I’m nearing 50. When I was growing up I had some dreams, but once I reached a certain age, I just didn’t even try to pursue them. When I was young I wanted to be a model or a writer. I wasn’t super super skinny back then which was the model type at the time (you know the 90s) so I didn’t even try outside of modeling clothes at the local mall a couple of times. So, I guess you can say I had dreams, but was also realistic about them.
I suppose my entire upbringing was realistic. Do what you know and stick with it. That was kind of the theme. So as a career, I landed in Advertising and Media at 19 with no college degree and stuck with it. It was fun and I have met great people in my 20+ year career and I have learned a ton, but was it my passion? Not necessarily. If you are living your passion – that is awesome! I am happy for you.
I’ve worked my entire life since the age of 15 with only one short break after my second child was born. I’ve been in some corporate-type situations but also casual and well-run companies. I feel like the most significant detriment to American careers right now is salaried jobs. The second is no affordable health care for self-employed individuals. My husband has always been in the construction world with hourly pay and weekly paychecks. He makes less per hour than me if you calculate my past salaries into a 40-hour work week but ultimately he makes more in the long haul because of OVERTIME. The kicker is I rarely worked 40 hours at any job I ever had. It was more like 50-60 depending on the workload. For those of you in the ad agency world – you know what I’m talking about.
So, when you truly break it down per hour for the time I put in and the salary I received, it didn’t make sense. I’m not paid additional for all the extra time I’ve put in like he does. We also are failing in the PTO/Vacation arena. Most European countries encourage their workers to take long-standing vacations in the summer months. They are required to receive 4 weeks minimum vacation time and 12 paid holidays within a year. Guess what American workers get – whatever the employer wants to give them.
I abruptly quit my job a few weeks ago, due to a number of things I won’t discuss here. Most of it was my own doing because I just say yes to everything and add too much to my plate. I need to work on that. It’s scary. I have nothing lined up but I know I will be OK. It’s completely unlike me – I am a safe person, I crave security and I need to have a plan. Sometimes, though when push comes to shove, your mental health, your family, and your work-life balance is the most important thing. I had been ignoring my mental health, doing the bare minimum for my family, and powering through simply based on fear. I feel like I stayed for so long in certain jobs because it was either a stable industry, I had really cool co-workers, good clients, and affordable health insurance. Our careers should be more than a stable paycheck and decent health coverage.
The hiring industry is also broken. When I was looking to jump from traditional to digital advertising back in 2015, my resume got noticed. My stable experience and knowledge got a phone interview and eventually an in-person one that landed me my last job. Now as I’m browsing job descriptions and requirements, the job descriptions are so specific that the chances of finding that person are like finding a needle in a haystack. I’ve put in applications and the only bites are based on my media-specific experience. I also don’t have a college degree so I’m sure that is an automatic disqualifier for many jobs I will apply for and it’s a damn shame because 20+ years of experience will always trump education hands down unless you are a doctor, lawyer, or C-level employee, which I’m not nor plan to be.
Employers need to get real and understand the people who have been gainfully employed for years are perfectly capable of learning your business, your industry, and your systems or process IF they gel with the manager and the team and they have knowledge of what the job is and the industry. They don’t have to have worked in the industry, just understand what it is. Also, screw assessments and doing free work to get a job. While I have been looking for my next opportunity, and if I do get an e-mail for a call or interview I first ask about the interview process. For my level role which would be mid-senior, I’m not doing 6+ rounds of interviews. Why would anyone need that many? How are 6+ interviews the best use of the candidate’s time or your company’s? It makes no sense. Don’t you need to fill that role quickly? How can you not tell after 2 or 3 rounds?
I managed people at my previous job and did hire for a new business unit that was added to my responsibilities because my existing team stayed with me the entire time I was managing them (outside of an internal transfer and those that left for family reasons to stay home, etc). When I was hiring – this is what it looked like:
- E-mail the candidate to find out their salary range so we do not waste each other’s time – this needs to be the first question asked because wasting time costs money. Personally, I feel like every posting out there needs to have a realistic range as it would cut down on the number of candidates that are overqualified.
- 30-minute phone interview with the hiring manager or HR to get to know the candidate and if they are a good fit, move them along to the next round.
- 30-minute Zoom with the hiring manager to discuss the full responsibilities of the role and ask about any technical questions needed for the position and any questions the candidate might have as well.
