It’s the final day of “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, where I’ve been printing updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past.
Remember the letter-writer wondering whether to tell a recruiter about the unprofessional CEO they interviewed with (#2 at the link)? Here’s the update.
I wrote in back in February about seeing too many red flags in an interview and then receiving a string of demanding texts from the CEO after I rescinded my application. My update is not about that particular company… I blocked the CEO but weirdly the person they did end up hiring for the role looked me up on LinkedIn recently… maybe they talk about me? *nervous laughter*
Instead, I wanted to say how I was inspired in part by the Ask a Manager comments section to start forging my own path professionally. Some of the community gave really positive feedback about my ability to spot the red flags and set firm, appropriate boundaries, and talked a lot about how bosses like the one in my letter can’t continue to go unchecked. Bosses like that may not listen to the cold hard truth, but that doesn’t mean the cold hard truth doesn’t need saying for the sake of their employees.
So, I decided to take some time off and spring boarding off my People Operations background, develop my skills and education in workplace well being and psychological safety. I am in the process of launching my own consultancy service for start ups and other small businesses to help them develop cultures that actually serve their teams (throughout the employee lifecycle including interviewing!) and not just some egotistical founder. I’m also going to be offering coaching to individuals about trusting their instincts and setting clear professional boundaries.