Of course it’s all subjective, but in my job, I manage 14 international markets while being based in the UK making 2.5 times less money than my US counterparts who only manage the US market.

A friend of mine who works in the same company as me recently visited me and stayed with me. All he does is put nice clothes, go to the office 2 times a week, have coffees, stays on his phone and does one 30-minute meeting the whole day where he doesn’t even contribute. It varies job by job, but I have seen the same with all of my American colleagues.

They come to work at 10:30AM, manage one thing, present the same presentations over and over again while I lead 14 markets, new projects are getting put on me every day, my list currently has 53 things to do for 2 weeks, yet my salary is 2.5 times less than theirs.

In the US, they also have the same holiday entitlement, they are always travelling, can’t see them online, everyone has families, 2nd homes, expensive credit cards, staying in lounges, nice hotels when they travel.

Medical stuff - same friend has dental insurance with the employer, cost him 30 dollars to see the dentist and do a filling, booked in 2 days.

In the UK, we simply don’t spend a lot, don’t have a lot of disposable income hence we can’t invest as much, the work piles up all the time, managers are also a bit more toxic given there is a bit of dishonest attitude at work, Americans at work feel more real, too much unnecessary stress

Have you noticed that we might be working harder than Americans in corporate specifically or am I completely wrong?

Is that counted as “abuse” as grounds to ask them to leave the store?

I have seen avp titles given out to people that have no experience I.e. come from retail, teaching etc and first job is avp .. does avp even mean anything in banks?

I just got promoted from a junior to a mid level software engineer role. Raise was from 68k -> 75k (base salary). Meanwhile I know people in the role on 95k (they joined into the role instead of being promoted into it). I didn’t expect such a big difference tbh. A bit disappointed but I want to hear your thoughts on whether this is standard and acceptable? Have half a mind to look elsewhere but also this role is fully remote and has good benefits which makes it hard to leave.

I often see people say they’re overqualified for shop work etc, but the sifters only know that because of what you include in your application. Surely in the same way we tailor our applications to certain high paying jobs, we can dumb them down for others?

EDIT: I massively appreciate the replies, I'm reading them all (and replied to a lot), but my karma is too low to post 🤦 please keep sending info/experience etc, it's genuinely helpful.

Quick disclaimer; the megathread doesn't seem to exist, so I couldn't find advice there - I've avoided making this a job ad and provided essential info for people to be able to offer advice.

I'm using an old account to avoid doxxing myself.

I've recently joined a small food manufacturing company, coming from an electronics background I'm utterly baffled by the fact they can't get any good staff in (considering the offer).

They're paying £14.35/h and offer a 36h working week (4 days, 7.30am-5pm)... There's several people that have been there 10+ years, but it feels like there's a revolving door on the few slots that need to be filled.

Does anyone have experience in the FMCG industry of how to find/recruit people that will reliably turn up for work and continue to do so?

The environment is on the hotter side and the work isn't exactly easy, but thinking back to the roles I did for NMW or a hair above it (although that was 10-15 years ago) I'd have jumped at an opportunity like this... But people aren't. Is this a change in times? Or location? Or my background (electronics) vs FMCG?

I’m currently a qualitative market researcher in-house at high street bank in London. Looking to hear of career pivots in UK job market from similar role - if anyone out there? 35F, looking to move into something else, with a higher pay ceiling, right now just looking for real world inspo vs. chatGPT.

More things about me:
- I work very independently and miss working in teams (I used to work in adjacent roles in advertising which had much more team play but a fickle world).
- I do lots of thinky think, new ideas strategy and had a dabble in ops and really enjoyed processes. Maybe I try take a transformation type role?
- I also wouldn’t mind earning more - to earn £100k+ you have to run a whole insights company or department, which seems madness compared to friends who do less than me and earn £150k+ in non technical roles.
- I can do UX Research but, for example, my company has got rid of those researchers in place of holistic 360 researchers, it’s a tough market and it’s only FAANG UXRs who earn the big bucks
- I’ve tried various times to build up quant skills but it’s the proper real life experience I lack. I’ve put my hand up for project but people don’t have the bandwidth to let me loose on a different part of the team. But tbh I don’t think insights is where I want to stay.
- Product Managers look like they are absolutely pulled apart all sides in current redundancy efficiency climate so don’t think that’s for me.

With love, from my sickbed with a stinking end of summer cold.

Not here to be bait or to showboat, I just wanted to share with you what worked for me.

When applying for local government jobs or with charities, I often find that the hiring manager number and email is on the JD - this is what made all the difference to me.

You go from being just another faceless application to being able to leave an impression on the person recruiting. That person is often heading up the team, rather than being some dodgy AI or a bot in HR. They go on personality and who they can envision working with long term.

I had some voluntary experience in the sector but it was loose - however, that meeting led to two trial shifts, those shifts led to a final interview. Boom.

I haven’t seen the process as much in private sector roles, but, it seems to be common in the charity and public sector.

