Out of the blue, after Chinese New Years at work, one of the Senior VP came by to my cubi-space and told me there was a job opening. It was a mirror of my position in that it wasn't really an advancement but a change in direction some what. Rather, it had potential to broaden my experience and exposure. Now, I have had some issues w/ anxiety and pressure with everything going on. The spontaneous shift in this has caused me to think a lot. My goal w/ this institution is probably 2-5 years to gain experience and find myself. Truthfully, I am a bit uncomfortable w/ the change, yet a part of me realizes that I have to advance myself from what I've been doing, in the past 2 years at my work place. My issue is, this position requires me to be more active, and attend more meetings. Instead of working to just complete my work in a smaller circle, I now have to deal w/ a lot more people and be more engaged. I am at cross roads because I have been through 3, one on one meetings of 'lecture, coaching, perspective' talk from other successful managers. They are insistent of me getting out of my comfort zone, basically reminding me I have to continue to strive forward. I feel somewhat weird in that I still treat this as just my job and not really my career, yet I know my weakness and feel like I lack that motivation to strive for this potential opening. I am not guaranteed to get in, but I could throw my name in the mix. Being Asian is tough, because you have the whole 'face' thing going on, with me worrying about my current position, and what my ex-coworker/new-coworker will make of me.
"...Senior VP came by to my cubi-space and told me..." Hmmm... I would read that as a general telling the corporal to get out of the foxhole and start the advance, LOL... Frankly, the whole personal comfort zone thing that you've dissected so easily, was probably the same subject of private conversation about you, amongst your bosses. They've likely already made the same assessments that you did, and are trying to nudge you towards a bit more productivity. They likely see that while you have talent, you seem to be lazy and are unmotivated. Decide how much you believe in your company because it's now time to fish or cut bait. If you decline or don't put your hat in the ring, then management will see that as a sign of your unwillingness to offer any more than you've been doing. In essence, you'll be career dead ended in that company. If there is any need for lay offs, know that you will be the first to go. IMHO, this is a wake up call from management.
Thanks. Well, in our company, departments are viewed as very separate entities. The departments are run that way, but ultimately we are under 1 roof. In our current department, I am the youngest and am the last one remaining of the core. They shaved off 4 people in the past 1 1/2 year, people with a lot more experience than me. However, they still need someone to do the scrap work and I have assumed that role. The senior VP would lose me in his department, but he sees potential for me to grow and gain more experience in another department. Yes, it is a wake up call, but at the same time an opportunity. It just came so sudden, but I realize my hard work and humbleness paid off. But deep down, they want me cuz I can do the job cheap, as I still consider my resume to be very weak. For the senior VP to coax me, and have these discussions really meant a lot to me. They had trouble filling the position, and I was just shocked because of the economy. I thought it would be filled easy, I guess they didn't see anyone fit. My dilemma is, if I do decide to give it a shot, and I don't like it, I might have to abandon the company completely, which sucks of course. I however had given myself a plan, hoping to not stay at a certain place for more than 3 years.... hmmmmmm i have to decide pretty soon, to put my name in the mix...
Ralph and Espresso, the serious man who talks about business -lol And me, I just bump around with distractions LOL
You should still give it a try, probably a opportunity of a lifetime (at least not for awhile if you miss this one)
Seems like your personal issue is based on lack on self confidence Maybe if you give it a try you will get more confident at it as the more you do it the less out of place you will get coz although you will never get rid of the butterflies and the excitement or the discomfort that you will get but you will get used to it that it will not bother you as much.. Attending more meetings and engaging with more people in a company seems to be the best way to advance yourself and getting promoted easier since you are being seen and being known of more
Ralph is right .. that's a wake up call from management. I am sure mngt knows you well and like to keep you around; but you gotta step up to the plate .. take more self initiative and show more enthusiasm in your job. I think you should give it a shot and think of it as your last supper sorta thing .. if things don't work out, it's time to move on. Perhaps it's a sign .. I personally think that if you treat this position as a job more than a career, then you should consider exploring other fields all together if things don't pan out.
^^ Thanks for the genuine replies. I felt the best out of this because I had literally 4-5 deep deep conversations behind closed doors w/ the managers, SVP, VP one on one. Even today, I had the deepest convo w/ the manager that brought me aboard. She told me why she hired me, after these 2 years. We talked a lot !! The vibe I got after all this was that I had a great work ethic and I had the ability to advance. My managers however did not want me to stay at this current position forever, therefore they pushed this opportunity for me and were quite insistent. We are in a very difficult job market and any big movement of quitting and attempting something else might not always be the best of things. I am fortunate in that I have managers that want the best for me, not just to displace me to complete a task or throw me into diff't departments. I don't think I would've lasted in those situations, but fortunately I still have my options. I can honestly say, I was on the fence regarding this, in the past 2-3 days this weighed on me, thus I seeked online suggestions, friend opinions, etc. But I ultimately refrained from applying for the position. I didn't want to engage in the type of work that they did. I had to be honest w/ myself. I wasn't as committed and did not want to dedicate my time, and weekends. I was only going to go if I had to be let go in my current position and grab what I can before I had to dig out. In a sense, I would've given myself a shot at that opening if I was to be fired anyway. But I knew it wasn't something I wanted to do. I only hope to see an opportunity in the future which will advance me, and be something I enjoy doing. In the event, I know my department managers will fully support me. That's the type of support I got and it meant a lot to me. Regarding 'confidence', yes I will say I am not the most confident person, but I am more on the humble side. Yet, I am not afraid of trying and challenging myself. I have been told constantly by the people I work with and my managers/execs that I work hard and have the experience, and it feels good to know this. What really gave me assurance was that these SVP, VP, Managers were once like me, and more so exactly like me. Some were introverts, some were meek, shy, and quiet. But they are now top dogs at my place, and genuine ones w/ master degrees, certs, etc. Thanks PA =)
Well I am glad you made a good rational decision .. after all, only you know what's best for yourself. Career growth is great but more importantly, you gotta love the work. Wow .. I am surprised that your mngt took the time to chat with you so long .. how big is your com? As someone in mngt myself, I don't spend longer than 30 min in private 1-1 meeting .. if things need to be said concerning job or whatsoever, then I rather it's done during weekly meeting.
