re-launch
Wow, I haven’t posted since October. That’s sad, but then again, I was feeling pretty sad for a few months. I hated my job. Hated. I rarely use that word, but it fit.
The daily lectures I received from my supervisor regarding our poor standings in the company and my inability to turn things around seriously did major damage to my confidence. I was unmotivated and my staff was unmotivated.
Against my supervisor’s advice, I took off for a four-day weekend in NYCity to see if could get my head together. I pretty much chilled in a dark guest room the whole time watching TV and surfing the net with my best friend by my side. Oddly enough, she was going through the same thing at her job.
She was extremely supportive and reminded me that I was successful in retail for the past sixteen years and that I wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t a good fit and it was time to make a change.
I posted my resume as soon as I got home and waited for the offers to come pouring in. If you ever want a career in insurance, well, I have a gazillion emails I can forward.
Meanwhile, I dreaded going back to work, but quitting without finding another job was not an option (I already did that two and a half years ago). I was the walking dead at work. I did not care about anything. Eight hours seemed like eight hours. I was Jarhead …
I got a call a few days later from a major clothing retailer. I haven’t worked in soft goods since 1984, but I scheduled an interview with them to get some experience interviewing before the real opportunity arose. Four interviews later, they made a generous offer with a sign-on bonus. They asked me to get back to them by Monday. I didn’t need the time. I immediately accepted the offer.
My supervisor returned my call after six hours. He went right into lecture # 153 and I cut him off and tendered my two weeks notice. He didn’t acknowledge my notice and continued with his lecture for another forty minutes. I wanted to hang up on him and walk away, but I knew that my background check began after I accepted and I didn’t want to jeopardize my new position. It was going to be a long two weeks.
Two weeks later on Tuesday, my supervisor calls to tell me he’ll be in my store on Thursday for my last day.
“My last day is Wednesday.”
“But you gave two weeks notice.”
“My last day is Wednesday.”
“Thursday is two weeks from when you gave notice.”
“Regardless, my last day is Wednesday.”
“I will not be there for your last day.”
“Cool!”
He didn’t show up on Wednesday. Imagine my surprise when his supervisor showed up unannounced and asked me all the questions I should have been asked when I gave notice. “Why are you leaving?” “What would change your mind?” “If there’s anything you think I should “know” about your experience here, please don’t hesitate to call or write.”
I didn’t want to burn any bridges so I limited my answers to, “it wasn’t a good fit.” In the inside I really wanted to be like the person who said, “The bridges I burn light the path to my future.”
Flash forward to a few weeks ago. My current supervisor in the new store tells me she just got a call from a recruiter looking to fill a position in the company I just left. My old supervisor’s last day was that Monday. No notice required.
P.S. I sent mass email to my peers announcing my decision to leave the company. I received the best reply from someone I never really cared for. His email only had two sentences. “I strongly believe we do not actively create enough meaningful changes in our lives. Bully for YOU for creating this one.” Advice I will remember forever.
The daily lectures I received from my supervisor regarding our poor standings in the company and my inability to turn things around seriously did major damage to my confidence. I was unmotivated and my staff was unmotivated.
Against my supervisor’s advice, I took off for a four-day weekend in NYCity to see if could get my head together. I pretty much chilled in a dark guest room the whole time watching TV and surfing the net with my best friend by my side. Oddly enough, she was going through the same thing at her job.
She was extremely supportive and reminded me that I was successful in retail for the past sixteen years and that I wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t a good fit and it was time to make a change.
I posted my resume as soon as I got home and waited for the offers to come pouring in. If you ever want a career in insurance, well, I have a gazillion emails I can forward.
Meanwhile, I dreaded going back to work, but quitting without finding another job was not an option (I already did that two and a half years ago). I was the walking dead at work. I did not care about anything. Eight hours seemed like eight hours. I was Jarhead …
I got a call a few days later from a major clothing retailer. I haven’t worked in soft goods since 1984, but I scheduled an interview with them to get some experience interviewing before the real opportunity arose. Four interviews later, they made a generous offer with a sign-on bonus. They asked me to get back to them by Monday. I didn’t need the time. I immediately accepted the offer.
My supervisor returned my call after six hours. He went right into lecture # 153 and I cut him off and tendered my two weeks notice. He didn’t acknowledge my notice and continued with his lecture for another forty minutes. I wanted to hang up on him and walk away, but I knew that my background check began after I accepted and I didn’t want to jeopardize my new position. It was going to be a long two weeks.
Two weeks later on Tuesday, my supervisor calls to tell me he’ll be in my store on Thursday for my last day.
“My last day is Wednesday.”
“But you gave two weeks notice.”
“My last day is Wednesday.”
“Thursday is two weeks from when you gave notice.”
“Regardless, my last day is Wednesday.”
“I will not be there for your last day.”
“Cool!”
He didn’t show up on Wednesday. Imagine my surprise when his supervisor showed up unannounced and asked me all the questions I should have been asked when I gave notice. “Why are you leaving?” “What would change your mind?” “If there’s anything you think I should “know” about your experience here, please don’t hesitate to call or write.”
I didn’t want to burn any bridges so I limited my answers to, “it wasn’t a good fit.” In the inside I really wanted to be like the person who said, “The bridges I burn light the path to my future.”
Flash forward to a few weeks ago. My current supervisor in the new store tells me she just got a call from a recruiter looking to fill a position in the company I just left. My old supervisor’s last day was that Monday. No notice required.
P.S. I sent mass email to my peers announcing my decision to leave the company. I received the best reply from someone I never really cared for. His email only had two sentences. “I strongly believe we do not actively create enough meaningful changes in our lives. Bully for YOU for creating this one.” Advice I will remember forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment