WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:07.879 Hey, what's up, and welcome back to another episode of the Straight Shooter 2 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:11.720 Recruiter podcast. I'm your host, Emily Durham. Thank you so much for 3 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:16.839 clicking on this week's episode, because Mama, we're gonna get political. Yes, 4 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:20.760 I've been watching Succession and it made me realize just how messed up the 5 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.960 corporate world is. Perhaps your dad is not a multi billionaire having all of 6 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.839 his children fight to take over his legacy. But you know what, the 7 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:33.039 energy is still there. There are still toxic cousin Greg's, there are still 8 00:00:33.159 --> 00:00:37.679 toxic shifts. There are still some kind of unwritten rules about how to play 9 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:42.759 the game and get ahead frankly without losing your mind. And yes, I've 10 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.840 experienced some of these things myself. I'm not gonna lie to you. When 11 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:49.240 I first started in my career. You have to remember, I started in 12 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:54.520 banking. And if there is one industry that is unbelievably political and loves a 13 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:58.960 good hierarchy and loves making things complicated, it's banking. And I made a 14 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.600 lot of mistakes when I first started. I remember vividly a couple of times 15 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:06.560 I did something that I thought was normal, and looking back, it kind 16 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:10.040 of was. But in the eyes of the political world. I made a 17 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:14.200 big mistake. I was a corporate rebel. I was embarrassing my manager and 18 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:18.480 I actually got in trouble for these things and got a full on wrist slap, 19 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.359 Like I kind of got side eyed by leadership. So I'm sharing all 20 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:25.200 of this with you so that you can get ahead in your career, because 21 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:27.920 ultimately, if you cannot play the political game at work, you're not going 22 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:30.319 to get ahead. Like I hate to say it, that is just the 23 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:34.000 messed up, fed up world that we live in. But I also don't 24 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:38.159 want you to make the same mistakes that I did because it sucks and I 25 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:42.920 had a lot of anxiety about it and it really made me question my abilities 26 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.760 and my skills. And it's not that I was dumb, it's just that 27 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.599 nobody told me that this was going to be a thing anyway. So that's 28 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.760 today's episode. I have so much to talk to you about and I'm already 29 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:56.280 excited. Friendly reminder, if you have questions that you want me to answer 30 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:59.879 on the show, click the link in the episode description. It's linked in 31 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:02.480 all of my episodes where you can submit your questions. I've also got it 32 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:07.319 pinned on my Instagram at Emily the Recruiter. But let's get into today's video 33 00:02:07.479 --> 00:02:12.639 slash episode. Wait, I'm not even on camera, it's just an episode. 34 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:15.240 I clearly need to pour a coffee beerby Let me do that and we'll 35 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:19.840 keep going. First things first, when you join a company, I literally 36 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:23.560 need you to assume the worst in them. I don't care if that's toxic. 37 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:27.120 And I know some industries are much less political than others. For example, 38 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.560 tech industries tend to be a lot less rigid and like old school than 39 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:35.960 areas like banking or consulting or the government. So just be mindful of what 40 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:38.919 industry you're in because there will be different norms based on that. But for 41 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:43.800 the most part, you can never truly know the culture of that company until 42 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:46.879 you are in it. Because it is great to do research. I always 43 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:50.599 talk about going online seeing what people say, but you don't know what the 44 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:54.560 intricacies of your specific team and honestly even like your manager and your co workers, 45 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.479 and how that impacts the way you need to show up at work. 46 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:01.639 So I do want to start off telling you that I had my own personal 47 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:06.800 experience with this. You sure did so when I started at the bank, 48 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:08.960 God like five or six years ago at this point. Wait, no, 49 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:12.560 that math is wrong. It's way longer than that. But I refused to 50 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.639 age myself, so let's just call it six years. I hate getting older, 51 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:19.479 but it's fine. It's fine. But anyways, when I first started 52 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.879 at the bank, I was super interested in learning about recruitment, and at 53 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.719 the time, I was focused on learning and development, which is like basically 54 00:03:25.800 --> 00:03:30.479 adult training, internal learning. I really liked it, but I knew I 55 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:32.719 was much more interested in the recruiting side of the world. So I had 56 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:38.879 ended up sending some emails out to different managers internally who managed recruiting teams. 