Welcome back to another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast I’m your host Alex today’s proof of life is December 14 to Wednesday 2022. now uh I think today’s question should be a kind of easy one this goes more Falls along the lines of um resume presentation how to how to professionally present
Yourself how to represent yourself professionally how to present yourself as a professional you see how I said that in so many different ways and it’s the same [ __ ] thing I’m not I’m not saying anything that should blow your mind completely but some of these questions some of these questions that we come across
Just simple answers and have answers that one might not have otherwise thought of as having been so simple right now this one comes from r slash career guidance and um it’s asking it’s asking what do I say for reason of looking for a new job after only two months
What what the [ __ ] why why okay why would you tell your employer you’re looking for work like why would you tell your current employer you’re looking to leave right unless you are that close to one another and you’ve exhausted every opportunity to develop professionally to develop your career
That you are necessarily outgrowing the company and your manager sees this and is actually supportive of you spreading your wings and [ __ ] leaving the nest quote unquote right but in every other regard I don’t see the need for telling your manager your next move you never let them know your next move
Right you remain a professional you keep it professional and if you do it professionally enough as professional as possible it’s not likely that you’ll burn a bridge if anything you can get a recommendation letter it’s possible but it’s how you maneuver yourself as a professional that dictates whether or not folks view you
In that light all right so the body to this one says here a little back story I just started a job two months ago and it is incredibly stressful I’ve lost 15 pounds since October 3rd and I’m not someone who needs to lose weight all right so what is this person taking
Amphetamines or methamphetamines come on you come on come on come on you’re not eating it’s causing you that much stress that you’re not eating at all the next sentence is literally I don’t eat I’m extremely nauseous all of the time due to the stress my boss micro manages every single thing
Listens and corrects everything but at the same time the business is in complete chaos I am the manager of the business but the dynamic is off kilter that means it’s just off balance that there is not a good dynamic today I had a phone interview today
They used they used today twice there so today I had a phone interview today for another job how do I professionally and respectfully say this job is too much they go question mark exclamation point this job is too much I was thinking the environment is unprofessional and hostile because it is
Every day is like walking on eggshells me personally I probably wouldn’t go that route uh outing your current place of employment as not being professional to your standards you’ve got to recognize the position that you are in you are still an employee so you didn’t hire yourself if anything
You applied you interviewed for the position so claiming that it’s unprofessional and hostile would probably put you in hot water and not in the best Graces for your current employer on top of that what are you doing even telling your employer the reason you are leaving just [ __ ] leave if you’ve been there
After if you’ve been there to start the job two months ago if you’ve been there two months they’re not gonna [ __ ] remember you next week [Laughter] right unless unless you are absolutely phenomenal and memorable worthwhile for them to be creating memories for to have around long term
To keep you in memory right no no not at all they probably couldn’t care less If that’s what the environment is like if that’s what your manager is doing micromanaging every little thing that’s probably how they like it that or they’ve they’ve spread themselves thin trying to manage everything that goes on while the company is in you say complete chaos don’t sweat it don’t stress it
I don’t know how old you are you see I would be asking if I had you in a one to one I would be asking these questions how old you are what industry you’re working in your experience working in a support role your experience working with managers having report having to report directly
To others foreign that’s not to say that I don’t believe your manager is micromanaging every manager micromanages to an extent now the more that micromanaging begins to encumber productivity that’s when it becomes a burden that that’s when it becomes burdensome but every manager micromanages to a degree and I’m going
To say to a small degree some a very small degree and some a very large degree and overbearing degree right they’re just up the rest inhaling the same breath of air that you are [Laughter] and sometimes they let you go about your own business and check in every now and then
Maybe provide a comment maybe provide some direction every now and then if they feel that you need it sometimes they come in at opportune time sometimes not so opportune times either way they’re managers you must learn to work with them because what they’re doing is managing the business it’s managing the project
Now you’re supposed to be the manager of the business it says but the dynamic is way off meaning that maybe the business owner is coming in and telling you how to do your job and that could be your fault for not knowing how to communicate with this boss
