Hello Full Time, I've Heard So Much About You

Oh dear, it has happened again--a lapsed blog.

Well, to catch you up. Remember back in mid-January when I mentioned the departure of a colleague and a verbal offer to go full time? It's a done deal. Actually, it has been since February 1st.

Woohoo! As exciting this is, I must admit, full time is draining. Maybe my exhaustion is exacerbated by this lovely midwestern weather we've been getting lately (but no blizzards yet where I live [sad face]), but I got to tell say, full time wipes me out. Before I was working about 3.5 days a week, with the other time spent "revising" my dissertation and doing life stuff. Losing my day home shouldn't be a big deal, but man.

Anyway, my job gets cooler and cooler by the day. In the conversations leading up to my Letter of Agreement for FT, Boss and I had several very productive chats about what I wanted to be doing, what she was thinking for me, etc.

* I have found one of the major differences between working as a graduate employee/student and a "real person" is that I am expected to take initiative. Especially when it comes to charting my place in the workplace. I am still struggling with "stepping up" and not just waiting for Boss to give me assignments.

For example, from our conversations re: FT, my boss told me about some ideas she had for me. But these were big ideas, like "we should be doing more in local communities." What does that mean in real, implementable terms? This has been my job to figure out. So after a bunch of conversations with co-workers and some work at home (cringe), I am now developing a brand new direction for my workplace which I will be in charge of--writing the grants, developing the programs, etc. It's totally scary, because if this doesn't work, it's on me. But if this does pan out, it will be majorly cool.

So with my transition to full time and leading this new direction, I now have a new title! "Director of Outreach." Cha ching!

The one thing that did not come with the transition is a raise. I pushed, but not very hard. I did get Boss to commit to reopening the raise conversation in 3 months (I even said, "okay, I'll put it on the calendar." She did not like that). I didn't pursue the raise too much because I'm taking on a lot of new duties and ending a lot of former ones. I felt that I didn't have much of a basis to ask for more money on work I hadn't even started. In 3-6 months I will have lots of new work documented (all of it demonstrating my superior abilities, of course) and then I feel like I'll be in a better position to negotiate several things--a raise, the workplace paying my phone bill, the ability to work at home as desired.

So for now I'm making $37,500, before taxes, plus paying 15% of my medical, eye, dental and life insurance. No retirement plan, but I am now salaried which means I get a consistent paycheck every two weeks (no more of this tracking my hours nonsense, yay!).

I put my salary and benefits out there because I think it is important for novice workers, especially women, to know what kinds of salaries/wages we're making. One of the books I read this summer makes a compelling argument that the decorum around not talking earnings consistently leads to women being underpaid. FYI: I am totally underpaid right now considering my level of education, my job duties, and my workplace performance so far. Based on the salaries similarly positioned employees at the nearby University earn, a fairer income for me would be more like $45,000. And this is low. In five years, I think it should be more like $60,000. But I realize this is all going to take time.

So hello new job! The money thing will always be a sticking point, but besides that, everything is awesome!

Avoiding the FT Contract Trap

Now that the dissertation out of my hands and awaiting Advisor's red ink, I have had a bit more time to get back to other things that I enjoy. Like this blog. And sleeping. And cooking my own food. And catching up on emails and phone calls to my too-patient friends. The list goes on.

My enthusiasm is short lived as Advisor should be getting back to me any day now (ahem), but until then, I thought I'd squeeze in another post.

So at my cool, awesome, part time job, I've been doing a lot of grant writing lately. I also am the lead on a project that requires a bit of travel and interviewing. Several weeks ago it became abundantly clear that if I was to going to hit all my deadlines I was going to need more hours at work. In fact, my Boss pretty much proposed it (although I did do some heavy hinting and had plan to broach the subject with her later in the week).

Here's a gloss of that convo:

Boss: Leadfoot, we need you, you are awesome. Can you work more hours for the next few weeks?

Pbft: Like how many hours and how many more weeks?

Boss: Oh you know, more.

Pbft: Um....?

Boss: How about 25-30 hours each for the next two weeks.

Pbft: Well, let me check my schedule, but I think I can do that.

Now I really dig my job. However, I totally see where this convo could eventually end up and I don't want to go there. I can do contract PT work for now, but I am not interested in doing 25 hours this week, 30 hours next week, and by next month be doing FT contract work. FT contract work=no insurance. Ever. No raises. Ever. Nothing. Thus my hedging.

