Desperately seeking objective advice...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

As some of you know, I recently lost my job. My last day is to be this coming friday.

A few days after I got the layoff notice, they cut my internet connection at work… I was offended, but understood (security risk and all that) the next day, they deleted my desktop games, so now I cant even keep myself awake playing freecell. I was pretty offended by that, as it was a petty and childish thing to do. I have no work to do except wait for the phone to ring, and if me playing a couple of games of free cell was bothering anyone, all they had to do was tell me. I feel very betrayed by the company. I have been there a year and a half, and I have done good work for them. My job is being eliminated due to ‘restructuring’ or I would never have dreampt of leaving.

Here is where it gets complicated. There are 4 papers, all with ad managers I report to. My ‘boss’ is one of them, he is in another city. the ad manager of the paper which holds my actual desk is a real sweet man - salt of the earth.

He is very worried about me (single mother, no child support, laid off right before xmas - it sounds terrible!) and he approached me on friday to see if I had found anything else yet. I told him I had not.

Later, a man, I will call him “Dirk” comes to me. Dirk is a ‘team leader’, under the command of the sweet ad manager. Dirk’s ‘team’ has consisted of 4 people so far, 2 fired (without good cause IMHO) and one quit. the fourth is a total moron. Dirk is a buddy of the sweet ad manager, and thats how he got promoted from mail room to advertising team leader - he has no clue what he is doing, it is widely known and joked about…

OK, back to the story: Dirk wants to know if I am interested in taking the place of the girl who is leaving. He doesnt have pay details etc - just wants to see if I am interested. I SAY I am…
Here is my quandry:
I dont want the job. I would rather suck cock for nickles than take the job. I did a similar job before, and hated myself. Really hated myself. This position is even worse! I would be selling ‘special features’. Like oh…‘ToeNail Week’! Where I would call a thousand small businesses trying to sell them a tiny ad they dont need, that they cant afford that wont help their business. If I succeed and fill a page with ads for ‘toenail week’ then i hate myself for scamming these poor folks - if I DONT, I let the paper down. OUt of every ad, I get a proof back HALF the time (same as all the other reps at this paper), of the half that I dont see, fully HALF of those run wrong! SO not only am I scamming these people, I am running bad ads for them too!

I dont want to take the job.

Ange says to take it and keep looking, that all I owe them is 2 weeks notice - but its not that simple… The clients need some consistency, in the last 6 months, they have gone through 4 reps! If I take it, and then find something and quit, I hurt the clients, the paper, and the dear ad manager who wants so badly to help me out.

The alternative: if I DONT take it, I am looking at 4-6 weeks without income. I have some cash put away, I can make it, but it will be tight. My benefits will be a good portion less than I make working, but I wont have daycare to pay, and I wont be running that boat of a car every day, so I only really lose a couple of hundres a month. My dad is only a few blocks away, and he has a fax machine, so I can fax applications from there, I can search for jobs in my area on 4 or 5 websites from home, and then fax from dad’s. I had sorta planned on looking until I found something that I thought I could be happy doing… I have 40 weeks of benefits, so thats lots of time.

A point to consider: I dont make huge money… $24000 per year. (I live real cheap!) but for a woman in my area, thats really good. If I take the hated advertising job, I would be making a bit less, but with commissions, probabaly close.
I can live on less: I figure minimum of $16 500-$17 000, but its worth the less money if I like what I do…
I dont know what to do here guys…
I either take the job, or go on unemployment benefits for the first time in 10 years.

If I take the job, I cant see myself leaving them for another one and screwing them like that…AND: how do I stay after they treated me like a criminal with the computer??

Can anyone offer me advice on this?

2

kelli, my gut instinct is to say “screw 'em” and go on unemployment and look for a job you really want to do. It seems to me your situation isn’t too dire (40 weeks of benefits ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at!); you say yourself you have the resources to stay afloat if you choose to quit and look for a job elsewhere. If you’re not going to starve or get evicted or lose your utilities, then don’t take a job that doesn’t pay as well and that you won’t be happy taking. It’s really not worth it. Take the time off to relax a little bit and just keep your line in the water for anything that might come along. And be firm about your salary expectations, too! Tell whoever’s interviewing you what you know you can do and how well you can do it, saying they’ll get their money’s worth - you just might be pleasantly surprised.

I wish you the best in your search for a new job and I hope the upcoming vacation recharges you.

3

Just what type of job do you want to really get? It would help, if you let us know. Unless you have no other chose I wouldn’t take a job that I hated. Maybe if you said what you were looking for and locality of where you want a job, someone here might be able to help you out.

4

I have to agree. There’s nothing worse than working 40+ hours a week in a job you hate. It sounds like you’ve got a good work record, so you look good to potential employers. You should be able to find a job that you actually like that can support you. I know how stressful your situation is - I’m sure we’ve all been in similar predicaments - but I don’t think it’s good for your mental health to take a job you don’t believe in just to get a paycheck. You seem to have answered your own question - “I’d rather suck cocks for nickels.” Don’t take it. Something will turn up. Good luck.

5

I loved doing admin work :smiley:
My strengths are customer service, and general schmoozing.

I cant relocate because mom could have a relapse anytime, and I wont leave her. I live in Moncton - the only other doper around her is Angkins - and she is keeping an eye out for me.

There is a call center nearby that is not staffing admin at this time… but I have a good inside contact there, and have been in for an interview already. They have a small admin dept right now, but they will be expanding in the coming year.
I want in there - I hear fabulous things about them, and they pay good too.

