Folks welcome back to another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast as always I’m your host Alex and join me for the next half hour you’ve got me you can ask questions obviously not live right but the questions I give you you can ask yourself of those around you right you’re not
Just asking how you can make corporate better you’re asking how Corporate can be better and in that way you move like a corporate Cowboy you get a better reputation as a professional and ultimately you Attain you attain or you align yourself with becoming the consummate professional right that’s one of the many overarching
Themes of this podcast if you didn’t know it is cathartic as much as it is educating now today’s proof of life it’s Monday March 6 2023 right and I usually typically I pull questions off of Reddit right and we are in our slash career guidance today
The question that came up on the feed today was flared for advice it’s asking for advice it’s flagged it’s wanting some input right so of course individuals who aren’t paying uh or reaching out to us can write these questions out though typically they tend to be limited in the
Amount of detailed in context as career Consultants what we like to do is have the clients in front of us on a one-to-one where we can interview them and we can converse with them and ask follow-up questions if necessary in order to get as much detail and circumstantial information
Surrounding their situation so we can offer a better informed opinion an approach a strategy a plan even for how to move up in corporate ideally the group that you associate with your Social Circle is one of those that you can bounce ideas off of that you can actually get down to the
Nitty-gritty of the inner workings of corporate and talk about career moves on how to get up how to get ahead how to how to move through and navigate the corporate ladder right so you want socio-economic Mobility you [ __ ] better do it moving right short simple plain and simple
All right so this question is asking today I wasn’t I wasn’t looking for a job but they are throwing money at me what should I be considering oh I like these type of questions they’re more open-ended right they’re not just asking oh should I take this job question mark
They’re offering me more money should I take this job like obviously the answer is going to predominantly be yes but as always there are considerations to take account of right in this case they’re asking somewhat the uh is it the inverse no the contra positive to it
Where they’re not looking for a job right but they’re being head hunted they’re being recruited away and they’re wondering what they should be considering before they make any decision to jump ship before they make any decision to not necessarily stab somebody in the back right but to leave the team they are with
So they can enjoy greener pastures more money right a better quality of life if I may the body on this one looks a little short but I will read it for you and if necessary I will break it down as I read through it now this is one of those
Where I wouldn’t I would much rather like to have the hypothetical client in front of us so that we can ask follow-up questions but because I’m good at what I do we are Stand Up Guys with Criminal Minds right I could come up with certain inferences reasonable inferences as to what our hypothetical
Clients are alluding to as far as the specifics to the career moves they are contemplating and in that way well I can provide you with questions if they are not questions you can answer now they’re questions you can think about and let marinate in your head so that
You can go back and ask yourself ask those recruiters ask your prospective employer ask the manuals in your workplace as you read through them whether or not this position this work environment is right for you whether you should consider moving like a corporate Cowboy would so they’re saying I’m working for this company
I gave them a verbal commitment of staying at the company for the next four years I gave them a verbal commitment I get hold on I’m working for this company I gave them a verbal commitment so they just said yeah I’ll stay who the who the [ __ ] does hold on
All right see so we don’t know what level they are at right are they somebody entry level are they some kind of associate some kind of partner maybe a high level executive but you see the higher up we go in terms of rank the more this sounds like
[ __ ] because nobody nobody makes a verbal commitment for staying on a company that isn’t then backed up by a written agreement some type of written contract something you could sink your [ __ ] teeth into and what I mean by that is actual paper with ink on it that lays out the terms
For your employment that binds you to stay on for four years right this would necessarily bind you to stay on for four years and might give you some Escape Clauses right some some safety hatches some uh some some way to vent any pressures that might build up maybe
You could leave for cause right or maybe the agreement could be terminated by them firing you for cause because once you’re in you’re in and you’re bound for four years you agree to it but verbally I mean verbally I don’t think that would hold up I mean in today’s day and age where
Everybody is entry level forever and it’s fire at will whether you’re contracted or not whether you’re contractually engaged or not it’s necessarily fire at World they can come up with any reason any justifiable reason that qualifies as for cause and Trigger the termination of your employment right so
This person has it easy our hypothetical clients has it easy they only gave them a verbal commitment of staying at the company for the next four years who who did you who did you verbally Commit This to was it your manager was it your supervisor was it your co-worker right
