back to work

[caffeineneeded]

Hello! I just wondered if anyone's can give me the nudge I need right now. Last year I changed from a job id been in for a number of years for the next step in my career. When I was interviewed I said to the company that to do all the work they required I would need an assistant to help me. In the interview they said that would be arranged. After two long interviews (one was a two hour presentation) I got the job. I was excited. That was until I started the job and they told me that the person who previously held my role had taken all their holiday and left three weeks before I started. This left a three week mess and back log in a sole charge role and then I was expected to just magically know the systems on my own with no help. Anyway fast forward to the end of my probationary and it turned into the job from hell. If I dared work from home I would be called well into the night on Fridays and emailed all weekend demanding silly things were answered then pulled in Monday morning if I hadn't answered an email (my contracted hours did not include weekends however I still tried where possible to work at weekends anyway). After three months and the end of my probationary and constant telling my bosses they had mislead me and this job was too much for one person I said I didn't think I was the right person for the job. They then said they would hire me an assistant. I was relieved as the whole time I thought they were trying to get rid of me. My boss then took me aside and said don't think you're going to be able to throw your work at this assistant. You will be expected to create more work for them not reduce yours. This was the final straw. After months of him sitting so close I couldn't move from my desk and micromanaging me to the extent nobody else in the office spoke to me for fear of him coming after them, I quit. I told them that I didn't think I was right for the role. The bosses said it was a shame. I said I would stay until they found my replacement as I was only on a weeks notice whilst still on probationary. I stayed and they were nice to me until they found my replacement then they basically said get out. Anyway the whole experience knocked my confidence. My old job doesn't have my position anymore and I am so scared to apply for new jobs as I don't know what my previous company will say if asked for a reference. The job I had was very long hours and my husband works very long hours and we have a 2.5 year old. We just about managed to get through those tough months of neither of us being home to manage house and baby and after my last job I kindve gave up and have now been off work for 6 months. Anyway. Now it's come to a point where I'd like to go back to work but am lacking the confidence to explain my 6 month gap. Has anyone else had to explain a 6 months gap after quitting a short role (that is God enough I should leave it on my cv?) I work in finance and have always found it to be a masculine dominated environment who even the mention of children seems to screw their faces in horror lol so am not sure if saying I took it off to care for child is acceptable. I just don't know how to explain the gap or why I left my previous role without sounding like I'm saying bad things about the company which obviously never goes down well. Thanks

[caffeineneeded]

Good enough not God enough! Finally having a coffee thank goodness so hopefully will be able to use my phone properly soon!

[BusyNothings]

My husband had a similar experience and so got a bit sneaky and said it was a temporary contract which he then took some time to work on his own business afterwards.

I wouldn't worry about what they might say. It's illegal for them to even hint at anything negative so just try not to think about that.

As for work just have a go, put yourself out there and see what happens. It sounds like you are an extremely hard worker and will be well appreciated in a new company. Whilst you are looking can you also look into maybe volunteering? Not sure what your typical role is but you could look at charity shops, the Samaritans or even on the exec committee of a youth group?

[kathrunneth]

Hi Caffeine, it sounds like it was a tricky situation. But please do try to remember that your experience was just in that particular job - not all jobs or bosses will be like that.

Often people prioritise the most recent experience in of our minds - or sometimes we focus on the most negative experience - and then that gets in the way of us moving forward. If you can think back to roles you had before this one, how you performed well in those, how you managed your workload, and hopefully how you had a supportive boss and colleagues, then this will help you to feel more positive about your career and about a future role. It might help to relax you in the interview too, because you'll talk about situations that you enjoyed, and you'll come across more positively.

I always recommend being honest about any career break - and yours is very short, many people (men and women) have gaps of longer than 6 months between roles. Just focus your interview answers more around your previous roles, or around the positive situations and things you learned in your last role.

And finally when looking for a new role, remember that you need to interview the company too! Try to look for a boss who is supportive and who likes you. For the right company and the right boss, your career break and the fact that you are a parent will be irrelevant. Good luck!

Kath @ Runneth London

[caffeineneeded]

Thank you, re interviewing the company boy will I be doing that next time... I had an awful boss once before (he got so mad he spoke through his teeth and stood so close spit went on my face and his face used to go bright red in anger...) anyhow I was a junior in a good career position so I stuck it out and vowed never to let myself have another boss like that again. Alas... I even checked out the office and the recruitment agency said they were a really friendly office. It was only when I got there that I realised my position had been filled four times and the company had only been running 5 years (my position is the type that in a new company you'd expect the same person to be there five years later) anyhow thank you. I will be honest, I didn't do anything wrong but they were very nasty and it is scaring me a bit. They did offer me to call it a contract role but I just left very quickly and I never looked back really don't want to approach them about it because on my last day my boss said I wasn't thinking of 'taking my concerns any further' and it worried me as they couldn't wait to get rid of me after I said no. Sigh. Thanks, I am going to have to suck it up I think and get on with it. Hope I don't take another break again, seem to have lost so much confidence in only 6 months!

[HoppingForward]

Am I right in thinking you have gone from an Assistant/designate Accountant role to an accountant role?

I would easily explain the gap away as childcare years or end of contract. Get back on with the agencies as well as looking independently. Our finance group doesnt accept agencie CVs and has our own recruitment website for example. PM me if you would like the company finance website link, it doesn't feel right to post it here and would probably out me.

[SherryRB]

If you weren't there long, you don't need to mention on your CV or LinkedIn profile; but you could say it was temporary work. It sounds like the company was concerned you were going to take it further (and were worried about getting sued or something). Maybe they realised they had internal issues. Something like that can really knock your confidence but it's just one company and not all organisations are like that. Wishing you well for your next job.