Is there nobody that reports to you as the manager who can let you know a little bit about what the history of this company is like and what the boss is like whether the boss is on everybody’s ass micromanaging all of their work you may not know how to communicate with
The owner as a manager you might think that your manager flows that your management skill flows only downhill when in fact it doesn’t you have to service both sides you service down and you service up as a manager as a manager you’re no longer like a technical engineer where
All you do is plug numbers and run calculation no you are a manager that means you necessarily move from the operation side to the service side to a degree to a large degree actually you’re not you’re not so much straddling operations and service you are doing a lot more service than you are
Technical operation in theory you’re supposed to so if you can’t if you can’t communicate this to you the owner who would be your supervisor if you can’t communicate this to them to keep them off your back then they must think you’re not doing your job correctly you might have to train yourself you
Might have to go out and seek additional knowledge seek additional training to learn how to speak and communicate interact with this person who is in a position of power that they believe deserves that they believe merits their unwarranted participation their involvement me personally I wouldn’t I wouldn’t stress so much about getting
The job done as much as managing your supervisor because if what you want to do is get them off your back not have them micromanaging your every move then you ought to learn more about your manager in relation to what they learn more about your supervisor more about
The owner in relation to what it is they do in the company but I mean if that’s all they do coming back to giving you the benefit of the doubt if that’s all they do is just micromanage then it could just be that they don’t know what the [ __ ] they’re doing
And because they are the owner they believe they’re in the right to be up everybody’s ass playing what is it the fiddle while their company burns down in complete chaos like you claim it to be but you you’re supposed to be the manager it says I am it says you’re I’m
Quoting I am the manager of the business but the dynamic is off kilter okay well is it off kilter enough for you to have to do something about it for you to want to do something about it have you done anything about it have you addressed it with the owner
With your supervisor it might not even be the owner you might be a middle manager or they might be a middle manager have you addressed it with this person who’s micromanaging you and if you haven’t you’re [ __ ] up you’re off kilter your skills are off-kilter so what you’re going to do is
Leave this company two months into it you necessarily haven’t even been trained on anything probation likely hasn’t ended most probation tends to be what three months three months probation if you’re at a that depends on the compensation and and the technical requirements yeah but it tends to be three months so you
Haven’t even cleared probation necessarily and you’re just gonna jump ship because you don’t know how to manage your supervisor [Laughter] I’m not I’m not laughing at you I’m laughing at your ineptitude which can be fixed it can be remedied but it needs it needs active measures on
Your part it needs you to take the initiative to want to learn how to manage to learn how to manage and to be able to manage effectively a manager a supervisor who’s difficult a supervisor who’s micromanaging you when they shouldn’t be I mean maybe they should be we don’t know we don’t know
This context this is this is all the body that we’ve been given just says your everyday is like walking on eggshells dog you are the business manager how how is it walking on eggshells for you but I guess you’ve you’ve allowed you’ve you’ve allowed this situation to exist to come into existence to
Develop in a span of two months so really from day one they were just up your ass and you didn’t say anything about it really again these are questions that I would ask on a one-to-one if you are interested in something personalized if you know somebody you have an associate who’s
Stuck in corporate who wants to enter corporate maybe you want to enter corporate or you want to approach corporate from a different angle like a corporate cowboy reach out to us you can DM us you can shoot us some email a direct message even on Instagram you can find us it’s at
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Rancho Cordova California 95741 you know we enjoy receiving your piece mail items but there are multiple approaches to your problem the first is going to be through yourself find what it is you’re [ __ ] up on you don’t mention a whole lot of interaction happening between you and your supervisor other than your supervisor
Acting as a ventriloquist and puppeting you puppeteering you that’s funny but sometimes I have to create these uh these metaphors in my mind so that I remain engaged and not just a bag on you for not having good social skills to handle your supervisor that’s what it requires sometimes this at times a
Supervisor will be walking all over you because they believe you can’t do the job that you’re incapable of doing the job the supervisor probably goes to work every day and and the supervisor could go to work every day believing the opposite that you do they don’t necessarily have to walk on
