Advice for a Young Professional

Anonymous

June 1,2022 at 6:18PM UTC

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Advice for a Young Professional

Hello,

I started with a company straight out of university and it was somewhere I thought I would spend most, if not all of my career. Unfortunately the Boy's Club culture led to a very unprofessional incident and hostile environment that led me to a hard decision of leaving after over 2 years. I have worked at other organizations that are equally and more toxic that paid less and have been struggling to find an organization that will pay me what I am worth and provide a decent place of work. I've tried talking to employees, looking at Glassdoor and indeed reviews, asking the recruiters/hiring managers about the culture, and still seem to find myself in bad workplaces.

I understand having difficult tasks and I enjoy challenging experiences that will help with growth but the environments I land in are similar toxic environments with boys clubs, harassments, and 70 hour work weeks with no pay. I don't believe these qualify as growth opportunities to stick through and learn from. I am struggling to land a great job/career because my resume shows that I've had multiple jobs and I feel most recruiters will only look at my time at that company and not my accomplishments within that time or the possibility that the organizations were not great places to work at. My well-being has been compromised and I find it harder each day to feel purposeful and motivated in my career. What advice would you have in my position, especially those who have been in a similar situation? What next steps should I take to get back from this?

I want to grow with an organization and contribute my skills and ideas, I want to be with an organization for a long time. Should I settle for less?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and comment on my post, I wish you all continued success wherever you may be in your career!

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AnonymousJune 1,2022 at 7:03PM UTC
What are the conversations you're having around these issues?
We are what we allow.
Your decisions decision your direction.
Do not decide (especially unconsciously) to allow this behavior.
AnonymousJune 1,2022 at 8:55PM UTC
An expectation of spending "most, if not all of your career"? What?
I would suggest concentrating on a long and fruitful career rather than longevity and making a job your home.
From experience very early on out of University, i would suggest taking a giant step back and figuring out why other people land in amazing roles and jump from one great company to the next, building a vibrant career and earning great packages. This is what I did because I saw friends of mine fall into this victim mentality where they were so much smarter and talented than I believed myself to be but stalled completely and had unfulfilled sad careers & lives. I instinctively knew to seek out amazing people that seemed to glide ahead with hard work and powerful people opening doors for them. .
If you don't know anyone like that, find them. Get close to them and study their methods and why they don't get stuck in toxicity. Modeling yourself after successful and fulfilled individuals is the best way to learn what to do to get the same results. Find a mentor who can point out the path. These people were not well connected but built a network of admirers that were won over by them, their amazing work ethic and their refusal to let toxicity get the best of them. They simply moved too fast.
Since you keep repeating the same results, I would consider getting some help navigating your career track. It does work but no one can do it but you. You have to be critical, determined and very clear about who you want to be.
AnonymousJune 1,2022 at 9:16PM UTC
Should you settle for less? Of course not.
But it sounds like your choices keep you replaying your boys club toxic environment scenario.
You don't want to spend your entire 20s repeating this cycle of jobs that don't fit and using the same cliche excuses.
I would start breaking down your criteria of what you look for in both roles and team. Research companies that get rave reviews. If you've chosen those in the past only to find yourself in the same old toxic boys club then I would consider therapy to find out why? Because you are making the same choices and are experiencing the same bad outcome.
AnonymousJune 1,2022 at 11:01PM UTC
What is your line of work and industry?
Maybe your sisters here currently work in similar fields and can recommend the same company. Network with linked in profiles for companies of interest ask them about what they like and don’t like about their work environment
Also, I always advise job seekers that you have to interview the job covertly while they interview you to get some sense of what you are walking into. Asking questions that give direct insight into what the environment is like. For ex if you want to pursue leadership, ask for top performers in your organization how do you prepare them for leadership or growth to further develop them. Will I be assigned a lead or peer sponsor. Does your company have leadership programs. When you take a mini tour of the facility, ask if you can pick the brain of someone that has your exact or similar role. Ask them questions about their day to day. And observe their body language, do they seem like they would rather be anywhere on earth but there. Do they give the look of RUN? Or do they look genuinely happy. All these nonverbal ques are important to pay attention to. When you ask questions towards the hiring panel, do they stutter or circumvent your question or answer with empty or fluffy words that hold no meaning? If so these are all red flags.
don’t be afraid to ask the upfront questions during the interview, even follow up afterwards via email
Sophie JoernJune 8,2022 at 7:02PM UTC
So sorry to hear you have been struggling with find a great organization to call home! It is a tough situation to be in because the truth is, you never really know what you are going to get 100% of the time before you start. It is absolutely okay to be exploring different options though! Reflect on your experiences and find the learning opportunities from each to take with you, before you know it, you will have a wealth of experiences that will help you down the road! One thing you could consider is looking into a slightly different field or industry that meshes with some of your transferable skills. Some organizations are more focused on soft skills (like attitude, mindset, being coachable, etc) rather than the hard skills like background. Think about what some of your passions are and research companies that support them! Sometimes opening up your mind to new or different possibilities is all it takes to find a great place to work :) Never feel the need to settle, the right role is out there for you!