57 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.960 And I wasn't asking for a job. I really just wanted to have a 58 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.680 coffee with them to understand what their teams did. Very much was a like 59 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:49.560 coffee chat, just asking a basic question. So I sent that email out 60 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:53.240 to two or three different managers, and I guess it got back to my 61 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:57.680 manager, like my intern manager, and she came up to me basically was 62 00:03:57.680 --> 00:03:59.479 like, did you email so and so, And I was like, yeah, 63 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:00.680 Well, I just wanted to get a coffee with them, and I 64 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:05.599 wanted to learn about recruiting. And my manager essentially told me that's super inappropriate 65 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:09.840 because they reached out to me and I didn't know that you had sent them 66 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:13.319 a message, and I was shocked. I had no idea I had done 67 00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:15.639 something wrong. I just sent an email. Even looking back now, I'm 68 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.439 kind of like, this just feels like bullshit, Like come on, really, 69 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:24.439 I didn't do anything wrong. But basically what should have happened that I 70 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.759 later learned was I should have asked my manager, Hey, I want to 71 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.680 learn about recruiting, can you connect me with that person? And then they 72 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:33.120 would have sent an email. They would have set up time for me, 73 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.639 and I wouldn't have been like cold emailing someone internally. Do you want my 74 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:43.000 honest opinion, that is so bs what an uncomfortable, unnecessary, old school 75 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:46.319 way of operating. And also talk about just slowing things down and wasting people's 76 00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:49.879 time. This just doesn't feel like an effective use of time. But that's 77 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:53.920 what was the norm. And as I grew at the bank over those four 78 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:57.399 or five years that I was there, I kind of had to pick up 79 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:00.920 on these things so I didn't make those mistakes again. That's also why I 80 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.600 kept getting promoted because I never went around anybody's head. I always asked for 81 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:09.319 permission. I was very by the book. I put every request in writing 82 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:13.199 because that's what was going to protect me in that political environment. All to 83 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:15.519 say, the first thing you need to do is start your first job, 84 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:20.079 assuming they're political, and start off observing. And you can't straight up ask 85 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:25.279 people, hey, yeah, I'm new here. What's the like political environment? 86 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:27.759 Like? What should I do? What should I not do? There's 87 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.839 nothing they can tell you. This is all a set of unwritten secret rules 88 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:35.040 that nobody teaches you, basically to make your life harder. That's all it 89 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:39.680 comes down to. So start your job off by observing. And what you 90 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:44.240 need to observe is what are the different nuances to how people interact? Do 91 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:47.279 you need to ask for permission to do certain things? Should some emails be 92 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:51.759 written out in detail and others be point form? Are people actually casual on 93 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:55.360 casual Fridays? Or is it like when I was at the bank, which 94 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:58.480 basically meant I could wear flat shoes instead of heels, but the same dress 95 00:05:58.519 --> 00:06:01.160 pants. So just fall back and spend the first three to four weeks of 96 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:04.800 this job observing and playing it safe, and you'll get a bit of a 97 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:09.439 feel of just how conservative an old school this company is. But if you're 98 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.319 hearing this and you don't want to have to do this at a company, 99 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:15.959 you are either going to need to be self employed or work in a very 100 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.439 cool, chill, laid back industry somewhat like tech, even though to be 101 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:25.160 honest, some tech companies are just as structured and overpowering as some of these 102 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.720 more traditional banks too. The next thing you're going to do is always ask 103 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:31.879 for permission and then ask them to loosen the leash. What do I mean 104 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:35.480 by that? One of the best things that I did as I started navigating 105 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:41.519 my career in a super old school banking environment is I always aired on the 106 00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:45.600 side of caution if I was posting a social At the time, we were 107 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:48.600 using Twitter a lot, which feels foreign now, but Twitter was one of 108 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:53.800 our primary social platforms, and even though I got everything approved in writing the 109 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.839 night before posting it, I would always send one last message to the final 110 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:00.959 approver and say, hey, just triple checking, am a good to post? 111 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:03.879 And sometimes I really covered my ass because there were last minute changes they 112 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:09.399 hadn't told me or YadA YadA, So just really being hyper cautious and double 113 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:13.879 checking that everything is okay for the first couple of weeks is important because then 114 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:16.240 you're going to get a pulse check on if they're going to loosen the leash. 