So, Ottoerotic, do you have a really beautiful wife, kids who are smarter than you, and a wacky neighbor who always just kind of wanders into your house?
Copywriter at a small ad agency.
1. Everyone wears a suit, or at least a tie
Nope, I wore a jacket and tie for a couple of months last year just on a whim, and I was the only one in the office to do so. Now it’s mainly neat blue jeans with either sweaters or button shirts.
2. You are trying to make "the big sale"
I’m not in sales, but even the account executives (closest thing to salespeople) are more about cultivating clients and getting a continual flow of bigger projects. Occasionally there’s a sudden, new job though.
3. You are trying to get "the big promotion"
Not really, I do what I do, and push myself mainly for my own satisaction and for the respect of my peers (co-workers), rather than to get a leg up on anyone. It certainly helps that even though a traditional org chart would put me on the bottom level among “the masses,” I make a salary that many would consider obscene.
4. You have a clear boss, who has a secretary, drives a nicer car than you, and you need to impress him and his wife
There’s a chairman, a president, and a vice-president who are clearly bosses. Below them, there are several Creative Directors, one of whom is a copywriter and so could be thought of as my direct boss. He makes it clear, though, that he doesn’t want to be considered my boss in the sense of having all my projects go through him; he’d prefer that everyone be capable of working independently. One individual projects, things usually break up into teams of one account executive, one designer, one copywriter each.
We have one part-time secretary for the entire company. More like a receptionist/office manager.
I don’t have a car, so any car my boss has would have to be nicer than mine. I’ve got the best bicycle, though ;).
I try to impress my boss with the quality of my work, but other than that we’re casual beyond the point of rudeness with each other. I’m polite but friendly with their spouses, but no more so than any other co-worker’s spouse.
5. No one actually has any real connection to whatever product or service your company actually produces
We’re all pretty closely tied to the ads and materials we produce (laugh if you want, but we try to make what we do an art and produce ads we can be proud of). On the other hand, we have much less of a connection with the actual products we’re doing ads for. In fact, despite the effort I put into doing the best possible work for them, there’s one client whose products I’ve sworn off of completely because the people are so miserable to work with.
6. You have to travel on business from time to time and make presentations
I go to client offices around Tokyo to present work (or get information) pretty regularly. Occasionally some other people go down to Nagoya or other cities, but not too often. We also travel around for photo shoots or studio work.
7. Status symbols like corner offices are sought after and important
Nope. We have a semi-open plan office (one floor), and the 5 creative directors and 3 executives all sit at the exact same type of desk I do, all within a 10 foot radius of each other and me. From where I sit, there’s not one of them I couldn’t plink with a rubber band without too much difficulty.
I should add that my office is vastly different from the typical Japanese office. At previous office jobs I’ve had here, I would have answered ‘yes’ to many of those questions.
> Everyone wears a suit, or at least a tie
Nope. Only if we’re at an important public meeting.
> You are trying to make “the big sale”
No.
> You are trying to get “the big promotion”
Nope. Promotion is through attrition, and people work at my place of employment for literally decades. Basically it’s “Wait years for the oldest person to retire, and then everbody move up a notch.”
> You have a clear boss, who has a secretary, drives a nicer car than you, and
> you need to impress him and his wife
Have a clear boss. The secretaries work for the agency; they’re not assigned to anyone. No need to impress anyone.
> No one actually has any real connection to whatever product or service your
> company actually produces
No. We make the “product.”
> You have to travel on business from time to time and make presentations
Yes, but mainly close to home.
> Status symbols like corner offices are sought after and important
No. All of us have offices with windows, floor-to-ceiling walls, and closing doors. Most of our offices are the same size.
1. Everyone wears a suit, or at least a tie
Nobody wears a suit or tie, not even the GM of the whole place.
2. You are trying to make "the big sale"
We are not allowed to sell anything, nor even to be perceived as trying to sell anything. Strict, governmental edicts forbid it, and regulate the language we can use to mention underwriters.
3. You are trying to get "the big promotion"
There is nowhere I can be promoted to. I’m the assistant to the person in charge of my department, and there is only one other person in it. The best I can hope for is to get a status upgrade, which would mean that I get benefits and vacations and a pension. It’s been five years. I’m still waiting.
4. You have a clear boss, who has a secretary, drives a nicer car than you, and you need to impress him and his wife
I have a clear boss. She has a secretary, but she isn’t limited to just taking dictation for the GM, she has many other duties. Everybody drives a nicer car than I do, because I’ve never had a car and don’t drive. I don’t even know if the GM is married. I only have to impress her by doing my job. That’s why I’m still there despite the massive turnover.
5. No one actually has any real connection to whatever product or service your company actually produces
It’s hard to be connected to radio programming. We just want the equipment to work so it sounds as good as possible with the fewest screwups.
6. You have to travel on business from time to time and make presentations
Nope. Doesn’t apply here.
7. Status symbols like corner offices are sought after and important
Nope. There are no promotions or lateral transfers or anything like that. The heads of the three divisions have offices, and that’s it.
I wear a uniform. So does my boss.
No
No, I’ve been offered promotions and turned them down
Yes, yes, I don’t know what kind of car my boss drives, no (although I used to work with my boss’s wife and she likes me)
Not sure how to answer that one
No
No
I teach HS in a hick farm town. I’ve stopped making any pretense of doing anything but the job itself. I haven’t worn long pants yet this year, and I’m going to hold out as long as I can. It would be neat to go the whole year.
Today, I got my class into the assembly and officially counted heads, and then quietly drifted back to my classrrom, skipping whatever jingoism they were throwing down at the 9/11 assembly. And I’m a Republican.
My constant mental challenge to the administration: What are you going to do, fire me? I’m begging you.