After my first week of 30hrs/wk I approached the Associate Director (she is kinda like an office manager and boss/worker bee liaison but she also has a bijillion additional responsibilities that are way cooler and more important than just scheduling staff meetings).

Pbft: Boss wants me to work more hours. I'm thinking of asking her next week what her plans are for after these two weeks of increased hours.

AD: What do you mean?

Pbft: Well, to be blunt, I don't want to become a FT contract employee and I'm afraid that if I start doing 30hrs/wk as contract, I'll eventually just be doing FT contract. I can't do that. I need benefits and all the other elements of a "real job."

AD: Completely understand. I will bring it up to her when I think there is a good opportunity. If you plan to ask her about it this week, I don't think you'll get very far because she's so focused on all these deadlines. I'd wait till you get your stuff in and she's more relaxed.

Pbft: Makes sense. Excellent advice, thanks!

I went to AD again today and told her that my hours were going to be way up next week too (on account of another project). I don't think I really brought it up, but we did end up revisiting the conversation above and she said that she'd speak to Boss in the next few days. In fact, because Boss just complimented me today on some work I had done (score!) AD said she'd probably use that as an opening (love AD!).

Lessons learned:

If we can find an intermediary advocate for us, do it. AD knows Boss way better than I do and knew that having the $$ convo two weeks ago would have been a total fail.

If we have to advocate for ourselves, do it at a strategic time. I was so focused on being proactive about the FT contract work that I didn't consider that my conversation would have been poorly timed if it had immediately followed the conversation about doing 25-30 hours for the next 2 weeks.

Link our requests for more money/time/etc to a recent accomplishment. Makes sense, but not something I would have thought of (though I did think to email self the compliment for my personal records...).

On a related note. Last week when I was avoiding writing a conference paper (as I am still doing) I did a bit of research on salaries in the area. Sadly, my wage of $18/hour is comparable to other inexperienced grant writers in the area (though the source I was using also provides health and retirement benefits to workers which is not part of their hourly wage). My next task is to revisit my notes for the hourly wage of a research assistant/associate at the ABD/PhD level. Having this information in the back of my mind can only be good, right?

"I've never done this before"

Whoa, so it's been almost a month since I've last been here...? Uh, I haven't forgotten about you. I swear.

Anyway, here's just a tidbit for the moment.

Most magical words to date: "I've never done this before."

Say, for example, your boss asks you to write up an agenda and workplan for a project. Say you have no idea what these things are. Your options are likely:

a) pretend to know what she's talking about and make up something you think she wants

b) consult coworkers and hope they know what she's talking about

c) try to cover your rear when she's like "this made up stuff you and your coworker came up with isn't what I wanted"

or

d) say "I've never written an agenda or workplan. What goes on those?"

I plan to ride this horse for the next 3 months at least.

More Interview Prep

Here's a few more suggestions for prepping for an interview.

Have a really solid answer for the question of "what drew you to this organization" and its variations. Incorporate specific goals and missions of the company/organization/department. Statements like "I like you because you're really comprehensive" fall a little flat. That's not memorable or a very accurate portrayal of our knowledge of our hoped-for employer. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

Over-preparation is good. Think of it as free therapy. We really get to know ourselves if we have to dredge up and then succinctly remember real-life stories which answer questions like "what is your greatest weakness?" Even if I'm never asked about my work habits, self-reflection can't hurt right?

A good night's sleep is a must. If you have to ship off the resident cats/dogs/children for the night to ensure rest, let me recommend you do this. They always know when you have something important to do in the morning.

Send thank you emails. And real thank yous, if appropriate. They make you look like you care (which you do, right?), plus thank yous give you an opportunity to share the perfect response to the question you couldn't/didn't answer in the interview.

Let our references know they may be contacted. Send them the interview resume you used and let them know what they should talk about (ex. for your advisor be sure to tell him/her to emphasize your grant writing success vs. your teaching awards if that's what is needed for the job). Prepare the referee as much as you can. On our reference list we might list our relationship to the referee and why we have included them, especially if it isn't immediately obvious or if you are a multi-talented kinda of person. Be sure to let that referee know.