115 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:18.759 If you start getting messages like, oh yeah, you don't need to 116 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:21.720 ask, or of course, no need to ask, then it's time for 117 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:26.959 you to let go of that sense of control or that sense of needing to 118 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:30.600 triple check everything and you can just start doing your own thing, of course, 119 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:32.959 like within reason, but I would always air on the side of extreme 120 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:38.839 caution because you really need to think of everything like a game. You cannot 121 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:41.720 walk in here and just start doing the work that you want to do and 122 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:45.399 just start leaning in and asking people for things, because you're going to be 123 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:48.399 perceived as a bowl in a china shop. People want to see you play 124 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:51.720 the game. They want to see you ask your manager if it's okay to 125 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:56.000 do this, and then they're going to want you to put the request in 126 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:59.279 writing. They're going to want you to play nice with some of the really 127 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:03.560 jerk asshole managing directors, like you need to play the game and be kind 128 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:07.120 of friendly with everybody to figure out where you fit in and how you can 129 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:13.000 frankly manipulate the situation to get ahead. And it's not about being like deceptive, 130 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:16.680 it's not about having unhealthy relationships. But unfortunately, most companies that are 131 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:22.120 a little bit more conservative have boundaries set up basically to see who can't navigate 132 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:28.759 a matrix complex organization. So if you stop taking everything personally and frankly, 133 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:33.559 stop thinking logically, because going back to my shared experience a little bit earlier 134 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:37.360 in this episode, logically, it's fine that I reached out to a manager 135 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:39.360 to learn more about her team, But if I think about it like a 136 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:43.679 game, that wasn't the rules of the game. The rules of the game 137 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:46.960 is that your manager is your advocate, your manager is your connector. Therefore, 138 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:52.960 you need to bring your manager into everything you do that might somehow get 139 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.240 back to them without them knowing, Like you don't want them to find out 140 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.559 from somebody else, even if it's a small positive thing. So I had 141 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:01.879 to stop thinking about this like weight. This isn't logical. Weight, this 142 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:05.600 makes no sense. Wait, this is so dumb, and I had to 143 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:07.919 start thinking about it like this is a game. This is the parameter. 144 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.679 This is the rule of the game. So I need to play along if 145 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:13.960 I'm going to win. And if it sounds exhausting, it's because it is. 146 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:16.639 That's why I left banking. I well, it's one of the many 147 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:20.120 reasons that I left banking, But I was just tired of feeling like I 148 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:24.399 had to put on this mask and show up as this super polished, professional 149 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:28.399 version of me. I hate that I had to think so much, and 150 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.399 not about the work that I'm doing, because I obviously love thinking, but 151 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:33.759 I hated that in order for me to get a response from an HR business 152 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:37.240 partner, I needed to first ask the HR consultants, who then had to 153 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:41.399 ask this person, who had to email that person just to make sure it 154 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:45.200 wasn't an unrealistic ask. Whereas at the company I work with now, if 155 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:46.759 I have a question, it could be for the CEO and I could send 156 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.960 a message and it just well, that might be a pitch too far, 157 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:54.840 but it wouldn't be totally unheard of, because that's not the culture we have. 158 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:58.240 One of the biggest shifts I also had to make to play the game 159 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:01.639 at work was adopting a poker face, and that's not easy for me. 160 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:05.120 I am dramatic af You know this, like you can even hear it in 161 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:09.200 me voice, all right. But the poker face trick was a game changer 162 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:13.960 because when you are navigating the political environment at your organization, yes, you 163 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:16.879 have to follow rules, but you also can't roll your eyes as you follow 164 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:20.799 those rules. You need to come across as calm, cool and collected. 165 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.240 When you get pushed back from somebody, you can't be snippy and bitchy and 166 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:28.519 all of these things. You cannot wear your heart on your sleeve in these 167 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:33.639 corporate environments. Not every company is like this. This is advice for the 168 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:39.679 people who are in the like hardcore you know, corporate KPMG's Deloittes, Oop, 169 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:41.759 did I just name drop? Probably? And you know what, maybe 170 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:46.080 they're not like this anymore. Maybe things have changed. But just based on 171 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.080 what I hear from my clients, based on what I've seen in my career, 172 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:52.000 these more traditional orgs, you kind of got to play this game. 173 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:56.120 Another little hack that I adopted was this rinse and repeat method where I basically 174 00:10:56.120 --> 00:11:00.120 looked at someone who had the career trajectory that I wanted. So maybe they 175 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:03.120 were in my dream job, maybe they were doing a