Eggshells but they have to do your work every day because you can’t do it asking themselves why the [ __ ] did I even hire this person they can’t do their job right I have to do every little thing for them and there’s the micromanagement but if you’re not communicating with your supervisor
Letting them know that you can handle business and to stay the [ __ ] off your turf to handle business from the front door out right as the owner what they’re supposed to be doing is driving business to you or networking to grow the business to expand it to
Scale it to something bigger and better that’s that they have you to manage the business inside if you can’t find a way to communicate that professionally if you need help if you need assistance if you would like an opinion then career Consulting is for you corporate Consulting is for you
And we can do that for you let me read a couple of these comments here because I’m I would venture to guess that’s gonna be along the lines of um I mean most most of these episodes they tend to be aligned with with uh what I
Bring I know I bring a much more nuanced a much more differentiated angle in that corporate is the end-all be-all it’s corporate War so we have to conduct ourselves as corporate Cowboys consummate professionals but there’s going to be the odd comments every now and then of like well
You know think think of you think of the emotional side think of I don’t know think of their family or something again I’ve got nothing against people who make their beds and sleep in them But if you choose to settle if you choose to settle in a position for the sake of stability for the sake of security the illusion don’t be alarmed don’t don’t be uh don’t be surprised when you get leapfrogged when you get walked over when you get passed up
The first comment here says say it nicely without trash talking never trash talk your ex-employer in an interview but you can say in quotes it wasn’t working out for me professionally or in quotes once I got in I saw that it wouldn’t afford me the career op the career development opportunities I was
Looking for and then switch it back to the new job you’re interviewing for which is why in quotes which is why I think the new company here the insert new company name could be a good fit for me yeah um I mean you’ve been there less than
Two months I don’t know whether you have to include it on your resume or even talk about it in your interview you’ve been there for less than two months it’s not even a blip on anybody’s radar I I mean I suggested because I may have misunderstood the
Body when it says uh here today I have a phone interview today today I have a phone interview today for another job yeah okay maybe because they’ve misroad it but it says here today I have a phone interview today for another job how do I professionally and respectfully say this
Job is too much I misunderstood right in that I thought that you were going to tell your supervisor that the job was too much that the job is unprofessional and that the job is hostile that’s [ __ ] but it’s worse I come to learn that it’s worse you plan on telling them in the
Interview that your job is [ __ ] that you get micro-managed that you can’t manage your own supervisor that you cannot communicate with them you plan on telling them this [ __ ] no no don’t you will be shooting yourself in the foot and then cutting your leg off at the knee don’t don’t [ __ ] do that
Don’t don’t I implore you not to I wouldn’t even bring it up an interview just interview for the job like you would normally interview for the job like you interviewed for this for this position that you can’t fulfill now [Laughter] what’s the worst that could happen
Why why would you bring up the fact that you add a company now when we don’t know again we don’t have the context and these are questions I would ask we don’t have the context what the company is what kind of reputation they hold on their industry uh how how
High up like exactly what position in the organizational hierarchy you are even right because you claim to be the business manager but you got somebody else managing you well I mean what are they exactly are they the owner are they are they corporate right are they somebody
Of of reputation of stature of status we don’t know that so you trash talking this company in another interview which could be in the same industry you could be closing some doors before they’re even open don’t do it remain professional what this person says what this first comment
Says here is the right move is to be professional about it and just tell them it wasn’t working out for me professionally that you were seeking different opportunities to develop professionally which is why you applied where you’re applying now but that is even if you
Have to bring up the fact that you are currently employed and that you’ve only been there for two months otherwise don’t what’s the benefits of you disclosing that information there is none so don’t a second comment here says something like or they could say something like in
Quotes the rule turned out to be different than the interview for some roles success is just not possible they go on to say here some roles are badly designed most people understand this don’t fall into the Trap of describing actual issues just say one that you didn’t detect any issues in the
