Yeah, I know. I talked about it on here a few times - I was really excited about the job, I was looking forward to it, etc etc etc - but when it actually came down to it, the people who I was working with who felt that I didn’t earn/deserve the promotion made my life such a hell that I stepped down and back to my old job.
Now I’m trying to get out and away from those people, to get a transfer to a different department within the same company.
The question is - how do I address the issue in my resume? I was only in the position for ~7 months. If I was applying outside the company I could just leave the promotion off entirely, but within the company it is definitely on my personnel record that my new boss would be looking at. Plus, since any new position I would be applying for would be in the same building (though, again, different department/division), gossip about the situation will definitely have spread to the new supervisor. This organization is a hotbed for gossip.
So how do I address this, and make it look good (or at least minimize the bad)?
Leave it on your resume and if anybody asks, say it wasn’t a good fit, you were not happy, and you left for a different position that was a better fit.
From here you need to be prepared for why it wasn’t a good fit, which hopefully you can gracefully pivot towards why this new position is a good fit.
It’s hard to know whether to mention the toxic atmosphere, but you may want to use that. Sometimes people take that to mean that you are overly sensitive. On the other hand, if it’s well known within the company that the department has issues, looking for another role can be seen as a positive and sensible thing to do.
“I was offered the job. I tried it for several months, but the atmosphere in that department is, candidly, toxic. I’m looking for another position that will make better use of my skills in …” and elaborate from there. You can certainly highlight your long history with the company as one of the positives that you bring to the table.
Do NOT explain that the atmosphere was toxic. That is a horrible idea, unless you know for sure that the hiring manager was personally familiar with the facts and would agree with you.
Otherwise you look like trouble. How are they supposed to know if the toxic element was you, or them?
Just say that it didn’t match your expectations and your old job was a much better fit for you. Complaining about your old boss to your prospective new boss will never work out well.
Heh. I’m in Civil Service - 12 years is nothing here. At least 5 people I work with have 20+ years, almost all of it in this department. That was a big part of the problem - because I only have 4 years in the department, I was seen as a newbie who didn’t know what she was talking about.
Ugh, I’m in one of those companies too, and it really sucks. They pay lip service to valuing new ideas and perspectives but when we “newbies” propose such they quickly pound us into the dirt. I think the average staff seniority at any company should be between 5 and 10 years.
OK - another idea, depending on what you’re applying for, is to say that you prefer being an individual contributor. Some people do. If you’re not applying for management roles, then you could take that approach. You like to be hands on, do work yourself, directly involved, get things done, etc. Would that work?
Yes I would go for something like what Sunny Daze said. You took the promotion because you wanted to go outside your comfort zone and try something new. You realized it was not for you, it did not make the best use of your strengths which are X,Y,Z. You’re glad you tried it, you went back to your previous role where you were happier, but you still want to grow your skill set in different ways.
And maybe add something that this is why you really like working at Civil Service Place, there are different ways you can grow professionally.
I have zero experience of office jobs so this may be worse than useless, but if you still do want to go into managerial stuff, could you say something like ‘The fact that I went from being a team member to managing the same people was a big shift in the dynamic of the department, and there were a few people who were very uncomfortable with it, to the point that that dynamic was counterproductive for the department as a whole. I knew it would be a better choice for the team if I went back to my previous role. I’m still interested in moving to the managerial level, and I have the skills for it, but I think it would be more productive for me to do it in a setting where I’m not managing my former teammates.’ That way it sounds like you’re thinking about the welfare of the department and you’re willing to take a hit for its sake. It also covers you if they’ve heard gossip about how your stint as manager didn’t work out.
5/2012 - 6/2016, 2/2017 - Present: Current Job, current responsibilities
6/2016- 1/2017: promoted job
I assume that the promoted job was in middle management, yes? You can always say you learned you did not want to manage other people. I was promoted to be a manager of 4 technicians back in the 90s and I hated it. The company was completely toxic and after 6 months I stepped down, and shortly thereafter I quit. In interviews following that experience I told people that I was uncomfortable with management and preferred being an independent contributor and I never had a problem.
Currently I manage a team of 3-6 people; it grows and shrinks whit the phase of the project. I still don’t like managing people, but I am more of a team lead with my reports equal to me in skill and education. The point being it did not handicap me in advancing my career.
my situation 10 years ago was somewhat similar. I was an engineer, took a job at another company as a “project manager,” and within about 8 months they promoted me to a department manager with direct reports. I lasted about three months, I had to get out before it really started to negatively affect my health. I lucked into another job going back to being an engineer in my field, and I simply said I wasn’t ready for a management position at that time*. since they were looking for an engineer, that was good enough.
I’m still not management material and probably never will be, but I didn’t say that at the time…
eta:eclectic wench’s approach seems a better fit for your situation.