I'm in a fairly big bank. I work in a dept. So there is always that drama between depts. The convos were like 1 hour or so. W/ the manager that brought me on board, we talked like almost 2. Our dept has been close knit. I hope some other opportunity comes a long. But deep down, my goal is to put 3-5 years and actively seek opportunities in competitive bank.
oh ... banking ... not my field but ppl don't go far in bank .. vp is the highest and the salary sucks big time.
Hmmmm. if your working in the Banking industry (invest or commercial?), you should take this opportunity. if you end up getting the position you'll be amazed what you will learn and who you met meet and if your good other companies might want you to work with them (meaning higher pay, benefits. Who doesnt want that?). the old saying "working up the ladder" (something like that) well it's right in front of you, just grab on to it and climb look back after you reach the top. p.s. aren't you tired of the same task? challenge yourself!
I agree w/ that, but times have changed. The US economy and Job situation is terrible and I mean terrible ! I could get into that, but I'm sure you know this as well. Nothing got hurt more than the financial sector. Who are we kidding though..
You're going to need to move through the company eventually... You don't wanna be stuck in an "office space" situation where you've spent the last 10-15 years in the same job and your arch nemesis is the office printer which mocks you with its "PC Load Letter" message. I'm curious as to what kind of degree you have as well. Honestly man, If someone offers you an olive branch just take it. If you can't handle the difference you always have the potential to step back down, but you're gonna hate yourself if you don't try. Personally I'm the type of person who would be all over any sort of offer for upward mobility. I've got my education and certifications planned out for the next 3 years. I honestly hope to have a business card that has to be folded back to fit all my academia. -woot2
The world is not as slush as people make it out to be. Like any company, and I don't know if kids pay attention, but cuts and restructuring have been the biggest and continued agendas on most companies. Big, small, Wall St., Main St., Mom & Pop, these are the realities of the real world. I am not being picky in that the position is not really an upward movement. It is a sideways thing, w/ a shift in direction.
Horizontal moves into a different focus isn't necessarily a bad. If you're going to be doing something relatively new, it broadens your views and experience. In fact, it makes you more versatile and valuable as an asset. I would also investigate how many people in your company advanced directly, or advanced only after some lateral repositioning. This may be an unwritten requirement or internal challenge that every employee undergoes before being advanced. In other words, the whole exercise is meant as a management test; ie. to see how much you can handle, and to see how committed you are. Frankly, by refusing to take on the task after being talked to by several higher ups, I'm beginning to get the sense that you've taken a position that is a disappointment to your bosses. Word to the wise, that isn't a good thing by any measure. Regardless, good luck! And note to Fearless_fx: LOL... Office Space was so incredibly funny...
Dude, just take the position. Sometimes you have to force yourself to do the more appropriate things. They might not be desirable to you, but if you believe it's the right path for you to go forward, then just go for it. The more work you handle, the more you can put on your resume. Well, I am an accountant working for a fortune 50 company. I know these kind of things. I entered the field not too long ago and I have rotated into 2 different departments since my first day there. We have this rotational program which young accountant like me is required to rotate every 6 to 12 months. The purpose of the rotation is to have us broaden our knowledge about the company and develop necessary skill sets. I rotated into cost accounting department and now, Internal Audit. Trust me, if you feel it's right for your career, then just go for it. I was the one who chose to rotate to Internal Audit because I know IA is one of the more prestigious departments across almost every companies out there. Initially, it wasn't very attractive to me because of the amount of work, traveling and OVERTIME. I am loving it now because I have been noticing the development I have made so far in my job performance, my understanding of the company and the enhancement of my skill sets. Good luck man.
Departments are very independent, in that the staff in my dept and the other staff's department had no idea of me and my situation. This was as closed door as ever and it felt special (in a good way). By letting me go, they would lose me. They know of my importance, but they also realized it 'might've been a good opportunity for me. Oddly TODAY (FRIDAY), I was in another closed door convo w/ my direct boss. We basically talked but he had no idea of my potentially jumping into another dept., and I didn't bring it up either as it was of the past. But I did discuss w/ him about where I wanted to go eventually and he was extremely supportive in my career development. Go figure. He was willing to get my the experiences I needed to move on, whether within this current bank, or another bank !
LOL Go figure. An accountant. You better work on your CPA man ! Thanks. What was good was that I told my current new boss of what I possibly wanted to do. For now I am in a cross training mode, learning from other positions essentially because of the restructuring.
I don't know what that suppose to mean, but I make pretty good money without the CPA, for now. I am studying for my CPA. With the CPA, I could get paid up to 65-75,000, for the first 2 years or so.
