Yesterday, I experienced pure joy for the first time in a while. I am going to work for Anthropologie, a store who's aesthetic I fell in love with the moment I walked in 5 years ago. There wasn't this dream in the back of my mind to work for the company, but the opportunity arose when I saw a posting on Linkedin during my constant job search. They had me submit an application with some paragraph answers, and then fill out a survey. After that, I was asked to meet with the hiring manager, and we talked and she asked when I could start new hire training. My mouth dropped, I'm sure. I didn't realize I had the job! This is a large company, with several brands that are linked, and the headquarters are in Philadelphia (the city I've wanted to move to probably about as long as I knew that I wanted an apartment that had the same vibes as Anthropologie). It isn't that the starting pay is so much better than the job I currently have, it's the exact same starting pay. But with this company, there are opportunities to move upward and forward, and maybe just plain MOVE. The variety of merchandise this store holds might come across as overwhelming to someone who's used to selling one type of product, but I've been working at a thrift store for the last 8 months, and had to learn about all sorts of items that I knew nothing about or didn't even know what they were. I don't know if you can tell, but I can feel the eagerness in my thoughts and words as I type about this.
I'm ready for something new and fresh, a change of pace, an actual good discount, making new connections with coworkers and hopefully making more female friends out of this. I need to separate my personal life from my work life more, mostly as a way to stay sane because I am so so tired of all the crossover. I can't wait to tell the bosses at my current place that I got another job, and I'll be cutting my hours. It feels so empowering to know that it's their loss, a huge loss when I cut hours, and that it will cause them some issues. That sounds cruel, but I am tired of the BS, the low pay, no benefits, and constant scrutiny without real direction. I hate that I have a burden of responsibility and not a compensation to match it. I'm tired of hour long conversations that cover the same history lesson and no new helpful information. I'm tired of the attitudes and arrogance of the bosses, the gossip, and as the newest manager there puts it "mental masturbation." They sit around, drone on and on just to hear themselves talk, and they pat themselves on the back for it. Curse me the day someone I know reads this and this gets back to them, but honestly they should check themselves. I don't wish them ill, but they really need to stop thinking so highly of their "ideals" and "dreams" and actually pay attention to what's happening. They tell one person to stay in their lane, but yet let a different person consistently bully, boss around, and talk shit about whatever person they decided will be their bitch for a while. I've told one of them straight to their face that I would voice more concerns or issues I have if I believed I would be listened to or that they'd care. Did he even ask what I meant? hahahahaha NOOOOO. Because THEY DON'T CARE. I'm sick of that. I want to be valued, especially when they tell me the position I do is the most valuable part of the whole company (which isn't true in my opinion, but if it were true, it's pretty pathetic that I get paid such little money to essentially make sure the company doesn't fall apart....)
This job I have could be viewed like a toxic relationship. I'm not valued. I'm talked in circles. I don't benefit from it, except just the name. There's no direction, just a lot of selfishness, egotistical behavior, hypocrisy, and neglect. Yep, sounds like a bad relationship.
Just from the conversation with the hiring manager, I can already tell that this company promotes thinking about what's best for the workers, and creating a team that helps each other, and succeeds together. She said that those who want to work up into management do it. And when I told her I graduated with a degree in communications, she mentioned that their hq's are in Philly and that maybe one day I'd be working in the comm department. It was so thoughtful, and I've never had someone who was "interviewing" me think of MY future for me. This is a good thing. I really think that Anthropologie will be good to/for me and I will be good for them.
Something to remember, Hannah, is to not let the workplace become your only social place, and also to speak up even when you think the people won't listen. Value yourself, even though someone else might not. Speaking up to a boss that is difficult or won't listen to you shows them how you want to be treated. If you're silent all the time, sometimes that's just being passive and not helpful at all. Speak up when you KNOW you should, and be patient when the timing isn't right. I get to reinvent myself at this new workplace, and I am going to be someone great.
I'm ready for something new and fresh, a change of pace, an actual good discount, making new connections with coworkers and hopefully making more female friends out of this. I need to separate my personal life from my work life more, mostly as a way to stay sane because I am so so tired of all the crossover. I can't wait to tell the bosses at my current place that I got another job, and I'll be cutting my hours. It feels so empowering to know that it's their loss, a huge loss when I cut hours, and that it will cause them some issues. That sounds cruel, but I am tired of the BS, the low pay, no benefits, and constant scrutiny without real direction. I hate that I have a burden of responsibility and not a compensation to match it. I'm tired of hour long conversations that cover the same history lesson and no new helpful information. I'm tired of the attitudes and arrogance of the bosses, the gossip, and as the newest manager there puts it "mental masturbation." They sit around, drone on and on just to hear themselves talk, and they pat themselves on the back for it. Curse me the day someone I know reads this and this gets back to them, but honestly they should check themselves. I don't wish them ill, but they really need to stop thinking so highly of their "ideals" and "dreams" and actually pay attention to what's happening. They tell one person to stay in their lane, but yet let a different person consistently bully, boss around, and talk shit about whatever person they decided will be their bitch for a while. I've told one of them straight to their face that I would voice more concerns or issues I have if I believed I would be listened to or that they'd care. Did he even ask what I meant? hahahahaha NOOOOO. Because THEY DON'T CARE. I'm sick of that. I want to be valued, especially when they tell me the position I do is the most valuable part of the whole company (which isn't true in my opinion, but if it were true, it's pretty pathetic that I get paid such little money to essentially make sure the company doesn't fall apart....)
This job I have could be viewed like a toxic relationship. I'm not valued. I'm talked in circles. I don't benefit from it, except just the name. There's no direction, just a lot of selfishness, egotistical behavior, hypocrisy, and neglect. Yep, sounds like a bad relationship.
Just from the conversation with the hiring manager, I can already tell that this company promotes thinking about what's best for the workers, and creating a team that helps each other, and succeeds together. She said that those who want to work up into management do it. And when I told her I graduated with a degree in communications, she mentioned that their hq's are in Philly and that maybe one day I'd be working in the comm department. It was so thoughtful, and I've never had someone who was "interviewing" me think of MY future for me. This is a good thing. I really think that Anthropologie will be good to/for me and I will be good for them.
Something to remember, Hannah, is to not let the workplace become your only social place, and also to speak up even when you think the people won't listen. Value yourself, even though someone else might not. Speaking up to a boss that is difficult or won't listen to you shows them how you want to be treated. If you're silent all the time, sometimes that's just being passive and not helpful at all. Speak up when you KNOW you should, and be patient when the timing isn't right. I get to reinvent myself at this new workplace, and I am going to be someone great.
