Dear seniors,
I need your guidance on my unfavourable situation. This is going to be a lengthy one, so appreciate your time.
I am an executive assistant with 10+ years of experience in various MNCs.
Currently (from past 1 year) I am working in a company (family run business – partnership) as Executive Secretary. I chose this company as it is very close to my home, so that I could save on commuting time and could get quality time with my kid. When I joined this company, I was confident that I had made the right choice and more so because it was better than sitting idle at home. Soon, I started realizing what I had got myself into
Now, even though it is more than a year, I find it very hard to get used to this company, the style of working, ethics, etc. I need not use my brains. I need to just do as directed by the bosses (I had 3 bosses earlier, now 2 bosses – a father & a son).
I have realized my blunder of joining this company as I have made many adjust
From India, Bangalore
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I need your guidance on my unfavourable situation. This is going to be a lengthy one, so appreciate your time.
I am an executive assistant with 10+ years of experience in various MNCs.
Currently (from past 1 year) I am working in a company (family run business – partnership) as Executive Secretary. I chose this company as it is very close to my home, so that I could save on commuting time and could get quality time with my kid. When I joined this company, I was confident that I had made the right choice and more so because it was better than sitting idle at home. Soon, I started realizing what I had got myself into
Now, even though it is more than a year, I find it very hard to get used to this company, the style of working, ethics, etc. I need not use my brains. I need to just do as directed by the bosses (I had 3 bosses earlier, now 2 bosses – a father & a son).
I have realized my blunder of joining this company as I have made many adjust
From India, Bangalore
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Dear seniors,
I need your guidance on my unfavourable situation. This is going to be a lengthy one, so appreciate your time.
I am an executive assistant with 10+ years of experience in various MNCs.
Currently (from past 1 year) I am working in a company (family run business – partnership) as Executive Secretary. I chose this company as it is very close to my home, so that I could save on commuting time and could get quality time with my kid. When I joined this company, I was confident that I had made the right choice and more so because it was better than sitting idle at home. Soon, I started realizing what I had got myself into
Now, even though it is more than a year, I find it very hard to get used to this company, the style of working, ethics, etc. I need not use my brains. I need to just do as directed by the bosses (I had 3 bosses earlier, now 2 bosses – a father & a son).
I have realized my blunder of joining this company as I have made many adjustments and compromises. I do not want to sound “complaining”, however I would like to keep the facts as they are:
1) No basic infrastructure (when I joined, had to request for a separate washroom for women and a dining facility for all. Thankfully, this was adhered to.)
2) No PF, No health insurance / ESI
3) Leave is an issue, we work 6 days. Leave entitlement is 30 days per year (which includes national/public/festival holidays).
4) Compromised on salary. I joined for half of the CTC that I was drawing in the previous company. I know this sounds absurd but as mentioned above, all I wanted one year back was time with my kid.
5) No pay slips. The salary amount is credited to our bank accounts. Any request for pay slips etc., just gets postponed without arriving at any decision (best excuse is father-son duo wanting to discuss with each other and the other being out of town, very busy, on holiday, travelling, etc). I might follow up for 3-4 times and then leave it.
Now, I feel it is high time to change the job. Recently, I attended an interview (well-known company in Bangalore) wherein I was asked “the reason for changing the job?” I mentioned that I was looking for a professional organization and about the lack of benefits in the current company. However, the Talent Acquisition Manager & the VP – HR refused to agree that there was no PF/health insurance/ESI facility. In addition, there seems to be an issue with salary as well. I was drawing higher salary and joined for lesser salary. Now, I want to draw at least the same salary as I was drawing in my previous job if not higher.
Request your guidance and thoughts on how to go about the interview in general and about specific questions on reason for job change, benefits and salary. I have never felt so helpless in my career. Please help!!!
Thanks for your time.
Deepa
From India, Bangalore
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I need your guidance on my unfavourable situation. This is going to be a lengthy one, so appreciate your time.
I am an executive assistant with 10+ years of experience in various MNCs.