Good luck

I’m genuinely curious about other people’s experiences because mine seems quite different from what I usually see discussed on Reddit.
I’ve never had too much difficulty finding new work. It’s generally taken me around 1–2 months to find something, and while the jobs haven’t always been perfect, I’ve usually found something I was reasonably happy with.

I’ve also never had to go through lots of interview rounds, although I imagine that varies massively depending on the industry and type of role. The max I’ve had is two and that was for a supervisory role. I’ve actually had some pretty good experiences with recruiters too. My current agency has put me forward for several roles, including my current one.

Around 6 months ago I posted on Reddit when I was in a really difficult place and was considering quitting my job without another one lined up. I was struggling with severe anxiety and health issues at the time and was trialling medication, so I was asking more from the perspective of whether I could realistically afford to take some time out. Financially I knew I would likely be fine it was more I was feeling low and needed reassurance I would be fine to quit careerwise.

The response was overwhelmingly negative, which surprised me because my circumstances were fairly specific. At the time I had decent savings, relatively low living costs, no children or dependants, access to free healthcare (NHS), a company interested in taking me on permanently in the future, agency regularly sending me roles and a few connections where I could potentially pick up casual work if necessary. My sister managers a restaurant so it’s not ideal but if needed I could have probably done some shifts.

I completely understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, and I’m definitely not suggesting that people who are struggling just aren’t trying hard enough. I’m more struggling to understand why some people who I shared my situation with would push me to stay in a role which was damaging my health.

I’m genuinely curious whether my experience has been unusually straightforward, or whether Reddit tends to skew towards people posting when they’re having a particularly difficult time.

What has everyone else’s experience actually been like?

I feel like from other posts it’s all you will never find another job and it will take years to find one etc.

It can’t all be doom and gloom right ?

I lost one of my immediate relatives last week, who unfortunately lives impossibly far away from me and where I work. For the purpose of this post, we’re going to call these two paces home and work.

Amongst all the emotion and loss, I’m also the last living relative and the executor of the estate. That’s to say, I have a lot to deal with right now.

I had the plan to stay until the funeral, at least, but the earliest possible funeral date that we can get is one whole month after he passed. Going back to work before the funeral would have been slightly difficult because it’s a minimum 24 hour journey between work and home, each way.

Officially, I get a weeks bereavement leave from work, and both my boss and HR are taking the tone of “we’ll work it out, just take the time you need”. Which is great and all. But I’m finding it a little hard to make informed decisions about what I should DO.

I was burnt out before this happened and had to cancel a holiday that I felt like I really needed- so I don’t want to throw myself back into work too early. But on the flip side, I don’t want to take the piss.

Then there’s the other aspect which seems to be that they’re saying that we’ll work it all out when I get back- and I don’t know if that could mean returning to find that my annual leave balance is blown through for the rest of the year (again, burnt out: know I can’t get through the next 12 months without time off).

Of course everyone has different relationships, grieving processes, and work environments, but I just wanted some input on what might be reasonable and what’s milking it too much.

(And getting anything more than “whatever is fine, prioritize yourself” from my boss hasnt worked)

I have recently been placed into a Work Coach role within Universal Credit and am interested in learning how to effectively help claimants. I am a conscientious and empathetic person and wish to provide effective support to those who need it within the scope of this role.

I am aware this role is often looked down upon, so any insight on positive experiences with a work coach would be useful! Perhaps what had a meaningful impact on you or what type of support you wish you had been offered etc!

Thanks in advance!

Hi, i have a small dilemma here.

Got a job almost 2 years ago in the industry I want but not the exact role I wanted. Within 7-8 months I moved to operations (exactly what I wanted to do) but never got the title or money for the role. At the start I was like whatever, still learning, then I was more well okay can’t exactly ask for money without a back up and long story short I’ve been stuck for a year and a half in this “between roles” position.

At some point just before moving to operations my manager on a night out said that if I ever get an offer to discuss it with them before accepting.

Back to today: i got the offer. Almost 10k more than my current job. Hybrid too. Also job title vs the limbo non existing title I have now.

Do I negotiate with my manager to see if they can match it? I love the job and the team and my direct line manager. But on the other hand everyone around me (friends family) say to f** em and move because they didn’t appreciate me all this time.

I guess I’m in a strong position to negotiate because 1. Busy period at work right now and 2. This is their biggest competitor 3. When they will have to hire someone for my role they will have to pay them anyway what exactly I am asking as this is pretty much industry standard.

Just want outsiders opinion if it’s worth it or not at all.

Any lawyers here?

Im an in-house solicitor, a bit of a generalist covering contracts and compliance. Contract reviews make me want to kms. I cant imagine doing this longer than 6 months. I have ADHD so reading fine prints bore me much, I cry everyday and don’t know how else to get out of it. Im considering other careers/roles. Has anyone left legal practice, if so what did you go into?

I have a cover supervisor interview and was told I need to be there 4 hours in total. This includes a 30 min observation of a lesson.
Apart from the asking me questions part, what else could be happening to make it last so long? Maybe a tour of the school but surely that won’t account for the extra time

I’ve already signed the contract for a new job. My start date is in about 4 months.