Interview but two there were non-starters when you arrived and that’s all don’t take home someone else’s problems and then and then they go on to edit they add an edit to their own comment here I was in this position last year and I just ended with if that’s okay
I’d just like to leave it there you need to show massive maturity so the problem is easy for them to understand but doesn’t encourage them to dig into possible behavior issues with you [Laughter] I’m laughing because digging into behavior issues with them is exactly what I did
Notice notice how I went back and I I put my finger on the fact that this [ __ ] sounds like you’re just complaining about a boss being a boss and if you can’t communicate with them at least you’re not giving us in any additional context on your situation that you’ve attempted
To communicate this issue and address this issue with your supervisor it sounds it sounds it’s beginning to sound like you’re a [ __ ] and you might have possible behavior issues that we don’t want to bring on board at this new company if you can’t manage your supervisor
How the [ __ ] can we expect you to manage our supervisor or your supervisor when you arrive to our company yeah don’t don’t talk [ __ ] don’t talk [ __ ] at the organization right unless you have unless you have proof unless you have proof right but even then a lot of the times
You find yourself in a position where you need proof and all you have is is Witnesses right maybe Witnesses but nothing in really hard copy and that becomes more a show of um a show of power than a show of authority but that’s but that’s another episode
That is a that is another episode entirely uh this this yeah so so this comment is right in that sense where it says yeah just that’s all just keep it professional keep it professional um you can you can say again if you have to disclose the fact that you’ve been at
This company for less than two months you can you can state that it’s not what you expected that it was it was a different company that you are working for than the one you interviewed for and so those opportunities for professional development are different for your expectations going into it
Otherwise Say Nothing at All if you don’t have anything nice to say and if you can’t burn them while you’re there right if you’re not if you don’t have concrete proof the evidence required to do that kind of work [ __ ] don’t don’t risk it don’t risk it it’s not worth it
One last comment it says here it’s it’s you’re once in a career quote unquote this isn’t what I thought it was going to be and I immediately recognized it and I’m taking action to make a change it’s honest it says you’re it’s honest and shows you are someone who can
Quickly remedy a bad situation even if it means removing yourself from it I tend to agree with that that is a commendable trait a commendable quality in a professional a professional who recognizes that a situation is unfixable a situation can’t be remedied so you don’t want to be there for the blowback
You don’t want to be there when the ship burns down and you want to exit you want to x-fill immediately which is what you which is what you should be doing but bad mouthing them bad uh talking [ __ ] about them on your way out or in an interview
To your supervisor or to your interviewer not not the move that is not the move don’t do it could be that you came in at the wrong time you’ve been there for two months I Got Dirt I Got Dirt but that’s because I’ve been at a spot for what three years [Laughter]
That comes with time two months is two months is likely not enough if all you got is micromanaging I’ve seen dirt I’ve Done Dirt so I Got Dirt um yeah but this could be you’re once in a CR your once in a career that this was not what I this is not
What I thought it was going to be and I recognized it and so I’m I’m making those changes to have you know my work aligned with my values or my work aligned with my professional objectives but keep it professional again that’s even if you have to disclose it which I
Don’t see why you would have to but you’re over here it could be the fact that you’re 15 pounds lighter and you’re not eating you’re not well nourished so you’re not getting that nutrition to your [ __ ] brain to think straight but I don’t think you have to
Disclose this this could be one of those things that you could necessarily sweep under the rug and walk away from just dust your hands off and you’re done and you’re [ __ ] done but otherwise talking [ __ ] about a previous supervisor especially in an interview is not the move it’s not a business move
It’s not a professional movie there it does not behoove you it’s not smart but then I’m going to cut it right here folks I want to uh thank you for for tagging along on this episode again you can find us anywhere podcasts are distributed Spotify Apple podcast all that good jazz
Want to shoot us something a couple dollars you’re essentially donating to the corporate War you’re betting on which side is going to win and you know which side is going to win corporate doesn’t move without people and corporate doesn’t move without corporate Cowboys but corporate is a self-regulating system it’s a self-regulating machine
And I’m just another regulator corporate Cowboys are just Regulators at the end of the day so you can find those links as a PayPal venmo whatnot it’ll all go to business expenses legal fees but this podcast comes from us non-profit have yourselves a great one we’ll catch you on the flip side
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