- If working with a team – 30-minute zoom with the candidate and team so that the candidate can ask the team what day-to-day looks like or any other questions about the role or even how they like working with the hiring manager.
- Offer the candidate the job if the team signs off. Set the expectation up right – give them at least a few thousand more than what they requested – get them started off right the first time so they feel like a valued employee from the very beginning.
- This process was completed within one to two weeks depending on the schedules of everyone for the calls.
I wonder what the American job landscape would look like with fair competitive pay – or actual hourly jobs for Corporate America so every industry and employee is paid fairly for the hours they put in. The hard loyal workers would be properly compensated for their extra work, and the ones that just work 40 hours per week are happy as well.
Companies have been taking advantage of employees like me for a very long time. We are those loyal workhorses who are afraid to say no when taking on extra responsibilities. We are pretty damn good at our jobs so we get more and more responsibility and tasks added on. Over my 20+ years, half the time no additional pay is added when getting more work responsibilities on because it’s either a ‘lateral’ move or ‘the nature of the market’ or whatever other excuse is given.
We also don’t speak up enough when flooded with work or ask for raises enough. We just take it and do the work out of fear until one day, we just can’t do it anymore and we either quit or leave because we’ve secured another job with better pay and more opportunity for growth. It is also bonkers to me that the loyal employees aren’t just paid what they are worth in the first place.
It’s almost guaranteed if that person leaves with all those years of knowledge, you are going to pay more for the new person that comes in because they were probably smarter than me and switched jobs every few years to up their payscale and title.
If you are in my position and recently quit on your own accord – CONGRATULATIONS for having a voice – for standing up and for taking care of yourself first and foremost. If you have been laid off – that proves that Corporate America just views you as a number. Profit trumps loyalty every time. So why not revisit your passions when you were growing up? By NO means am I going to try modeling at 47 haha – but writing a book has always been on my bucket list. How can you monetize your own skills and set your own hours? Be in control of your destiny, not the corporate entity that really doesn’t truly care about you when it comes down to it.
If you are looking because you are miserable in your current role – hang in there! It’s OK to say no, to set work boundaries of when your bosses or co-workers can contact you – especially during your sacred time off which is a huge travesty in Corporate America today. Leave people alone on their vacations! I just got back home from a two-week European vacation with my kids and it was glorious having no job, no work laptop to travel with. I didn’t have to check in on anyone and send reports that only I knew how to pull. It was amazing and I want to keep it that way.
What would happen if we all took a leap of faith and created our own future without the corporation or the fear of having to pay for really expensive health insurance? Since covid, we have had a shift with many employees having more flexibility with contract work or multiple jobs to allow for schedule flexibility.
I am now one of those people. We are all unique and amazing human beings and we all have something to contribute. Surely we all have a skill we can offer up to corporations or even small business owners and create our own destiny. I want to work to live instead of live to work.
If I did go back to Corporate America – here is what I would consider good enough to come back:
- 4-day work weeks – 10 hours days? I was doing that anyway – sign me up and give me Friday off.
- Ample PTO
- Schedule flexibility with hybrid or remote
- Job Responsibilities that align with a 40-hour work week
- No internal lunch meetings, no contact on time off, no expectations to work all hours of the day and night – it’s not brain surgery!
Right now I’m taking my time. I am looking into contract work to get me through the next three months unless some amazing opportunity fell in my lap. I’m not ready to commit to full-time just yet although I am browsing postings. If you LOVE your company – who are they? Let’s promote them. I need to rest a bit, recalibrate. I am going back to my writing – putting a few books out there and seeing what happens. After covid, I neglected my writing which was a huge outlet for me. I’m back!!
If you know of anyone needing a contract media planner/buyer, a marketing specialist for a small business to handle anything from small digital ad campaigns or even local traditional media to full-fledged marketing plans – I can help!
If you’ve worked with me in the past and haven’t already, feel free to leave me a LinkedIn Recommendation. I know I will be OK. I will Door Dash or Uber or whatever it takes in my own time in the meantime to make things work. I know in my heart of hearts – this was the right decision for me and I will be OK.
If you feel like I do that must mean I’m not the only one – maybe it’s time for a change in how we decide to work for employers and how employers have gotten used to treating us. If you can relate to this, feel free to share. #dobettercorporateamerica #employeesmatter #wearemorethananumber
The Worldly Condition 