Currently (from past 1 year) I am working in a company (family run business – partnership) as Executive Secretary. I chose this company as it is very close to my home, so that I could save on commuting time and could get quality time with my kid. When I joined this company, I was confident that I had made the right choice and more so because it was better than sitting idle at home. Soon, I started realizing what I had got myself into
Now, even though it is more than a year, I find it very hard to get used to this company, the style of working, ethics, etc. I need not use my brains. I need to just do as directed by the bosses (I had 3 bosses earlier, now 2 bosses – a father & a son).
I have realized my blunder of joining this company as I have made many adjustments and compromises. I do not want to sound “complaining”, however I would like to keep the facts as they are:
1) No basic infrastructure (when I joined, had to request for a separate washroom for women and a dining facility for all. Thankfully, this was adhered to.)
2) No PF, No health insurance / ESI
3) Leave is an issue, we work 6 days. Leave entitlement is 30 days per year (which includes national/public/festival holidays).
4) Compromised on salary. I joined for half of the CTC that I was drawing in the previous company. I know this sounds absurd but as mentioned above, all I wanted one year back was time with my kid.
5) No pay slips. The salary amount is credited to our bank accounts. Any request for pay slips etc., just gets postponed without arriving at any decision (best excuse is father-son duo wanting to discuss with each other and the other being out of town, very busy, on holiday, travelling, etc). I might follow up for 3-4 times and then leave it.
Now, I feel it is high time to change the job. Recently, I attended an interview (well-known company in Bangalore) wherein I was asked “the reason for changing the job?” I mentioned that I was looking for a professional organization and about the lack of benefits in the current company. However, the Talent Acquisition Manager & the VP – HR refused to agree that there was no PF/health insurance/ESI facility. In addition, there seems to be an issue with salary as well. I was drawing higher salary and joined for lesser salary. Now, I want to draw at least the same salary as I was drawing in my previous job if not higher.
Request your guidance and thoughts on how to go about the interview in general and about specific questions on reason for job change, benefits and salary. I have never felt so helpless in my career. Please help!!!
Thanks for your time.
Deepa
From India, Bangalore
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You need patience as you want to double your present salary. Not always easy. Keep looking and you will find what you are looking for.
From United Kingdom
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1708From United Kingdom
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Hi Deepa,
I trust you have shared everything you wanted to. I would like to share a few things below that I believe will be helpful to you in the days ahead.
1. As a mature professional with 10 years of experience in various corporate environments, you should have taken the time to understand your current organization and discussed it with colleagues at your current company before making the move. However, it seems you did not do so. I am curious as to why?
2. Despite being aware of the drawbacks of your current company, you made the decision to join in order to spend more time with your child. If you decide to leave this organization because you do not want to work, will that align with your priorities of spending time with your child?
3. As an executive secretary, if you are unable to communicate effectively with and influence your boss, how do you plan to navigate a large organization and handle multiple responsibilities?
4. During interviews, it is important not to speak negatively about your current employer solely for your benefit, as it may reflect poorly on you. Instead, consider providing a diplomatic response. For example, you could mention choosing your current company due to personal circumstances that have since changed, allowing you more flexibility in your job search.
5. If you do not have a salary slip from your current company, consider providing a bank statement showing your salary deposits. Alternatively, you could obtain a salary certificate on your company's letterhead as evidence of your income.
6. Professional organizations typically do not overlook discrepancies in salary details. However, if you are a strong candidate for a specific role they urgently need to fill, they may be more lenient. Good luck with your endeavors.
Regards,
M. Kannan
From India, Madurai
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I trust you have shared everything you wanted to. I would like to share a few things below that I believe will be helpful to you in the days ahead.
1. As a mature professional with 10 years of experience in various corporate environments, you should have taken the time to understand your current organization and discussed it with colleagues at your current company before making the move. However, it seems you did not do so. I am curious as to why?
2. Despite being aware of the drawbacks of your current company, you made the decision to join in order to spend more time with your child. If you decide to leave this organization because you do not want to work, will that align with your priorities of spending time with your child?
