Bad Boss

Usually the delving doesnt get that dirty until the hiring/onboarding interview so basically a conglomerate mantra here looks like:

As long as you are as honest as you can be without volunteering and always being positive

I think its good.

Great points from everyone--Roger should be ship shape by the time he goes

There's also geography... you are tired of driving 25 miles every day, er ... I mean, you'd love to work closer to home, it is more efficient... it would leave you more time for, gag, jogging, or an hour after work at the gym...

Roger

How can you fail with all these good people on your team & all this positive advice?

Yes. Well, msolga, when you find something you're good at, you tend to stick with it. I'm good at worrying.

Micromanaging!? This guy reminds me of an old Delbert cartoon. The boss with the funny hair is leading him around the monitor with "click this.", right click that.", then "NO, YOU IDIOT! NOT THAT!"

But that's not what I'm going to say. I really do like Phoenix's suggestion about "different approaches", if the subject comes up at all. My approach is to know what I'm going to do before starting a project, and carry through till it's finished. I just hate the procedure changing in midstream and not finding out till the job is done.

Thanks for the encourging words, quinn. I needed them.

I know there is a Jokes forum, but I thought Roger might enjoy this one.

A man entered a pet shop, wanting to buy a parrot. The shop owner
pointed out three identical parrots on a perch and said, "The parrot
to the left costs 500 dollars."
"Why does that parrot cost so much?" the man wondered.
The owner replied, "Well, it knows how to use a computer."
The man asked about the next parrot on the perch.
"That one costs 1,000 dollars because it can do everything the other
parrot can do, plus it knows how to use the UNIX operating system."
Naturally, the startled customer asked about the third parrot.
"That one costs 2,000 dollars."
"And what does that one do?" the man asked.
The owner replied, "To be honest, I've never seen him do a thing, but
the other two call him boss!"

Thanks, I needed a smile.

Good luck in the search!

Thanks, Wilso.

Margo, if Roger can't say he knows Vinnie the knife in Chicago, at least he can say he knows Diane the nun gone bad in Denver. It'll send shivers up the back of any employer.

Wow, Roger, you've got some excellent advice. Is the job you're going to interview for closer to your home? I like what Osso said about giving less mileage as a reason to look elsewhere.

Whatever you do, all the best of luck to a wonderful man.

Haven't lined up any interviews yet, Diane. Actually, I only live three miles from work now, which is not only hard to beat even in farm town, it sort of blows the reasoning behind changing jobs for the sake of being closer to work.

Actually, if my boss could be inspired to find a new job for himself, I would have an almost ideal job - close to work, good bennies for such a small company, and good staff and crews. Well, he owns the business and doesn't seem to be looking.

Ok, you'd like some long drives so you can meditate in the car...
oh, never mind.

I don't suppose you'd like to relocate, thereby having a great excuse for looking in the new area?

One of the times I changed jobs it was actually because I had wanted to pursue a part of the laboratory field that I wasn't working in at the time. Because I wanted to work in hematology I wasn't asked much at all about the last job... which happened to be a good one, and the interest in hematology was true. It turned out that I hated the new job and went back after ten months to work at the first place in very happy new circumstances.

So maybe you are just looking for new subjects/companies so you keep up your interest level after so long in one place.

In fact, osso, that just might become the reason I'm "available".

Er... they want employee loyalty. They don't necessarily want you gallivanting off for greener pastures again after you get bored with THEM.

My recommendation is not to have a one-size-fits all answer, but have something ready about how appealing that specific job/ company is to you. (The one you are interviewing for.)

How would it sound to say I'm trying to get more feeling of involvement in whatever company I end up working for. Not a direct indictment of the owner and entirely honest. An example is our Sec 125 cafeteria plan. We left most of the Sec 125 policies with the original company, and turned a couple of them, and all the individually paid life insurance policies over to a local agency. Most of this was a done deal before I was aware that a change was even being considered, even though I am the only person involved in the details of the transition. This is typical.

Ya oughta try getting him promoted. Then he won't be your problem any more, but someone elses. Or start bragging on some other place, discreetly, and see if he tries to go to greener pastures.

Roger, the feeling of involvement is a sound and honest reason to be looking for a new job. It is obvious that you are interested in your career and want to remain fresh. That would be respected by anyone.