The boston-cream doughnut, in question here, is the new job you've just been offered. You've been out of work for a long time and you're hungry. Taking a bite of this new job is going to feel so good. You'll have disposable income again; you'll get off of COBRA; you can go on a guilt-free vacation. But, in the back of your mind, as you take that first bite, you know this job is a bad choice for you.
But what other choices are there if you're hungry? The answer is different for each person. Yet most answers involve personal finances and the major reason for taking the job is for money. If you had your druthers you'd hold out for something more nutritional and better for you. But like the doughnut, this new job, even though it's bad for you, it's still subsistence.
Currently I'm not in that situation. But I have been and know this can be hard call to make: take the job or hold out. Even though it may not be possible to hold out, it's still important to know which situations would make for a good work environment. So that when that time comes when you can make better nutritional choices, you have the self-awareness and knowledge to not eat the doughnut. My advice is to make a short list of workplace situations that are not good for you. For example, here is my short list:
Hypocrisy:
I don't want to work where the commercials show how much they love their customers, only to discover the opposite. Example: Southwest Airlines stance on overweight passengers. Southwest positions themselves as a bunch of earth-loving, people-hugging samaritans making you feel like you just bettered the world, because you bought their product. Market yourself how you like. But Kevin Smith is overweight, angry with how he was treated by Southwest and people are listening. Considering that 1 out of 3 adults are overweight in the U.S., Southwest may just as well advertised they use kittens as jet fuel. I don't want to be somewhere when the party's over and the host turned out to be a creep.
(Revised author's note: to clarify, the above reference is a mere example of how hypocrisy can occur. It is not intended as a full recollection of the events that occurred or as a full judgment of Southwest's philosophies.)
Stupidity:
I don't want to work for a company that hires former pickpockets to walk the city streets in order to place money into pedestrian's pockets, or for the company that allows Fridays to be clothing optional. I don't believe any of the hype around these supposed business success stories that are from actual U.K. businesses. I believe these situations are just inviting unnecessary problems into the workplace. I don't want to be on the end of massive numbers of employee relations issues that I could have prevented with common sense, or that need to be swept under the rug to save the face of the company's image.
Meanness:
This is truly the one thing I despise the most and view with the least amount of tolerance. It comes in many different levels, i.e.harshness, rudeness, bullying, harassment, discrimination, etc. and different configurations, i.e.cover-up, overtly unaware, bragging. Add in, each person experiences meanness from different levels of sensitivity. Example: the CEO of AMS, possibly a great guy and possibly a great place to work, still in a recent interview with the New York Times had some choice words which I would judge as too harsh for me. He is quoted as saying, "Fear is the best motivator" and when asked if he was a tyrant, he replied, "I’m sure many people would view me as difficult. If I ask you to do something and you say, 'Geez, I don’t have enough time to do that.' Well, maybe I don’t have enough time to sign your check this week." As much as I appreciate candor in the workplace and the need to have a successful workplace, just because one thinks or feels something, does not mean they need to express it. And it doesn't mean I need to be around it.
The recession is still a big problem for many people in this country. Hopefully as you travel your way through it, you are able to stick to your guns and not work somewhere that you know is going to be bad for you. And if you have no choice due to your individual circumstances, go ahead and eat that boston-cream doughnut and remember you can always go on a diet tomorrow.
Posts
5 Comments:
Great Post Paul! It is an important message for Jobseekers everywhere. Don't accept a position to just have a job. You must feel the connection, and the passion. Thanks for the reminder to NOT compromise!
Cheers!
Shennee
i like the concept very much, particularly because you recognized that sometimes you have to eat the donut.
i also don't want to work someplace that's stupid (or employs people w/o creativity, enthusiasm, and a bent toward intelligent risk-taking). i wouldn't put southwest in that category. i see the not-so-silent bob situation as completely different, based on what i've read. kevin smith usually buys two seats whenever he flies. he went standby this time, which meant he'd only get one given the fact the plane was full. he claims they put him off because an individual employee was offended by his movies. they reached out to him *immediately* by twitter, and later by email and phone. they've been candid about the situation on their site, with a press release and a blog post offering their apology and logic. i think he's the one acting stupidly.
f
Fran: Maybe Southwest is not the best example for hypocrisy because they have a good PR track record. But it is a timely example, and true both sides have a story to tell. Still, how does buying 2 seats on a plane as opposed to one, make an overweight person less of a safety risk for other passengers? Thanks for pointing out their blog response: http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/my-conversation-with-kevin-smith-0. The point I'm trying to show is, is the company you work for walking the walk?
Really nice post, Paul! I love the donut analogy because, as you said, a choice between a donut and starvation really is no choice at all.
As a job seeker I know that I am fortunate to have a husband who pays the bills and provides the health insurance, so I don't feel compelled to take a job to subsist.
That said - how long do you remain unemployed in search of a job you can be comfortable in? I'm on 18 months and counting. Is my unwillingness to take a donut making it harder for me to get an offer? Other bloggers think so. How about you?
Joan: how long depends on you. And is your unwillingness making it harder for you to get an offer? In all cases, absolutely not. Some recruiters still follow rules about job gaps > don't consider anyone with them. But the rules have changed > there are no longer any set rules. I think if a person has something to show for the time they were out: discovering social media and starting a blog in your case. Plus you're going to SHRM in DC on your own dime shows a commitment to the field and to yourself in the field.
Post a Comment