3. As an executive secretary, if you are unable to communicate effectively with and influence your boss, how do you plan to navigate a large organization and handle multiple responsibilities?
4. During interviews, it is important not to speak negatively about your current employer solely for your benefit, as it may reflect poorly on you. Instead, consider providing a diplomatic response. For example, you could mention choosing your current company due to personal circumstances that have since changed, allowing you more flexibility in your job search.
5. If you do not have a salary slip from your current company, consider providing a bank statement showing your salary deposits. Alternatively, you could obtain a salary certificate on your company's letterhead as evidence of your income.
6. Professional organizations typically do not overlook discrepancies in salary details. However, if you are a strong candidate for a specific role they urgently need to fill, they may be more lenient. Good luck with your endeavors.
Regards,
M. Kannan
From India, Madurai
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Thank you, Mr. Kannan, for your time and your thoughts on interview tips. On point 3, I do not agree with you. Here, there are 2 bosses. So I need to discuss the issue/concern twice individually and also follow up with both. You do not get to catch hold of them together, so the solution is not found. Many times, I myself suggest solutions but again it is like boss 1 needs to discuss with boss 2 to arrive at a decision, and this goes on and on. As mentioned in the original post, I managed to put across the need for a separate washroom for women, a dining facility with tables and chairs, an attendance machine, etc. Also, the need for a receptionist was highlighted and recruited.
I am glad to mention that I have managed many tasks and reorganized many things at the current organization (in the absence of an HR department or facilities team) and continue to do so.
Regards,
Deepa
From India, Bangalore
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I am glad to mention that I have managed many tasks and reorganized many things at the current organization (in the absence of an HR department or facilities team) and continue to do so.
Regards,
Deepa
From India, Bangalore
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Hello Deepa,
M. Kannan has given you apt inputs for you to arrive at a well-informed decision.
Regarding the reason(s) for joining this company, as the saying goes: "If you want something, you need to forego something" [the original is in Hindi with rhythmic wordings]. Looking at the situation from another angle—you at least had a good chance to take care of your kid.
But in all the summary of the situation, you never once mentioned: what about the kid now, if you change to another job—which would, in all possibility, be farther. Any reason(s)? Or is there someone to take care of the kid now?
In a way, I don't really think you made a mistake—you 'misjudged' that this job too would be like any other MNC jobs you worked in earlier. But, as a thumb rule, family-owned businesses are more prone to adhocism and non-conformance to any structure of rules. Maybe, had you checked with any of your friends, like M. Kannan mentioned, you could have known it earlier... or maybe not, given your focus at that point of time [which was to be with your kid]—it happens. Quite often when our focus is working on a different plane, many alerting factors/aspects just get out of focus, even though they may be right in front of our eyes.
Coming to your specific issues:
How to handle the lack of Salary Slips— Bank statements are now accepted by many companies, in the absence of slips. You haven't mentioned the company strength—but going by what you mentioned, I don't think it's high [at the most in double digits—please correct if wrong]. You can explain the lack of Salary Slips due to the low company strength—that should be acceptable to many since small-sized companies don't have any formal salary slip practice.
Regarding 'no PF/health insurance/ESI facility'— what M. Kannan suggested is right. Though many HR heads may find it odd, they wouldn't give it a lot of focus if they really want you on-board.
Regarding 'I want to draw at least the same salary as I was drawing in my previous job...'— let's be realistic. If you were the HR head, would you accept this request straight-faced?
Frankly—though I am not sure how this would appeal to you—the only way to handle the salary issue would be to avoid showing this experience at all. You can say you were taking care of your kid—which for a lady candidate doesn't raise many eyebrows. With this, your benchmark would be your last-drawn salary.
From another perspective, it could also solve your having to explain the other major issues mentioned above.
Just give this a thought.
All the best.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
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M. Kannan has given you apt inputs for you to arrive at a well-informed decision.
Regarding the reason(s) for joining this company, as the saying goes: "If you want something, you need to forego something" [the original is in Hindi with rhythmic wordings]. Looking at the situation from another angle—you at least had a good chance to take care of your kid.
