can do to improve the situation in your current company before you consider leaving for something that seems a downgrade in pretty much every way. Any chance of managerial changes where you are, transfer to another area, mentorship within the company that could help promote your career development, etc? Is there a particular position you're striving for? That one example you provided certainly is irking and seems like your concerns were brushed off, but if this is mainly one person in the company not appreciating you my hope would be that you could find a way around.

[ssmjlm]

May 10, 2021 13:41:31 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

You’re all raising good points about Big Boss potentially leaving or getting promoted/moved to another team.

And I’m glad to hear that I’m not crazy for wanting to stay. Unfortunately, if I do stay, I’m stuck with him for the foreseeable future. He’s very high up and oversees multiple teams — and pretty much everything I’m qualified to do (and frankly, that I enjoy doing) flows through him in some way. I don’t get the sense he’s looking to leave any time soon — after all, why would he? He’s in the same boat as the rest of us.

Another example of something that irks me (that comes up a lot) is that he’ll recommend me for a high profile project but my role is along the lines of “mentor” or “coach.” Like, “we just hired this new person, can you help get her acclimated and introduce her to the right people?” And it’s the kind of thing that never gets recognized because there’s no way to say “well, if it weren’t for me, New Hire would have been a total disaster.”

Why not?  I would definitely be including this on any review or performance narrative and calling out key aspects.  Do you all do 360 reviews where the boss would get realistic feedback?  Or climate surveys?

I don't know if I'm confusing you with someone else, but I feel like you were also being groomed for a promotion a couple years ago and that got sidelined for quote "something better in the future," so I'm not sure if they are constantly pulling you along since they can't afford to loose you or not.

I would either see if you can have a honest conversation with someone high up that can be frank with this other boss or go on the interview.  I don't know if "comfortable" is worth not having leadership value your role.

[ssmjlm]

goldengirlz, it's easy for me to armchair quarterback, but I'm sort of in the same situation, so I've been really working with my boss (who is retiring) on how to quantify a lot of the work I do, because I'm not a "producer" in the same sense my peers are. So I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to show that I'm the "glue" of most of the office's rhythm basically.

I've found a sort of ally in my senior rater. She knows just how hard I work and is able to navigate dealing with her boss, who isn't my biggest fan and let's just say isn't the nicest to me in public and private. Which is why I'm wondering if maybe you could find the same type of person.

Like you, I do love my current role, I have good work/life balance, and I'm paid well. I keep joking with my boss that if I'm happy, the office is happy, and he knows that's key, but I am worried about his replacement after retirement.

[ellipses84]

I’ve been in your exact position. I loved what I was doing enough to wait and see how things played out over time, and it would have taken an amazing offer for me to even consider leaving. As much as I wanted a promotion, there were reasons in my personal life at that time I was ok with waiting and not having more stress and responsibility / less of the daily work that I loved (I was mid-level management). In my situation, the management of my department changed which made things worse, to the point of being toxic and even then it was hard to leave the good parts of the company. On the flip side, the change could have just as easily brought an amazing manager to lead my department which would have been awesome for my career growth. I think it’s always good to put parameters on big decisions like this. Like a timeline of 1 year to stay, keep casually looking for other options but only apply or interview if the position meets your top 5 requirements.

[ellipses84]

Don’t discount your experience with training and mentorship! There are so many companies looking for people with those skills, so include it on your resume, too!

[mokes]

Apologies if I missed it, but have you talked with your manager/department head (I was unclear if this is the same person or not) about your career goals and putting a plan together for how you could move up to the next step? You mentioned that you don't feel that he's as invested in your growth as others, but is that because others have secured his buy-in/help?