Thanks guys :slight_smile:

6

This will sound foolish, but my dream job is Blockbuster.
They pay peanuts though.

I love the blockbuster I go to though, they all know me, they are really fun and relaxed - they love movies…
If only I had a spouse, I could have a ‘fun job’ and not worry about the pay…
Mmmmmm Blockbuster…

7

I agree that there is nothing worse that working in any job that you hate. If you aren’t happy in your job, it would probably show in your work. I know it does in mine. I hate my job and am looking for something else. And because I hate the job so much, I don’t care if I do a good job.

So, for what it’s worth, as long as you are getting unemployment, don’t stay. As has already been said, 40 weeks of benefits ain’t nothin to sneeze at.

8

Are you looking for a job in the computer field, or what type of call center is it? Administration in what field. I assume your in New Brunswick Canada, correct?

9

Admin in call centers preferably, or advertising, or office management type stuff.The call center I mentioned is inbound financial stuff (nsf checks, credit cards etc). I have skills in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but not enough skill in them to make it my focus.

Yes, New Brunswick. We have tons of call centers around here, and I have a few years experience at one of the better ones. That helps.

10

Don’t take a job you don’t like. Life is too short for that. Something will come up, you know it will. Be patient – the wait will be worth it.

BTW, if this manager likes you so much, thank him for possibly interceding, then ask him for a letter of reference. And get it before you leave the job.

11

Kellibelli,

I can’t offer advice, per se, because I don’t know your full position, but here are a few things to consider:

  1. Yes, taking away your computer priviledges was prickish, but not so much as them just laying you off like that. You can’t see the forest for the trees if you’re that hung up on the computer issue.

  2. You have to seperate your boss and especially Dirk from the company as a whole. It wasn’t Dirk’s fault that you were let go. Don’t not take the job because Dirk works for the company that’s letting you go. That’s not his fault. He’s offering you a job.

  3. If you do decide to take the job, let them know ahead of time that it might be on a (very) temporary basis. If they accept that, you’re OK.

  4. So…why can’t you work at Blockbuster?

  5. What’s best for your child?
    Just a few things to think about. I wish I could tell you “The answer is to take job X.” But I just can’t do that. Hope this helps though. Good luck.

12

Kelli - somebody had to say it.
I’ve got a nickle.

13

I second Danalan on getting the letter of reference. Maybe not from Dirk, if you didn’t really work with/for him, but definitely from your supervisor or his supervisor, if they saw enough of your work to form an opinion on it.

14

Wait a minute - do I have this straight? They lay you off right before Christmas with very little notice, they cut your internet connection, they take your games off your computer, and you’re worried about accepting a job you know that you won’t stay at because you might hurt the company?!? I say take the job that you hate so that you have a steady income while you find your dream job. Who knows? Maybe Blockbuster would hire you as a manager or something that would pay more money! In the meantime, I would feel absolutely no guilt accepting the other job until you find a new one. If they question it when you leave, you just say “I took the job because I felt like I wanted to stay in this company, but it turns out it’s just not what I want to do. I’m sorry, but I thought I’d enjoy it more than I do.” or something like that.

15

What you owe yourself, only you can really decide. Would you feel guilty at leaving the job in a couple of weeks when something better comes along? Is there any danger that you will allow guilt/obligation/personal pressure to kep you in the job past the point when you might escape to something else? Will it be a blow to your self-image to take this job and hate your life 40+ hours every week? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then do not take the job unless your only alternative is starving/not being able to provide for your child.

16

I have to put in another vote for moving on to better things. Taking a job you know is going to make you miserable will not improve your situation and may even hurt you in the hunt for a better position. After the way they have treated you you don’t owe this company anything. BTW having worked as both a CSR and Manager at Blockbuster, it is not the fun exciting, glamorous job you might think. The benefits weren’t real great either. I do miss the free rentals though.

17

Hi Kelli! I haven’t read the other responses because I wanted to reply without being influenced by what the others have said.

I really don’t think you should take the job they are offering. While it would be difficult for you during the time you are looking for work, it will also be difficult for you to work in a position that you would hate. (I believe you’d rather suck cocks for nickels, right??? :))

I hope my advice helps you in your decision.

18

Kelli,

This happened to me this summer. I understand. Try sitting down with a cup of tea (or whatever you want) and think about what you really want and what really matters. Is the money important to support your child? How much does the company really mean to you? Find out what your heart says and go with that. But, definately get that letter from your boss!!

PS. It will work out.

GOOD LUCK

19

Yes…Yes…and YES!

Wow - that sure sums it up.

I am not going to take it… I thought about it long and hard, and this thread helped. I wouldnt feel right taking it for a few weeks, then leaving them in the lurch ( the decision to lay me off didnt come from this paper, it came from the management of all 4 papers - this paper has always been decent to me) and I cant work under Dirk - he is a weenie.

Me & the boys will be ok, I have enough put aside to get me through till I get benefits, and I registered with the best temp agency in the area today (good potential there) and I continue to mail/fax/email out resumes every day.

I will take the two weeks the kids are home over xmas, and do lots with them, then begin my search in earnest when school goes back in… I could do with a break. This might be what the kids need too… neither one is doing very well in school, maybe with me home in the afternoons I can get them turned around.

Much thanks and kisses to all for your advice and support!
Kelli

20

Much welcome and well-wishes for you and your family.
I am sure many of us wish we could over more tangible support, but we are happy that whatever support we gave through advice and encouragement was helpful.

Be well.