Currently working for a Manufacturing/Fabrication Company.

Anonymous

July 20,2022 at 1:22PM UTC

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Currently working for a Manufacturing/Fabrication Company. I've been there for 5 years and am the Senior AP Accountant. We are owned by an investment company and have had a high turnover in UPPER management over the time I've been here (5 different CFO's and 2 Controllers). Every time we get a new management person, all of our processes and procedures are examined with a fine tooth comb and stuff is changed. I know this is typical, just exhausting.

They gave me the raise and Senior title last summer kind of against my wishes. I told them I was not looking for a promotion or more responsibilities (pretty content where I was) and I was told , "well, George (CFO) wants you to....". So, I knew I was gonna get the work anyway, might as well take the money they were offering. There was no new job description or anything.

Anyway, we have a "sister" company in another state that we are trying to merge with (it takes time) and I finally heard yesterday that the plan was to work more on separating our AP/AR duties as we had some overlap among the 4 accountants that we have among the 2 companies. I realized that they were planning on making me the AP Manager/Supervisor. I spoke up and finally got it through my Controllers head that I don't WANT a Manager/Supervisor role. I don't even want all the responsibility that they have slowly been putting on my plate. It seemed to surprise her ( I don't know why...) and she told me they would have to hire from the outside then because I was they only one they wanted to put in the position.

To keep this from being too long, I'm gonna quickly add I have anxiety and am currently dealing with a downward spiral from that plus we are currently having to get a lawyer for some issues going on with my autistic son. I am overwhelmed and am getting tested for ADHD as I feel that is part of my problem.

I really want to leave this company and find a new position at a lower level. I have wanted to do this for a while and have had about half a dozen or more interviews (some were multiple interviews) and I keep getting turned down as they think I will get bored. Someone suggested to me that I need to rework my resume and not put my higher positions on it because it is making people not even consider me. I don't like the thought of this because I want them to know what they are getting and what I am capable of, but at the same time how do I explain to them that I am intentionally looking for Lower positions without looking like I am on burn out? (which I kinda am)....

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AnonymousJuly 20,2022 at 4:39PM UTC
It is extremely hard for people that seek upward movement in companies to understand that there are people that are content with not moving up. What they fail to realize is that without people like you, there would be an abundance of managers and no one for them to manage.
I agree that you should absolutely keep your responsibilities/skills listed on your resume. However, depending on how the resume is structured, you could leave off your current job title. For example, on my resume I list the company name and nestle all the job titles I've had underneath it (to show growth) and below that I have a description and bullets of my main responsibilities/projects. In this structure, I could easily remove the current title without excluding responsibilities.
Once you get to interviews you can address the upward mobility thing with a question about company culture. Is the company the kind of company that likes to hire people at low levels and expect them to stay at the company to grow into management? If so, that might be a red flag for you. When they ask why you asked, that is your opportunity to say that you don't want to be a people manager. You could even address the part about why you are applying for a lower level position then (though that will probably come up sooner). You could say that while you are open to taking on new/different challenges at work, at your current company you were given more projects/responsibilities and this showed you which parts of AP/AR you truly enjoyed and which parts you would prefer not to do on a regular basis. Then tie it back to the position you are interviewing for and state specific parts of the job description that caught your eye.
If they keep pushing, you could even add that you are looking for some stability in your job. Explain that the last 5 years there has been a lot of turnover at your current company and division and the result has been chaos in the department. While you have been able to adjust, one of the things you like about xx company (company you are interviewing with) is that from what you've seen they haven't had that kind of turnover. You could even add a joke and say it would be a nice change of pace to be able to use the same processes and technology multiple years in a row once you learn them.
This got kind of long, but hopefully it helps give you some ideas of what you can do to spin it.
Good luck! :)
Erica Lea DossJuly 20,2022 at 6:03PM UTC
Thank you, yes there are several good suggestions in there. I appreciate it. I am thinking of working with a resume writer to to assist me in this.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 21,2022 at 5:46AM UTC
Can you please clarify why you "want them to know what you're capable of" if you don't want to do higher level work?
Erica Lea DossJuly 21,2022 at 6:06PM UTC
I am still proud of my skills and accomplishments. I worked hard for them. There may be some project that my skills could help with that doesn't necessarily mean I have to have a higher level job.
Kathleen LeCheleJuly 22,2022 at 12:29AM UTC
You can’t. If you want to live under the radar you will have to sacrifice what you have worked hard to achieve and accolades that come with it.
what you can do-
it sounds as though you are going through challenges that may qualify you for FMLA or even STD.
SUGGESTION:
read the section of your employee handbook thats speaks on policy and proceedure for time off. You ee handbook will detail the tupes of leaves that your are able to take including but not limited to FMLA-ADA-STD. Some companies even offer extended personal time off. Always go with the protected leaves and ask your physician if you are eligible to be recommended for leave based on a disability ( mental health) in order to secure short term disability.
1. Read section on leaves in ee handbook
2. speak to physician regarding your health/ mental health to see if you are eligible
3. if yes- ask HR for needed paperwork- submit said ppwrk to physician’s office - once signed have them fax your HR department or you give them to HR Directly.
HR should advise from there.
keep copies of EVERYTHING
Y.G.T. ( you got this)
Erica Lea DossAugust 16,2022 at 12:38PM UTC
I really appreciate that suggestion, unfortunately, it is not an option for multiple reasons that aren't really relevant to my main issue. It really has gotten to the point, where I need to get out of this company permanently.
Plus, I'm not trying to "keep all the accolades" that came with what I have achieved, I just don't understand why it is wrong to show potential employers what they can be getting. They are getting someone highly qualified (even over qualified-which is a term I never understood... either you are qualified or you aren't) for a position where the employee knows and accepts the fact that they will be getting much lower pay than they were used to and that the employee is quite content in that fact. I would think that would be a selling point.... they are getting much more than they are paying for!