See notice how I’m going down in rank now was it your parents are you living at home yeah Mom and Dad I’ll stay here for four years I guess you don’t have to stay there you don’t have to stay anywhere for four years you’re a professional act like it right
And now in this case as a corporate Cowboy as your hypothetical career consultant you ought to be looking at what you agreed to what you signed on for oh you didn’t sign you you didn’t sign for anything you just spoke this agreement into existence nah that [ __ ] sounds very tentative very
Shaky it would not hold up in any dispute if it became legal or not so you having promised not even promised it doesn’t sound like you made any promises or there was an exchange of uh I guess I forget I guess if we are getting legal there wasn’t really an
Exchange of consideration right that binds you to this agreement otherwise I feel like that would have stuck out in your mind as as a way of enforcing this commitment you just made a verbal commitment and it sounds like a uh a promise to agree or a gratuitous promise as they call it
Those are terms of art I guess but they’re saying here they’ve been there 1.5 years so what that’s 1.5 years off of their quote unquote four-year contract over their four-year uh agreement off of their four-year commitment their their oral commitment verbal commitment see notice how they’re even uh
Uh being elusive as to using those terms of agreement and contract because there wasn’t [ __ ] that was signed it’s it’s as if they are answering their own question what should they be considering consider this like [ __ ] Bill Nye consider consider the following [ __ ] is there a contract did you read it
Did you negotiate it and did you sign if you did none of those steps if all you did was tell somebody you speak it into the universe yes I’ll stay I’ll stay on for four years or I’ll probably stay on for four years or you could expect me to stay off before right
That’s not enforceable if you didn’t sign anything on behalf of yourself binding yourself to this to this to this company the company has no reason to keep you for four years you might be stable you might enjoy your work you might appreciate the work environment you [ __ ] up one day
You [ __ ] up one day or you’re late I don’t know you’re late to work five minutes working for me I fire your ass right because I’m just I’m just that’s just hyperbole right but I [ __ ] fire ass for being five seconds late because we didn’t have any written
Agreements who the [ __ ] are you right you become you go from being my employee to a nobody in a Split Second because we had no agreement your verbal commitment your verbal commitment means [ __ ] to me at the end of the day and as far as
You know and as far as I care it’s fire at will you’re an at-will employee so you want to be professional learn to move with contracts now that doesn’t mean that you’re going to work to the letter or be a piece of [ __ ] and not put forth your best effort
Right because there are those that they work to the rule and nothing more when in reality I mean that’s I guess that is a form of Communism and there might be a communist Paradise but if you lose the ability to represent yourself if you lose the ability to negotiate you [ __ ] yourself
It’s not that it’s a representative democracy a [ __ ] Union and somebody does the negotiating and the bargaining for you right when you know you could do better you are better and when you know you are better you can be better right but that conviction comes from within it’s not somebody telling you you
Deserve more you deserve to be paid more the minimum wage deserves to go up you that makes no sense the minimum wage doesn’t deserve [ __ ] you deserve what you negotiate for the minimum wage needs to go the minimum wage doesn’t need anything the minimum wage is something subjective you can’t
Even hold the minimum wage you can hold yourself you deserve more you need more but by having that need you need to work for it don’t get it twisted don’t don’t get don’t get twisted by these idealists arguments that capitalism is out to get you nah baby you’re out to get capitalism
But it’s it’s too easy it’s too easy to play the victim it’s too easy to put that victim uh hood on that victim jacket right it’s too easy [ __ ] don’t want to work but I’d digress you obviously the this hypothetical client our hypothetical client is not in this position is not in
This situation they are working now and they’re asking what considerations they should keep in mind when they are addressing when they are navigating these these recruiters right so they say in the last six months I’ve had five recruiters invite me to different roles and I immediately said no to all what the [ __ ]
Why why are you saying no to offers why are you saying no to interviews you should always be interviewing always be interviewing unless you’re bound on a project right and really cannot carve out any time to keep your resume polished and interviewing if you’re making Bookoo bucks and living comfortably
Maybe maybe I might let Slide the fact you’re not actively interviewing but you should always be interviewing again we don’t know how old our hypothetical clients is we don’t know their background we don’t know what their experience is in terms of Education or professional right they’re asking for our device it’s best
My opinion it’s best that we treat this person as as a novice as a newbie there’s nothing wrong with that you learn through trial by fire you learn through trial and error sometimes newbies are smart enough to reach out they need a consultant they reach out to us or they pitch it
To the internet like Reddit right if you’re in a position like this and you want to invest in yourself invest in your professional development as far as corporate is concerned and how you relate to it you want to work with corporate you want to elevate yourself
In terms of status in terms of Leverage to work with corporate and not just work for it you don’t want to work for somebody you want to work with professionals and Executives at third level you need to move like a corporate cowboy and you can find us on Instagram