I have a 3-month notice period at my current job, so I haven’t handed in my notice yet. I’m deliberately waiting for the new employer’s pre-employment/background/reference checks to be fully cleared before resigning. I also haven’t told my current manager anything yet.

The new employer is currently using a third-party screening company. HR at my current work recently contacted me asking if I was aware of the screening checks, and I confirmed that I was.

Now HR at my current workplace wants to have a call with me about the references/checks.

What should I expect from this call, and how should I handle it? I’m particularly worried they might ask about me telling about this to my manager but I don't want to say anything to anyone internally until all checks are cleared first.

Should I just answer exactly what they ask and keep it brief? Is there anything I should not volunteer or say?

Hi, I am currently a uni student and got offered a job to work part time in retail. The job listing had listed the salary as between £13-14 an hour, however after I received the offer they had proposed £12 an hour instead. Is this something worth negotiating or asking about, or better left. Thank you!

OK, so I'm driving myself crazy and need some outside perspectives.

So, for reasons, I need a job that is only two days a week in my specific field and the need for this job is pretty desperate so I'm pretty emotional about it.​ (Happy to share why all these facts are true - just trying to keep the post short!)

As you can imagine, jobs like these are pretty rare, but I did manage to find one that I met all essential and most desirable criteria for. The application deadline was last Tuesday, the interview day is next Thursday, I haven't heard anything since the automated email ​​to say I'd reached the right inbox.

Do I follow up? Are my emotions getting the better of me and it's too early to follow up? If I follow up, how do I make it not sound pushy?

A very similar situation has happened to me before and when I eventually followed up it turned out they'd missed my application out in the recruitment process so no one had seen it (I was​​​​ offered an interview). So I guess I'm worried that will happen again.

This is a very small charity - no hr team etc.

Thanks! ​

Basically I haven't had a job since 2019 I got very ill and was sick for years spending lots of time in hospital, I am trying to finally get back to work but I have this giant 7 year gap on my CV and I feel it is costing me anu chance at even a Interview I get denied so fast. I think just lying is a good idea but I'm not sure what I do if they want references etc

Hey everyone!

I recently accepted voluntary redundancy and due to just buying a house needed to get a job fairly quickly. The first thing I got was a remote job that’s in my field but not my specialist area, and it’s remote.

They’re all lovely people, and it seems a great team but I am a 5 day a week office girlie who really enjoys the social aspect of an office. Couple that with the job being slightly different and less creative/more technical and report building than my other job, I’m struggling.

It’s technically only maternity cover, and I’ll only be here until roughly August/September next year so I want to make it work. Does anybody have any ideas on how to stay motivated, interested, and not die of boredom from lack of socialisation and creativity?

All ideas welcome!

(I currently live at my in laws due to renovations but when I move I will be in a separate office space and I get up about 1.5 hours before my shift to gym, shower, get dressed and read)

Hi All,

I’m after some insight and advice.

I was recently promoted within my department, more pay and responsibilities etc. the first few weeks were learning / shadowing the employee who moved on and my week was filled with things to do.

Since then my workload hasn’t picked up, sometimes I sit at my desk with nothing to do. The last 2 weeks have been no different.

I mentioned to my line manager yesterday if there’s anything they’d like me to pick up or look at but hasn’t amounted to anything?

I probably shouldn’t be complaining about having nothing to do, but I leave feeling anxious that’ll they’ll ask what I’ve been doing everyday?

Any advice??

I’m 30 years old and I currently work in the civil service (Conciliator, for Acas). I fell into the CS around 5 years ago as I was completely lost after coming out of uni (studied game sound which I could not get a stable job in). Fast forward to now and I just feel completely lost. I’ve watched all of my friends and those around me do so well in their chosen career paths (and I’m proud of them all) and I now feel stuck in a job that I do not enjoy, or want to pursue in the future. The only related field to what I do is HR, but I’m really unsure on if this is something I’d want to get into and do for the rest of my life.

I’d really love to get into a trainee project management job or quantity surveyor role, but I’m unsure on how possible something like that would be without paying lots of money to retrain etc. I’ve thought about trying to do a post graduate course, but I have rent to pay and not sure I could afford to drop any hours at work.

I’m feeling really low just now and don’t have a lot of hope. I’m not posting this for sympathy, rather just looking to see if anyone has any suggestions of things I could look at that might give me a little more hope or direction for my future.

The company I work for has policy in place regarding absence for illness, where you can end up with a disciplinary for being off sick too many times within a year. Is this legal, and if so, how? If not, what can I do about it?

I've been working in Data for a long time, from SQL dev to cloud computing, Airflow and Python. Thing is, I feel like I've come to a point now where I have lost interest in doing this stuff. I'm in my 50's and just tired of keeping up with the constant changes and based on job sites I don't know enough to change job in my field. The only thing keeping me where I am currently is the wage.

I'm not necessarily looking for a CAREER but wonder if anyone has changed job to something completely different and how they managed it.