When you’re on the job hunt, it can be helpful to be assertive and make bold choices. Even if you don’t meet 100% of a role’s criteria, don't be scared to submit that resume. Following up with a phone call may seem annoying, but it also shows that you care and reminds the interviewer that you exist.
Being confident is great, but feeling entitled to a position might be going a bit too far. One manager recently shared on Reddit how a former colleague had the audacity to demand a new job from him, so below, you’ll find the full story, as well as a conversation with Adam Bennett of Career Prepare.
After being hired at a new company, this man was excited to have the chance to assemble his dream team
But when a former colleague called up demanding a job from him, he couldn’t help but laugh
Image credits: ThePeasantKingM
Later, the man responded to readers and provided additional details on his former place of employment
Experts recommend keeping contacts in your industry and reaching out to them when you're on the hunt for a new position
To gain more insight on this specific situation from an expert, we reached out to Adam Bennett, Senior Career Consultant at Career Prepare, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. Adam first noted that it is very important for professionals to maintain a wide network of contacts in their industry. “You should be proactive in keeping in contact with your network, even when you are not job hunting, as you never know when you might need it,” he shared. “Your network can provide anything from tips on roles that become available to direct job offers.”
Adam went on to note that, “When you start job hunting, it is advisable to reach out to your network and let them know. Usually, this is just a quick message to say that you are looking for a new role and asking them to let you know if they are aware of anything that comes available. However, if you are interested in a particular role, for example in their organization, then getting inside knowledge from your network can be really useful in preparing you for an application and interview process.”
Image credits: fauxels (not the actual photo)
"As in most areas of life, asking politely and sharing common benefits is usually much more effective than making demands"
We were also curious what the career expert’s thoughts were on whether or not we should be outright asking our connections for a job. “If your contact has the power to hire, then of course, you can ask if they would be willing to take you on,” Adam told Bored Panda. “It is worth reminding them of what you offer, and if you have worked together in the past, the successes you had together.”
However, he warns that demanding a job is unlikely to prove successful. “As in most areas of life, asking politely and sharing common benefits is usually much more effective than making demands,” Adam noted.
“Looking for a job can be stressful,” the expert added. “Before reaching out to anyone, you should make sure that you are calm, positive and well-prepared for the conversation. You should be aware of how you will come across to the person you are contacting.” If you’d like to hear more words of wisdom from Adam or the rest of the team at Career Prepare, be sure to visit their website right here.
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
While balancing a career and children is challenging, it does not mean moms and dads are entitled to any role they want
While there’s no question that being a working parent is challenging, many would argue that having children already provides employees with some degree of special treatment. According to one 2022 study, where 80% of respondents were moms and dads, 72% of workers noted that they’ve seen childfree workers treated unfairly because they didn’t have children. In fact, three quarters of respondents believed that parents are treated better in the workplace in general. They noted that childfree workers were denied time off more often, were required to work overtime more often and were given a greater workload than parents on various occasions. 87% of respondents also agreed or strongly agreed that working parents have more benefits than childfree individuals.
So while this particular woman wanted to use being a parent as an excuse for why she deserves a job that she was arguably unqualified for, she might be shocked to learn that she has likely already received special treatment just for being a parent. And she’s not entitled to any more. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How would you have reacted if you were in this man’s position? Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing people who had no chance getting the jobs they applied for, we recommend reading this one next!
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk (not the actual photo)
Amused readers were quick to share their thoughts on the unreasonable mother and HR manager
