The worst job I’ve ever had actually turned out to be great because it taught me some valuable lessons. I love to learn, although I prefer it not be the hard way. One of my missions in life is to empower career changers and military veterans with useful knowledge and information about careering. You don’t have to learn the hard way (if you haven’t already). Here are 3 great lessons from the worst job I’ve ever had:
- A Higher Salary does not mean an employer grants you greater responsibility or more trust. Instead, it can mean that an employer will demand more of your time and energy, outside of the norm, because they feel entitled. I learned this lesson especially during my Paternity Leave when my wife was about to deliver our second child. My work phone was called literally every day for non-emergencies, and I was penalized for not answering every beckoning call. Also, I went from being the senior site leader at my previous job with my own office and with great trust and respect from my higher ups to being a regional leader in title only, since I then became relegated to working at a desk in an open floor layout where I was micromanaged and treated more like an hourly administrative assistant. I’ll stop there with my venting, and get to the point: consider every aspect of compensation before accepting a job offer (i.e. workspace, paid time off, education benefits, freebies and discounts, etc.).
- If you’re promised things during the interview process, such as being able to work from home whenever it’s not essential to be at the corporate office, then be sure to GET IT IN WRITING before you sign and accept the job offer. Sometimes, very rarely, employers will use a “bait and switch” approach to getting you onboard. Whether intentional or not, this scenario points to a serious lack of integrity. When you’re hired, you’re expected to do exactly what you said you could do during the interviews. Empower yourself by expecting an employer to do exactly as they said also, and hold them accountable because you will surely be held accountable if you don’t deliver.
- Read company reviews online from legit sources like Glassdoor. If most of the reviews are negative, especially pertaining to overall company culture, and definitely when the negative reviews spring from multiple locations across the country, then you may want to just decline the offer and move on to something different. Working in a toxic company culture for an obviously negative organization is not worth the stress and headaches, regardless of the amount of money.