But in all the summary of the situation, you never once mentioned: what about the kid now, if you change to another job—which would, in all possibility, be farther. Any reason(s)? Or is there someone to take care of the kid now?
In a way, I don't really think you made a mistake—you 'misjudged' that this job too would be like any other MNC jobs you worked in earlier. But, as a thumb rule, family-owned businesses are more prone to adhocism and non-conformance to any structure of rules. Maybe, had you checked with any of your friends, like M. Kannan mentioned, you could have known it earlier... or maybe not, given your focus at that point of time [which was to be with your kid]—it happens. Quite often when our focus is working on a different plane, many alerting factors/aspects just get out of focus, even though they may be right in front of our eyes.
Coming to your specific issues:
How to handle the lack of Salary Slips— Bank statements are now accepted by many companies, in the absence of slips. You haven't mentioned the company strength—but going by what you mentioned, I don't think it's high [at the most in double digits—please correct if wrong]. You can explain the lack of Salary Slips due to the low company strength—that should be acceptable to many since small-sized companies don't have any formal salary slip practice.
Regarding 'no PF/health insurance/ESI facility'— what M. Kannan suggested is right. Though many HR heads may find it odd, they wouldn't give it a lot of focus if they really want you on-board.
Regarding 'I want to draw at least the same salary as I was drawing in my previous job...'— let's be realistic. If you were the HR head, would you accept this request straight-faced?
Frankly—though I am not sure how this would appeal to you—the only way to handle the salary issue would be to avoid showing this experience at all. You can say you were taking care of your kid—which for a lady candidate doesn't raise many eyebrows. With this, your benchmark would be your last-drawn salary.
From another perspective, it could also solve your having to explain the other major issues mentioned above.
Just give this a thought.
All the best.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
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[QUOTE=tajsateeth;2069794]
Thank you, TS, for your analysis and the feedback. I really need to think about the options available to me, such as traveling to a far-off job, considering my child, starting afresh, or not showing this experience at all. Yes, you are right, the strength here in the office is around 25 employees, with an additional 10 salespeople all over India, plus approximately 100 laborers working in the agricultural field on a daily wage basis. Thanks for your specific answers to my other queries on the interview.
Regards,
Deepa
From India, Bangalore
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Thank you, TS, for your analysis and the feedback. I really need to think about the options available to me, such as traveling to a far-off job, considering my child, starting afresh, or not showing this experience at all. Yes, you are right, the strength here in the office is around 25 employees, with an additional 10 salespeople all over India, plus approximately 100 laborers working in the agricultural field on a daily wage basis. Thanks for your specific answers to my other queries on the interview.
Regards,
Deepa
From India, Bangalore
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Hi Deepa,
You already have valid suggestions from Mr. Kannan and Mr. Tajsateesh for your queries. Being a lady, I would only point out - one year back it was your necessity to be with the kids so you compromised on your MNC job. You yourself should stand by this decision and feel good you did what the situation warranted. Now, if this particular need is fulfilled (we think it is), be flexible and accept the offer considering the facts both have pinpointed.
As you mentioned you initiated a lot of improvements in your current organization, it will not be an issue if you carry forward and work with the same zeal and spirit. It's a matter of time, and you will be back!
Wish you all the best!!!!
Best regards,
Vaishalee Parkhi
From India, Pune
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You already have valid suggestions from Mr. Kannan and Mr. Tajsateesh for your queries. Being a lady, I would only point out - one year back it was your necessity to be with the kids so you compromised on your MNC job. You yourself should stand by this decision and feel good you did what the situation warranted. Now, if this particular need is fulfilled (we think it is), be flexible and accept the offer considering the facts both have pinpointed.
As you mentioned you initiated a lot of improvements in your current organization, it will not be an issue if you carry forward and work with the same zeal and spirit. It's a matter of time, and you will be back!
Wish you all the best!!!!
Best regards,
Vaishalee Parkhi
From India, Pune
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