I'm sure there's 1000 more ways to prep for and recover from an interview....but these seem like some more basics we shouldn't forget.

Application Strike-Out, Still Job-Hunting

Hello Friends. Yesterday I found out about that awesome, amazing, perfect-for-me job that I applied for. Yeah, didn't get it.

Such is life. I'm actually more disappointed about the prospect of having to really do my dissertation now, than the fact that I didn't get an offer. Oh the lengths we go to, to avoid writing...

I found out from the rejection letter that there were 110 applications for 4 positions! Yoozers. People are hungry.

A friend of mine who has played this game in the academic world said that if you don't hear from the job people by the noted deadline (in this case, May 1st-ish) then you are likely not their top pick. However, until they lock in their candidate(s) they want to make sure they have everyone else still available, in case any "A-listers" back out. Since I hadn't heard anything by May 10th, I figured I was part of the "B-list." This is good to know for future job applications and also softens the blow of the rejection (i.e. by last week, I kinda figured I wasn't an A-lister).

After receiving the news via email (I don't think anyone sends hard copy letters these days) I sent update/thank you emails to my references (to let them know to not expect any emails from the job people) and emails to friends who have been cheerleading me the entire time and who had read my letters and given suggestions. I also sent a separate email to the Retired Colleague (RC) who had given me the inside scoop. In responding to my thank you email, she was very gracious and suggested I still look up Application Screener once I move to City. It sounds like I can use her name when I contact him.

Now, a word on the thank yous. I totally disregarded my own advice, and every job book's advice, and did not immediately send a thank you card to RC after she and I spoke back in April. I did send her an email that day, but not a real card. I finally sent her a hard copy note by post Monday night, May 10th. In my note I said I still hadn't heard from the screener, but I wanted to thank her anyway for so generously sharing her time and for giving me such great advice. Since the note will take a day or two to get to her, RC actually received my email before she received my thank you card. I dated the card, so whatever. It's the thought that counts.

On the whole, I'm not very disappointed. Really. I am pretty psyched still about asking that policy center for an internship or coffee making and photocopying duties. Plus, this means I might be able to really stick to my plan of finishing my degree in the fall (uh, although I'm really going to have to make up for lost time).

So have no fears friends, Leadfoot is still job-hunting and still blogging. I'm almost done writing my "hi remember me? can I work for you?" email to the policy center. I'll share that text here once I'm done. I also am nearly finished reading "What Color Is Your Parachute" which I strongly recommend. I'll be reviewing it in the next few days. Stay tuned for more.

Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

I've just finished reading this book and thought that a lot of its tips were blog-worthy. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel (Warner Business Books, 2004).

First, for all my gentlemen readers, this book has lots of tips you will find helpful as well, so don't be turned off by the title. You can even read this in public and maintain your manly street cred: the hardcover version I have only lists the title on the spine and the title seems very soft-porn, no? Uh, anyway... it's been a long semester and these days I'm easily entertained by the faintest of double entendres.

The basic premise of this book is that to get ahead in the corporate world we need to act like adults, not children (or in Frankel's words, "stop actin' like a girl and be woman").

While the gendered premise of her book is both useful and annoying, I think all ex-grad students should read it. After years of being told that we have to wait for the okay from our advisor/department/funding agency/university to do things, we have a hard time re-envisioning ourselves as autonomous adults. This book not only draws attention to the unconscious habits we do that keep us in this child-like position, but most usefully, it provides concrete suggestions and scripts for breaking these habits. It's the coaching tips that sold me on this book.

I think few of Leadfoot's readers need to be told that they should not decorate their office cubicle like their living room (mistake #26), though we all know people (specifically women) who break this rule. But other suggestions like "don't ask the boss if you can do something, just do it" (mistake #59) are good tips for all us workplace newbies. Frankel also spends a fair bit of time on networking--both how to do it and how to maintain relationships ("mistake 3: working hard," "mistake 13: failing to capitalize on relationships," "mistake 36: ignoring the quid pro quo" etc). I mention this because I know we all are freaked out by our seeming lack of professional networks.

My favorite tip, I think, is "mistake 44: striving for perfection." The coaching tip that sticks with me "strive for 80% perfection. The difference between 80% and 100% won't be noticed by most people but will buy you more time to shift to other important tasks". Is it coincidental that I'm currently struggling through a dissertation chapter? Surely not.