Why are the traffic signals moving?
1). Oh heavens no. Very few people wear suits at all up here (if someone’s in a suit, they’re drug reps).
2). Not “the big sale”, but I definitely use salesman tactics somedays.
3). Hmmm … on a global scale, I’ve been trying to get the big promotion (and got it - yay). On a local scale, I’ve tried to AVOID the big promotion.
4). I did have a clear boss, no secretary, my car is nicer than his, and I don’t necessarily have to impress him.
5). I have a very real connection to what service we provide.
6). Yes
7). Among a subsection of people employed with us, yes. And I got the best office (inherited it).
-Everyone wears a suit, or at least a tie
Thank Og, no. “Dress casual” is the party line, but really, “just get dressed” is what it practically boils down to. They frown on logo T-Shirts and crap like that, but jeans are okay, so I guess “dress sensibly” would more accurately describe it.
-You are trying to make "the big sale"
We are a distributor so we do sell, but we have outside sales reps who drum up the business.
-You are trying to get "the big promotion"
We’re not a huge company so “big promotion” doesn’t really mean much. There’s my supervisor’s position I can take, whence numerous lateral positions can be considered, and then there’s a coordinator’s position. Above that is the guy that owns the company. His job might be a little harder to get.
-You have a clear boss, who has a secretary, drives a nicer car than you, and you need to impress him and his wife
Yes, yes (executive secretary), yes (I don’t even have a car) and I’ve never met his wife, nor can I imagine ever needing to. It never hurts to impress the boss, though.
-No one actually has any real connection to whatever product or service your company actually produces
Probably in most cases.
-You have to travel on business from time to time and make presentations
Nope. That’s for our national service coordinator.
-Status symbols like corner offices are sought after and important
The only corner office here belongs either to the owner’s son on one side (he’s the national promotions guy) on one side (definitely an executive office) or our accounting manager/ad hoc tech guy (who really isn’t very technical) on the other, which isn’t really so much a corner office as it is just one of several glass-fronted offices that happens to be the last one down the hall. No real status attached to it per se.
Me 'n my supervisor have our own private office area separate from the main office area and the warehouse, though, which is kinda nice if not completely secluded or free from occasional through-traffic. My office is also separated from his by a wall, so 'least I can surf the Dope in relative privacy. 
-Yes. This is OK, since I only wear tailored suits and look pretty damn good.
-Sort of
-Not really, since we are a small company we don’t have fixed positions, but we do get raises and share in the profits of the firm
-Yes, but I’m about to change the car part.
-Kind of. I analyze and appeal property tax assessments made by the municipal goverment. Most of the time I have no actual idea what the office building or warehouse in question looks like.
-Yup, but only across town.
-Kind of.
I’m in my underwear most of the time, though I find my productivity increases if I at least wear pants.
You could say that, though it’s usually the clients who send me work, not the other way around.
There’s nothing to be promoted to.
I am my own boss and my own secretary. I do not have a car or a wife, though there are a few nice young men I’m trying to impress.
I’m working quite hard to get a diploma and a certification that entitles me to produce this service in a formally recognized fashion.
I guess you could call taking my copy-editing to the local Timmy’s “travelling on business.”
I already have a corner office. Of course since I live in a triplex there’s only a window on one side, but it’s tax-deductible.
Were you planning on maintaining this policy if you had achieved elected office?
Everyone wears a suit, or at least a tie Yes and no. If you’re at a certain management level and located at HQ, you wear a suit and tie.
You are trying to make “the big sale” Yes. I’m not a salesperson, but make frequent presentations in sales situations.
You are trying to get “the big promotion” Not personally, but it’s rampant.
You have a clear boss, who has a secretary, drives a nicer car than you, and you need to impress him and his wife Yep.
No one actually has any real connection to whatever product or service your company actually produces No. We’re all pretty close to the product/service.
You have to travel on business from time to time and make presentations Yes
Status symbols like corner offices are sought after and important Yes
Since so many sitcoms from the 1950s through the 1970s seemed to include men who worked in these kinds of jobs and work environments, they must have been common at one time. What types of jobs were they, and what happened to them? It seemed like a lot of 1960s sitcoms featured men who commuted to “Madison Avenue,” so I’m assuming old-school advertising agencies might be one such business with this type of environment.
Whenever I fly, I noticed that the ads in airline magazines all seem to cater to people that have these types of jobs; lots of Successories-type crap, negotiation seminars, presentation equipment, and so on. Still, after considering the countless times I’ve flown, I’ve only been on one flight where the plane was filled fore-to-aft with stereotypical, serious looking corporate-types all seemingly pulled from handshake images in a stock photography catalog - it was out of Columbus. There could be a lot of these “job jobs” in Columbus.
I’m thrilled that someone here has “The Job,” that’s excellent. Do you enjoy it?
-Everyone wears a suit, or at least a tie
Sometimes. Collared shirt and slacks at a minimum
-You are trying to make “the big sale”
I occassional go on sales calls with clients
-You are trying to get “the big promotion”
It would be nice
-You have a clear boss, who has a secretary, drives a nicer car than you, and you need to impress him and his wife
I have many of them and the most senior have Executive Assistants. I’ve rarely met their wifes but I certainly need to keep them happy (or at least not unhappy).
-No one actually has any real connection to whatever product or service your company actually produces
We don’t really “produce” anything. It’s a consulting service business.
-You have to travel on business from time to time and make presentations
Yes
-Status symbols like corner offices are sought after and important
Yes. Senior Managing Directors (the highest level) sit in offices and everyone else sits in cubicals of varying size
I’m not sure what you mean by “generic job”. Do you mean white-collar corporate jobs?
Hey I do the tumbs up too! BOOYA!!!