I’ll go ahead and just do the plug now our handle is at corporate Cowboys with a z there’s a ton of links there in the bio where you could find us how you could send donations if you are so inclined keep this operation not for profit this podcast at least
Any monies that come in go to business expenses and legal fees office supplies stationary guns and ammo that sort of thing [Laughter] we’re on Rumble we’re on YouTube anywhere podcasts are distributed so continuing on this on this body here sorry I got sidetracked it says I’ve had five recruiters invite me to
Different roles and I immediately said no to all of them well you’re [ __ ] it’s all right it happens you’re new you’re slow that’s what [ __ ] means you are slowed a little bit it’s time it’s time you learned it’s time you recapacitated and recalibrated and move like you’re the threat but the last one
They say didn’t take no foreign answer and is selling me on the growth opportunity and money right so they’ve been saying no to them all but this last one that’s got to be a sign right you’re in a spot you somehow committed to staying on for four years
What are you in like the People’s Army where they don’t do contracts they just oh [ __ ] word is bond over here right where does Bond on the streets Incorporated something different unless you’re in some type of business that that we just aren’t privy to because you’re a hypothetical client but if I
Had you in front of me obviously we want to know what industry you’re in we’d want to know what distance what length you’ve agreed to stay on right whether or not you have clearances whether or not you have privileges whether you’re not whether or not you’ve you’ve agreed actually have agreed to certain
Expectations of yourself in the company between one another I mean that all matters if it gets down to the nitty-gritty of having to go to court or having to hold Court somewhere yeah I’m talking the streets I’m talking the streets but otherwise this is a sign divine intervention The
Universe telling you that recruiters want you money wants business wants you and you’re over here not taking care of it that’s an issue and this last one is persistent they won’t take no for an answer so they’re selling them on the growth opportunity and the money right which
Ideally is what any professional wants it’s what any aspiring professional wants in their career why because it sounds unending it sounds like it’s never ending opportunity growth and money growth opportunity and money now they say the jump in pay is 40 bro fam [ __ ] 40 more
I would have been gone I would have I would have been gone at 20 probably right this oral Commitment if you if you can’t go back to your to your employer and let them know that you have a significantly better offer coming at you and that if they don’t match it you’re
[ __ ] out the door what’s the worst that could happen you think this isn’t a bridge that’s worth burning you’re making and it’s a parent because the market is necessarily coming at you and not taking no for an answer you know you’re getting paid [ __ ] right now when
You could be making at least 40 percent more that’s almost half bro that’s almost half that’s all right okay not gonna get flustered right and they say they write should I consider this I know I come off as very emphatic very um what is it not emotional Lively passionate
In this podcast but that’s because I [ __ ] care I care about your professional development any one of my clients hypothetical or not I actually care right now disclaimer any opinions that are conveyed across this social media across this podcast and any one of the any one of the episodes they should not
Be construed as legal advice corporate Cowboys nor myself we do not condone wrongful activity we don’t promote wrongdoing of any kind right if at any point it comes across that way it’s satire we’ll call it satire or hyperbole right now they’re saying should I consider this
It says there are risks oh so they know there are risks to any new opportunity well that’s a no-brainer that’s obvious I can stay at my current role they say indefinitely but unlikely I’ll see a raise for five years goodness gracious so they could get a 40 bump right now
From a recruiter who wants them bad and over here I’m I’m making the inference that the market is hot for whatever this person is doing I again we don’t know what industry they’re in we don’t know exactly what kind of background they got what their experience is like what their acumen
Looks like and and why it Stacks up in this manner that they’re having recruiters hunting them down they’ve had five in the past six months six months five different recruiters now it’s it’s important that they realize that head hunting is a normal practice right and even if it were a normal practice
Even if this form of poaching and recruiting were a normal thing in the industry they’ve got to recognize that they have unrealized value given that the offer at least their most recent is 40 percent more than what they make right that would motivate me that would get me heated
To at least bring it up to management regardless of how long I’ve been there for right they’re worried about a four-year verbal commitment if they don’t have it in writing it ain’t worth [ __ ] obviously has to be written right too but that’s higher level technical thinking higher level legal thinking
But if it’s not a writing first and foremost it’s obvious the company was just writing the opportunity that you gave them to keep you on for four years and not at all take into account the prospects to develop you professionally I mean I would feel a little offended I would feel
A little more than just insulted but again we don’t know how young or how ignorant this person is and so it might be Blissful at first ignorance is bliss we get it but just because you’re dumb now or just because you don’t or you didn’t know