Frankel divides the book into seven sections, with a self-assessment introduction and a concluding "best of luck to you!" epilogue. Now, I think I'm pretty savvy, but I found that I made a mistake in at least each chapter. You will probably see some yourself in some of the mistakes in each chapter as well, so even if the titles and subjects seem hokey, they're not. Chapter 2: How You Play the Game, Chapter 3: How You Act, Chapter 4: How You Think, Chapter 5: How You Brand and Market Yourself [trust me, this isn't as lame as it sounds], Chapter 6: How You Sound, Chapter 7: How You Look, Chapter 8: How You Respond.

Now, have I bought this book? Uh, actually not yet. I'm still deciding if it is worth the $15 and the book case real estate or if I should just take my library copy to a photocopier and xerox the mistakes that apply to me. But I have sent a copy to my sister. She is just coming off a horrendous work environment that included a manager who was sexually harassing her and then retaliating when she would tell him to stfu and stop it. Because of a number of circumstances, including the fact that she currently lives in the antebellum boonies, she couldn't go to the HR department and report him. Lucky for her, the manager was a total cokehead and stealing from the company to support the habit, so the police removed that problem from her life. Sadly she was not the one to report him; that would really have been some awesome karma. Still, the next time she has to deal with a krazy manager, perhaps she'll be better equipped to stop the buck from the get-go.

Definitely worth a read--I read it at night before going to bed and got through it in a week or so. Again, really the concrete coaching tips and suggested scripts sold me and I'll probably end up buying the book just so I have a cribsheet to work from for the next time I need to diplomatically, but firmly, tell someone to get their shit together.

Read any good career books? Let us know! Next on my reading list: What Color is Your Parachute? But if someone else wants to take that review, have at it.

Etiquette

I have been remiss again. I won't bother with the excuses. But I did turn in a job application today! Wish me luck; I'll share the details later.

This post is, admittedly, reactionary. Too many undergrads acting dumb and too many authors at work being clueless have pushed me over the edge. I'll try to temper the letters I want to write these offending parties and keep to the basics. Because I realize they are not self-evident. And that while they feel second nature to me, it's only because I was 1) my mother would withhold tv privileges/dessert/etc if I didn't send my thank you cards and 2) my professional jobs require these kinds of emails for their files. This has all been reinforced by the "getting a job" books I've been reading recently.

What I'm talking about is the basic thank you and how to nicely ask for information.

First. If someone sends you information--a link, a cfp, a newspaper article related to your research topic--send them a thank you note. If this is an unprompted email or message, it means you are on this person's radar. Stay on their radar. You never know if they will be sending you the next dream job notice (or, ahem, snowflakes: the awesomest scholarship ever). Even if this is for something that has nothing to do with your research or interests, thank them. Not only does a thank you keep you on the sender's radar, but when you do have to go to that person for help or information, your sender will remember you as either a polite and prompt person or as a total ingrate. [I'm not making this up--I have seen students' grades lowered on account of their social skills, or rather, lack thereof. I have also seen pushy or ungrateful authors' manuscripts shuffled to the bottom of the pile, lost for months.]

"Dear XX,

Thanks so much for thinking of me. This XX looks interesting, thanks for passing it along. Hope you are doing well. Best wishes, Leadfoot"

Late thank yous are better than never thank yous. Miss Manners has it right for important messages--it's all about how you have left the other person hanging, not how busy or uninterested you are. Otherwise, a brief acknowledgment email is fine.

"DearXX,

My apologies for such a tardy response to your note about XXXX. Thanks so much for passing along this link/cfp/etc. I hope you are doing well and [fill in the blank with whatever personal pleasantry you can add about the weather, their work, their children or pets]. Regards, Leadfoot"

Second. If you are dealing with someone who is doing something for you (even if it is their job), thank them. Nicely. As someone who regularly deals with book authors, let me tell you: thank yous to low people on the ladder are just as important as the top dogs. (Can I mix anymore hackneyed metaphors?). If you are nice and utter gratefully for all the help I give you (even if it is to make some lame excuse for my boss's inattention) you will be rewarded. I will totally pull strings for you, put in a good word for you, and make sure you get what you want. I will give you info I'm not supposed to share. No acknowledgement of what all I've done for you (even if it is my job)? No effusive email thanking me for all the information I've given you? Yeah, that totally gets remembered. It's punitive and petty and very much a reality. So whine about the unfairness of it or just accept it and play the game. This rule applies to advisors who have to write you recommendation letters and it applies to the intake secretary at the Dean's office. Again, this email doesn't have to be long or over the top. Just a brief note is fine.