similar job, and 176 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:07.480 I would legitimately watch how they move and I would do that like if they 177 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.440 made a point to email certain people do certain things. I started to do 178 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:15.240 those as well, and that basically became a really easy way for me to 179 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:18.799 make sure I was following the societal norms or like, the social norms of 180 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:22.960 that giving company. But the biggest piece of advice I can tell you is 181 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:26.000 if you don't want to work in a company where you have to add being 182 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:31.519 a political navigator to the job description. There are some industries you're going to 183 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:33.279 hate, but if you want to work at those companies or right now you 184 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:37.080 have no choice. I need you to think about the political climate or the 185 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:41.679 political environment of the organization you work at as a game, and you need 186 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:46.080 to think about how can you move certain chess players or pieces around on the 187 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:50.399 board so that you can get what you want without stepping on toes, Because 188 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:54.480 if you step on toes, you're screwed. Like, if you step on 189 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.200 toes, it's game over. That's a rap, especially at those more old 190 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:03.960 school organizations. And on the note of political environments at work, let's get 191 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:07.679 into this week's question of the week. Friendly reminder, you can always send 192 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:11.960 these in with the link in my description, But oh my gosh, this 193 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:16.919 one is perfect for today's theme because somebody wrote in and asked, Dear Emily, 194 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:20.200 I want to ask for a raise, but my boss is kind of 195 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:24.120 stingy with money and doesn't actually want to have this conversation with me. What 196 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:26.480 should I do? How should I bring it up? First of all, 197 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:30.840 you should always be asking for more money, you know why. The worst 198 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:33.039 thing that's going to happen is they say no and then nothing changes. So 199 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:37.159 it's fine. It's really not a big deal. I know today's economic environment 200 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.840 is a little bit of a question mark, so it's normal that a lot 201 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:43.519 of us are not going to be getting a year end raise this year. 202 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:48.000 So I will say, if you get told no at some point this year, 203 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:50.639 I wouldn't lose sleep over it. It doesn't mean that you're not great 204 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:54.519 at your job, but you do need to think really, really mindfully about, 205 00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:58.159 you know, the political environment at your company. So make sure that 206 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:01.000 you're asking for a raise because you reason, not because you want it. 207 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:05.879 You either need to have proved that you bring enough value to the company by 208 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:09.440 keeping a list or a tracker of all of your wins, or you need 209 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:13.000 to come with some kind of market data that says here's how much I could 210 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.279 make and I know that because I did this research, or I know that 211 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.480 because I have another job offer. So make sure you have enough justification. 212 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:24.360 And the way to have that conversation might vary a little bit based on the 213 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:30.039 company you work at, but I can almost guarantee they are going to want 214 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:33.000 to have this conversation in person or over zoom. You don't want to do 215 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:37.879 this over the emails, okay, because that's how things get misinterpreted, That's 216 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:39.919 how drama comes up. Like you don't want to go there, So sit 217 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.840 down with your manager and start the conversation off in a really humble way. 218 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:46.840 It's okay to say, you know what, I'm a little bit nervous to 219 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:50.480 have this chat. I've been really enjoying my time in this role. I've 220 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:54.960 done XYZ research and I've seen that I actually might have an opportunity to get 221 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.200 a raise, and I wanted to know if that's something that's on the table 222 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.360 for us over the next couple of months and just see what they say and 223 00:14:01.480 --> 00:14:05.279 let them take it from there. You are going to get a vibe sense 224 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:09.679 from them pretty quickly to see if there's anything positive coming out at the conversation, 225 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:11.240 but all to say, you got to be polished and you have to 226 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:16.399 have a why, like data backed reasoning, otherwise you're wasting your time. 227 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:18.679 I also got a lot of questions this week about how to start a career 228 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:22.240 as an influencer or content creator, so if you guys want an episode on 229 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:26.120 that, I'm also super down to do it. Just let me know. 230 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:28.720 But all right, beautiful people, this week's episode was already a little bit 231 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:33.480 longer, so I decided to only do one question that we're answering. But 232 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:35.799 please make sure you are submitting more as we go through, and I'm so 233 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:37.960 excited to talk to you again next week.