I have negotiated myself into a terrific job with an amazing company. My only problem is my lousy job title; it makes me sound far more junior than the position I am actually working. I have been told the title is non-negotiable because it’s locked into pay-scale at the multi-national corporate level. How can I mitigate the effects of how this looks on my resume?
People are always surprised to hear that I’m three years out of college. They think I’m much younger. I have been working since I was 16 and I have a lot more experience than most kids just out of college. How can I get people to take me more seriously? I never wear jeans to work and it’s not like I’m showing up in pajama bottoms and flip flops. I almost always wear heels and a nice skirt or suit. But still people assume I’m really young and have no work experience.
[Editor’s note: Yesterday, I tweeted, “My son just came downstairs in his Penn State t-shirt and I said, ‘Um. We have to throw that shirt out.” Below is an email I received, hours later.]
I just read your Penn State Twitter involving your son and his t-shirt and your issue with is. This is very disappointing. There are 45,000 students, 20,000 faculty, the largest alumni base on planet earth and so what is wrong with Penn State? That one person who has not worked at Penn State since 1999 that the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has known about since 2008 and yet this pedophile still lives within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, and this is a Penn State problem.? I heard of one teacher in a school district from New York State who was charged and convicted as a pedophile and so is this a New York Public School problem state wide? Should I never watch the network news because it originated from New York City in New York State? I could go on and on, but please take a moment to think of what you are teaching your child and tweeting- that one person who worked there 12 years ago does not castigate an entire organization now. If you would like to discuss this further do not hesitate to contact me at [phone number and name redacted].
I’ve joined this firm at the beginning of this year and work-wise, its been great. However, on hind sight and looking at the problems I’ve been having, I think that I am being bullied. I was looking forward to being part of a young and dynamic organisation. However, it turns out that I’m being called a bitch at work.
I cannot even begin to consider who my ‘enemy’ might be. I am always friendly and try to be non-threatening. A colleague at work told me that it could be due to the fact I am young, married to a successful man and have nice things without being broke. I think its silly but no one else seems to have an explanation.
This affects my life because a bunch of women put together a performance plan for me and presented it to a partner. This will affect my career progression. I’ve recently done more work for men and they are happy with what I have done for them. I don’t want to think that my problem is due to women taking each other down. Can you offer a way to get rid of this problem? I am over understanding why but rather a solution to how to deal with office politics without trying to look ugly or make an effort to be inferior in some way.
Contact
penelope@penelopetrunk.com