"Dear XXX,

Thanks for letting me know you received my manuscript/application. Please let me know if you need any other materials from me OR please let me know if you have difficulty opening these files. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Leadfoot."

Third. If you ask someone to do something like come speak to a group, read your job letter, sit down to an informational interview or something else the generally takes away from their schedule for the benefit of yours. SEND THEM A THANK YOU NOTE. And promptly. Like day of. All the job books say this. Do NOT slack on this. At all. And, depending on circumstances, real notes may be in order. So stock up on stationery. It's always better to overkill.

Fourth. It's all about being nice to someone and not pissing them off. You are a professional. You want to be treated as a professional. Act like a professional. For example, at my hourly job a new book competition just ended which required multiple files to be sent to a generic email. I was the one receiving and processing these emails. This was an international competition, leading one to rightly believe that I had to handle a lot of messages. Sending the following email, hours before the deadline, wins you no points.

"Please find attached my files for Book Competition. Please ignore my previous email. Apparently I had not saved corrections before sending. Thanks for your consideration."

I don't care that you are an associate prof. You just cost me twenty five minutes because your original files were a funky format and now I have to go back, meticulously delete previous files, save new files, recycle old printouts, kill another tree for your new printouts, update the database, and send you a second acknowledgment email, being sure that I change the stock letter to say that I'm talking about your new submission. All the while not getting confused by the 40 other submissions that also came in minutes before the deadline and are now sitting in my inbox. If you are an associate prof, you should know better than to send emails without checking them twice. Don't piss me off, I might just accidentally lose your new printouts. Again, this is punitive and petty but a reality. If you must absolutely switch files or update something, see Miss Manners' approach above. There is never enough ass kissing.

Does this all feel like brown nosing? It is, but so what? Brown nosing and being nice gets things done. Laying down the smack when you are powerless usually keeps you powerless. I once wiggled out of a very expensive campus housing contract because I was nice. The housing administrator actually told me that was the reason she was making the very rare exception for me. That was a lesson I'll never forget. Smiles and niceness gets you far.

Fifth. You want something from someone. Here's some stock phrases.

--if you want to make sure someone received your email: "I would greatly appreciate, at your convenience, confirmation of receipt." Or simply, "please confirm receipt".

---if you want information about something: "I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you could..." or "I realize you are very busy. At your convenience, I would appreciate any answers to my query regarding..."

Don't ask stupid questions, like "even though the Book Competition rules say that you want a sample chapter, will you consider a proposal without sample material?" Don't ask offensive questions like "I see your Book Competition provides a travel stipend if a book is chosen. How much is that travel stipend?" Questions like the following fall under both categories: "What was the assignment requirements/time of the advertised event?"

--if you want to get out of something: "After lengthy consideration, I regret that I must withdraw/decline from XXX. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to XXX and am sorry that I will not be able to contribute to XXX. My apologies for not updating you sooner."

-if you want to commit someone to an agreement: "I'll look forward to receiving your XX by Date. If you find that you will need more time to complete XXX, please feel free to let me know so I can adjust the expected due date accordingly."

--if you want something that someone is negligent on: "I noticed that your XX was due last XX. I know these tasks are sometimes difficult to complete. Can I expect your XX next week, Date?" Feel free to use the plural "we" or as much passive voice as you want in this and the two situations above.

--if you have to apologize for a screw up--your own or a colleague's: "Many thanks for your prompt reply. I'm terribly sorry to hear your relationship with XX to this point has been frustrating. My apologies for the inattentions. We'll work towards making things run more smoothly from here on out."

This all sounds lame and forced and fake. It is. But that's besides the point. It's all about the intent and what it accomplishes. Does it stroke egos? Does it make people feel loved and respected? Even if you gag as you write it, say it with a smile. Now of course this doesn't apply to abusive or inappropriate or out of line interlocutors, but in general being nice and attentive gets you farther than anything else.