I got the job.
I have 7 days to accept. My first call - after telling Girlchild, of course - was to Boss, who had a promising but not final interview in South FL. And now we are both like, "NOW WTF do we DO??
This job would be good in many ways. It could get me out of the paralegal pink straightjacket. It has growth potential (if they aren't bought by a bigger company next week, or go out of business, or whatever).
His job could be good for him if it paid enough and didn't suck and his family didn't freak out about having to be uprooted, but they probably would.
And just to add to the confusion, we both spent the entire week having our feet kissed by the people with the power to give us interesting, substantive, fun cases, and showered with promises of fascinating work, and they didn't even know we were sniffing for other jobs. Funny how things go, ain't it?
So, we talked, briefly, on the phone, and decided that Tuesday we have to have a Come to Jesus* with the boss's boss. We like the cases, we like the people, we can't deal with the insane working conditions without support and flexibility. If we have to dance to the corporate tune that's fine, but give us the staff to do it.
Just as a ferinstance, we have a case** where I could analyze our position and handle discovery and run the show with little or no input from Boss, because I have done it before and can do it in my sleep. I cut my teeth on the samedamnissues as a college intern in the 80s (when I learned to heart construction work). But it's 3 hours away and I can't be a construction paralegal for the entire state, out there talking to people and taking photos and figuring out what's what, if nobody opens the freaking mail when I'm out of the office. We can't operate in panic/chaos/nobody is reading the mail mode if we are both on the road, and I can't spend all of my time calendaring and scheduling while I'm talking to people on site. I can interview witnesses and work with engineers and wield a digital camera and such if we have backup to handle the incoming. Time to shit or get off the pot people, either I'm supposed to be a glorified secretary and sit my ass behind the desk 40 hours a week or not, it's your call.
So I haven't jumped on accepting the other job, but I sure am like, 90% leaning in that direction unless next week we get some real, permanent changes in how things are.
But allow me my Sally Field Moment - THEY LIKE ME, THEY REALLY LIKE ME!!! And, they are willing to pay me. Yee-haaa!
*I'm not sure where the expression "Come to Jesus" came from in the business world, but we all know what it means. For those who don't have it in the local patois, it means "Time to sit down and face reality."
**Just to give perspective, we have a few cases under a million dollars but none under six figures. These are not PI sprained finger cases. The one I'm talking about is seven figures. Yet, we have less staff than the sprained finger people.
Just my $0.02, but screw the people at your present job. They've promised you the moon before. Have they ever delivered? No. I think the higher-ups know that you and Boss are desperately unhappy. It wouldn't surprise me if, via corporate jungle drums, they know you're both looking for other employment. The stuff they're dangling in front of the two of you right now is a sop to keep you both where you are because they've suddenly realized you're valuable and would be difficult to replace. However, as soon as they have you again, all that stuff goes bye-bye.
ReplyDeleteThe new job has the advantage of offering you challenges, allowing you to write your own ticket, and being a good long-term career move. It will allow you to leave the pink-collar ghetto, which you never will where you are. It will be a fresh start.
Do you really want to keep putting up with the administrative bull**(#? The crap from the secretarial staff who don't understand why you don't behave they way they think you should?
I know you love working with Boss, and there are decent people at that company, but think VERY carefully before re-committing to your present employer. I'm not there, of course, and I only know what you've said, but alarm bells started going off when I read your post. My intuition is yelling, "No, no, NO!"
Whew. Anyhow, that's what I'm thinking.
Yep, I agree with you, totally, and I will not put my personal career/financial security second to anything, because I can't afford to and I ain't no idiot.
ReplyDeleteBoss and I will always be as tight as we are, we are separated at birth and all that shit, and if it means we have to work in other places to further our own security/futures, so be it. That's what friends do.
At the same time, we have Juice right now and it's time for them to put up or shut up. We kick ass either way but we are way more valuable as a team than than separately, we compliment and balance each other. Either our current employer will do what it takes to keep the team, or...not.
Next week we'll sort it out.
Happy, happy, happy dance! Yes!
ReplyDeleteI'm not feeling the sympathy for your current employer either, but may as well put the cards on the table.
Congrats, though -- even if you don't take it, it's a very good thing.
So happy for you, girl! Woot!
ReplyDeleteHowever I'm with Geogrrl. it is usually a
hugely bad move to show them the fork in the road and then stay. they don't forget such things. And the mentality just does not change. An org's culture is what it is. I vote follow your gut. Am wondering why you'd even sit down with them unless you'd entertain the idea of staying?
Even if the new gig does not work out or they get acquired, etc, etc, you have still upped your salary to the next level and that jacks up your starting salary at the NEXT place. be it FLA or MD. Still pulling for you whichever way you jump.
The forks are all over the road in this organization, Caroline. They've lost a bunch of good people and have to be aware that the rest are restless, and they know I have not been a happy little do-bee for some time because I have not been suffering in silence. We are in a slightly different position because what we do is fairly unique and considered very valuable to the people who really matter. Our leaving will have repercussions up and down the East coast, and the issues really are fixable if anyone has the cojones to change the "but we always do it that way" mindset and fix them. And THAT is the question. I will sit down with them because I do love the people I work with, I love the cases, I love the work I do, and I hate that good people are frustrated and leaving at an alarming rate and it's fixable. This is not a situation where I'm threatening to leave so I hold up my current employer for more money, and they know it. And I'm leaning very hard toward taking the other job, it has many pluses in its favor, I'm not talking myself out of it here. I'm just sad, in a way, that it had to come to this, when my current job could be so much better.
ReplyDeleteWell, sugar, I have complete confidence in your ability to handle an exit scene. Like G-grl & haze, I don't think the corporate wheels will move fast enough in spite of the recent spate of losses, but that is the cynic speaking. And you&boss have parted before and been able to reunite. If it's meant to be it nearly always happens.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little sorry you aren't moving to MD, but then - why throw away all those FL skills.
Just happy good news all around, I'd say. What a way to begin a holiday weekend!
thats great news...Congrats!
ReplyDeletelove the doggies.
Congratulations & good luck with the big meeting! You deserve a good break.
ReplyDeleteSo . . . . . what did you decide?
ReplyDeleteI'm now at 99.5% probability of taking it. Boss is actually encouraging me to do it, he says he's cutting his own throat but a chance to move from What Color Is Your File Folder? to land acquisition is too cool to pass up. I haven't officially given notice yet - I guess I will tomorrow, after I talk to HR guy at the new place. I have to talk to the HR guy to iron out some details and then I'll feel totally comfortable.
ReplyDelete