That you do know I mean you necessarily have the duty to be better because you can be better because you can be better you need to be better right they say there are risks to any new opportunity that’s a no-brainer you got a [ __ ] huge risk right now for the
Company you work for you don’t have a written agreement they could fire you tomorrow let you go you can stay at your current role indefinitely says who you not even you only agreed you only agreed to stay on four years at the end of four
Years what if you want you what if you want to stay on indefinitely and the company’s like nah we just wanted you at four years apparently below market rate apparently forty percent below market rate now we’re done with you we’ll get somebody else it’s cold man
But it’s a cold world that we live in again we don’t know what kind of relations this hypothetical client keeps with their employer with the company with their co-workers we don’t know how integrated they are as far as the work duties they take on and the qualifications required for them
But apparently they are are qualified for a 40 raise somewhere else now this is where I give the caveat that instability that risk that they bring up to New Opportunities even though it exists where you work now they are still valid risks that you want to assess beforehand which is why you
Should have taken the interview at least find out what it is you would be getting yourself into before you sign don’t don’t give them any verbal commitments or you’ll [ __ ] [ __ ] yourself [Laughter] it’ll [ __ ] your pants and won’t know how to get out of it nah learn the conditions under which you
Will be working right because you would voluntarily be choosing to submit yourself to this employer and work for them in the capacity of a professional in a professional capacity why am I speaking like that thy will be working for this I’m kidding because you’ll be working for them professionally
You want to know what you’re getting into professionally you want to learn the rules to then later break them righteously though right I mean you make 40 more starting don’t you want to make fifty percent more six months from then don’t you want to make fifty percent again another year later
Find exactly what it is they are looking for and how you can compliment them that’s how you leverage yourself professionally that’s how you work with them and not for them but again that requires higher level thinking strategizing planning and we can help you do that reach out to us
Corporate Cowboys with a Z on Instagram you get email lists DM us write to us snail mail if you want obviously give us a little time to respond but you want to take that into account when you write the [ __ ] letter don’t be like Alex I need help I got an interview
Tomorrow [ __ ] right to us it’s P.O box 3372 Rancho Cordova California 95741 foreign I know I’m going a little over now but let me read uh uh the first comment the first the first comment here might as well if it’s a good job slash company they
Write take it do not pass up an opportunity for a 40 pay increase based on a commitment you’ve been told you aren’t responsible for upholding hold on you’ve uh you’ve been told you aren’t responsible for upholding what it’s strictly business that’s how your company operates and so should you if
You’d like you can offer to stay if they can match the increase that gives them a fair chance to keep you uh I would go with that last paragraph of giving them the opportunity to match your pay or the prospective pay give them a shot at matching the increase and or provide additional
Opportunities for your professional developments because you are looking out for yourself here after all you want to be paid and you want to be made right but you need to have an active hand in that you need to play an active part in that otherwise you can expect to get played
As far as that first paragraph they say uh don’t pass up the opportunity for a 40 pay increase based on a commitment you’ve been told you aren’t responsible for upholding I that gives me some pause because you I mean we don’t know the extent to this commitment maybe they did
Promise something maybe they did sign something and they they don’t recall having signed it right but a verbal commitment or just laying out expectations if somebody asks you just in passing where do you see yourself in five years and you’re like here I’ll be here for five years that means [ __ ]
You can leave tomorrow if you wanted corporate for the most part is at will you leave whenever you don’t even need to give a reason obviously you want to move professionally give a little better notice be a little not transparent but be a little tactful use logic intact to your advantage Because being a professional it’s being a professional at all fronts the way you keep a network still the same way you make a network you have to be active you have to be productive so don’t go burning this bridge just yet and I said that earlier on don’t go burning this bridge
Just yet you want to find out you want to ask yourself questions just like you want to ask the company you currently work for questions and just like you want to be asking the company who’s recruiting you those questions go ahead take the interview nobody’s gonna kill you for it not yet
At least you gotta consider the options you got opportunities available to you you haven’t bound Yourself by saying You’d Stay circumstances change every day unless they got into writing unless you’ve made a negotiated agreement that you know you’re bound by I mean only then word is bond beyond that anything verbal that’s just
Coming off the strength of business if you want to stick around for four years you still got to get paid why wouldn’t you let them know that people are out for you people are coming for your head you got a price tag on your head let your company pay it
Take care on the next one
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