When you apply for a job, you are applying for one if not all of the following reasons:
- You really need a job because you have things to take care of.
- You’re looking for a better job (more hours, different environment, etc.).
- You’re looking for something to fit in with your level of education and experience.
I know there are many individuals that dread the application process and there are reasons to.
- What if you spend your time on a long and drawn out application and end up not getting the job.
- You make it to the interview stage (or even many interviews) and never hear from them again.
- You get to the interview and the position you applied for is not what the company wants to hire you for.
If you’re one of the lucky ones, you get the job right?
You work this job for one month and you’re happy to be working. You do everything that is required of you, you sometimes work extra hours, and you trained to work in other departments.
One year later, you feel that you understand what there is to understand about the company. You research, you study, and you prepare yourself to move up to a department manager at the first available position. You also have a department manager that relies heavily on you to get his or her work done to avoid penalty. You have no problem with it because you take this as a chance to learn and not realizing your manager is taking credit for your work.
I know many may say at this point, “How do you know the department manager is taking credit for the associate’s work?” Here’s the proof……
The store manager has a meeting and you fill in for your department manager. He or she asks every manager in the room, “What can you do to boost sales in your department?” The store manager makes it to you and asks you,
“What does your department manager think he/she can do to boost sales in the department.”
You answer: “He/She didn’t leave me with that information, but I can give you insight on what the associates suggest since we work more closely with the customers and receive a majority of the feedback. I wrote down a few customer suggestions and some things from….
And you’re cut off by the store manager…..
He/She answers: “I didn’t ask you what you or the other associates thought, and what position did you apply to and get hired for? Do you make the overall decisions in the department?
Lets stop here.
Are you a prisoner of your employer, job title, or both?
You are if you’re limited to the tasks in your job title and the manager acts as if your input has no value. OR if you work outside of your job title (working other departments or doing your manager’s work) and your input is used by someone else that takes credit for it.
You are a prisoner of your job title and employer if:
- Going the extra mile to prove yourself goes unnoticed and/or does allow you to advance.
- Making suggestions that fall on deaf ears.
- Staying with the company having ‘hopes of uncertainty’ on raises and advancement.
- If you know of a well-perfroming coworker that has been with the company for years, has never advanced, and is still waiting for their first raise.
