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Based on this, I'm an a-hole. I did 90% of the IT work for this last client because I was 90% of the IT department. I literally begged upper management for hel

Based on this, I'm an a-hole. I did 90% of the IT work for this last client because I was 90% of the IT department. I literally begged upper management for help at one point. I kept pushing to give this part time contractor in Russia more work because he did great work, but his management stopped responding to emails because, as it turns out, they were tired of getting stiffed on payment. Eventually I wised up and quit, but in an interview, how do you explain such a situation where you did most of the work for 4 years without looking like a braggart or an idiot? Things have changed so much in the past 5 years and I'm afraid I'm obsolete already because this client was clueless and ignored every suggestion on how to use the latest tech or do things the right way. The best way to detect the a-holes is to try to gauge their integrity from the start. We did hire someone at the beginning to build the front end while I built the back, but after 6 months of constant yammering about marketing related issues and constant "I'm almost dones", the kid bailed and said he couldn't do any more because his full time job was too busy. He then handed me a pile of half finished ^$&^^&!!. Then I figured out he had been giving access to the codebase to some Russian he'd hired to do his work for him... So if someone is sort of arrogant... you have to expect that of 20-something young men overly enamored of their intelligence. But if they at least care primarily about the project, and not themselves, then they have a work ethic and that's what you want for your team. A-holes, liars, fools - none of them have a work ethic.

insickness 13y ago
Even if your previous employer was utter shit, there's almost no way to talk badly about them without sounding like an asshole. In that situation, your best bet is to spin it in a positive light. Leave in the fact that you did 90% of the work but refrain from talking about how bad management was. Talking bad about the previous management does not help you in any way. Even if you left the job because of it, you're better off saying you left "to learn new technologies or whatever, rather than saying it was bad management. Saying it was bad management leaves the possibility open that you could have been the problem. So rather than take a risk on you, an employer may choose to go with someone who says they worked well with everyone at their previous company.
- dfraser992 13y ago
  Yeah, I know. Even though there were 3 people in the company, including me, and I managed myself... It was a brute force lesson in office politics, it seems. At least I've graduated from the Clueless level now. This code of omerta in the business world allows the unscrupulous to thrive. The person who introduced me to the CEO finally told me some stories about when they had been a co-worker with them, that if I'd been told from the outset, I'd never have gone to work for the CEO or at least would have had a lawyer on speed dial. But my friend had the same "don't speak bad about people" theory.. Interviews require following a different script. But the Internet has different rules... See my forthcoming blog. Gossip does play an important role in communities; it is a back channel for info that social niceties or conventions prevent from being disseminated. But it is an unreliable channel too, hence the connotations about "gossip". Bottom line, I did not do the due diligence I should have, and ignored the warning signs I was picking up about how unethical the people I was working for were. So I see my responsibility clearly. I only offer up my story for others to use as observational learning.
  - insickness 13y ago
    Sorry for the late response. To clarify, I meant that you shouldn't talk bad about your employer at an interview. If you're starting a blog, you may want to consider writing it under a pseudonym--at least if you do plan to ever try to get employed by another person or company. Employers almost always Google prospective employees these days and online criticism of an employer would probably be ten times worse than speaking bad about that previous employer at an interview. I know people in this situation and it's not good. And yes, I agree, finding out about previous employers is great. Check out Glassdoor.com. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good for what it is.

insickness 13y ago

Even if your previous employer was utter shit, there's almost no way to talk badly about them without sounding like an asshole. In that situation, your best bet is to spin it in a positive light. Leave in the fact that you did 90% of the work but refrain from talking about how bad management was. Talking bad about the previous management does not help you in any way. Even if you left the job because of it, you're better off saying you left "to learn new technologies or whatever, rather than saying it was bad management. Saying it was bad management leaves the possibility open that you could have been the problem. So rather than take a risk on you, an employer may choose to go with someone who says they worked well with everyone at their previous company.

dfraser992 13y ago
Yeah, I know. Even though there were 3 people in the company, including me, and I managed myself... It was a brute force lesson in office politics, it seems. At least I've graduated from the Clueless level now. This code of omerta in the business world allows the unscrupulous to thrive. The person who introduced me to the CEO finally told me some stories about when they had been a co-worker with them, that if I'd been told from the outset, I'd never have gone to work for the CEO or at least would have had a lawyer on speed dial. But my friend had the same "don't speak bad about people" theory.. Interviews require following a different script. But the Internet has different rules... See my forthcoming blog. Gossip does play an important role in communities; it is a back channel for info that social niceties or conventions prevent from being disseminated. But it is an unreliable channel too, hence the connotations about "gossip". Bottom line, I did not do the due diligence I should have, and ignored the warning signs I was picking up about how unethical the people I was working for were. So I see my responsibility clearly. I only offer up my story for others to use as observational learning.
- insickness 13y ago
  Sorry for the late response. To clarify, I meant that you shouldn't talk bad about your employer at an interview. If you're starting a blog, you may want to consider writing it under a pseudonym--at least if you do plan to ever try to get employed by another person or company. Employers almost always Google prospective employees these days and online criticism of an employer would probably be ten times worse than speaking bad about that previous employer at an interview. I know people in this situation and it's not good. And yes, I agree, finding out about previous employers is great. Check out Glassdoor.com. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good for what it is.