How to Handle an Overbearing Manager

Introduction

Okay…so I don’t “really” have a manager, because I work for myself. But I do have to report to editors for some of my writing. I have been writing and getting my work published in magazines, newsletters, even contributed to how-to books. I’m considered and expert in two areas and I don’t normally have much trouble with people I report to. Editors have a job to do. They point out errors and factual mistakes. They remind you to stay on point and in focus (some of us can get a little wordy and lose track). Sometimes they even tell you that something you wrote is a piece of junk and to go back to the drawing board. What I’ve been experiencing with a content editor at Demand Studios over the past few weeks is nothing short of ridiculous.

So I had to ask myself if it was me or if it was her. Was I not doing my job? Was I really not providing the right kinds of references? Was I really being gloomy, or wordy, or unclear? And the list goes on. Of course, I’m the first one to take feedback from editors and try to accommodate, but this woman is ridiculous in her comments. Her editorial comments have been two or three times as long as the article itself and completely over the top.

Mind you, I’m working as a freelancer who pulls article titles from the thousands available. I had to submit an application and work samples to get picked for the higher paying articles in the Careers Section, and was classified by the company as an expert in my field. The articles I write have a suggested work limit of 400-500 words. That’s about one typed page. Because of the extensive writers' guidelines and required references, it can sometimes take two hours to write an article that pays $25. But I’m trying to brand myself, so I’m going the extra mile, putting in 10-12 hours a week writing a few articles that are feeding some very prominent websites. It’s not about the money. It’s about the exposure.

So, on Sunday, I did some in-depth research about gender discrimination in the workplace that is supposed to be posted on The Nest Woman in the careers section. I spent way too long on the research then wrote what I thought was a great article. I proofed, edited, and edited again. I spellchecked, included my references, added some resources for extra reading, and proofed and edited again. Okay…it’s just about perfect, right?

Nope.

I got back four pages of commentary.

That was it. Whether she rejects my article, or not, I decided I wasn’t going to let her push me around like that anymore. (Not that I really have a choice in the matter, if I’m going to write for DS, I’ll probably get her as an editor again.) She pushed. I stood my ground (in the form of a page and a half of rebuttal) and refused to scrap everything I’d worked so hard on. At the time of this writing, I don’t know the outcome. It may or may not be rejected. If it is, you’ll see the whole article right here on this blog. Then you can be the judges.

The point of all this is that it made me think about situations in which people have to deal with overbearing managers in the workplace and I want to discuss how to handle those situations. So here goes.

Is it overbearing and bossy, or do you need to tighten up a bit?

We’ve all done it…left something for tomorrow the forgot about it; taken a shortcut that screwed things up; pushed a demanding customer off on the new guy so he could take the heat; spent too much time in the bathroom; missed deadlines; had bad days when we just couldn’t get it together and get our jobs done.

Let’s face it; we all have to take our fair share of the blame when something at work goes wrong. At the very least, we need to take a look at ourselves objectively and see if there is any truth to the feedback. If there is, then we need to fix it. Bottom line. We are responsible for our own actions and if there’s a problem with our actions we should “man up” and accept the criticism.

If you’re staying on top of it and getting the work done, whatever it is, it still might be your fault because you let your boss push you around and don’t stand up for yourself. Maybe you don’t want to lose your job, or maybe your just a wimp (like me) and completely avoid confrontation whenever you can. You also need to make sure you’re not just being oversensitive.

Take an inventory. Your stuff. Her stuff. His stuff. Their stuff. Fix your stuff, then wait a while and see what happens.

If you’re still being disrespected and mistreated, it’s time to take some action.

Plan the rebuttal

WARNING: Don’t do what I have a tendency to do with pushy, overbearing people: hold it all in and stew on it, until one day it all comes out of your mouth like bubbling lava. It’s not a very good idea if you want to keep your job.

If the person you have to confront about the way he or she is treating you says the same things over and over again, you have a place to start. If you’re dealing with different issues every day you still have a place to start. If your boss is a crazy person, you may want to skip your boss and go to his boss.

WARNING: Don’t backbite in the bathrooms or the cafeteria. Keep your comments to yourself and to straight to the source.

If you have a friend or family member outside the workplace to bounce ideas off of, do that. Plan you rebuttal based on fact. You’ve been doing the job so many years. You’ve received all kinds of positive feedback from customers. Your quality ratings are exceptional. Write it out. Practice it until you know you can say it without being angry and yelling and screwing up all the words. Practice it until you know you can say it calmly and firmly.

SAMPLE SCENARIO: Every day the boss insists that you do X, even though it isn’t your job. Every day you do X and that put’s you behind in your work. Then at the end of the day your boss gets upset and threatens to write you up, or worse. You’re getting tired of it and would give anything to tell him to take this job and….

SAMPLE REBUTTAL:

Boss insists that you do X and you reply: Every day you ask me to ----.  It takes XX minutes to do and puts me behind on my other work. Then at the end of the day, you say I didn’t get my work done and threaten me. Since I only have so much time to get my regular work done, maybe you could assign someone else to the task, or adjust my goals for my regular duties.

The Confrontation

Humans don’t always react the way you expect. This rebuttal might get an amazing response and your boss might just back off or assign the task to someone else. On the other hand, she might fly off the handle and do something completely unexpected. You have to be prepared for either result and have a plan of action for either response.

On the lighter side, an offer of appreciation will suffice and off to work you go. If the confrontation gets ugly you may need to take your complaints to the next level up, or file a grievance.

Whatever the result is, you know you better than anyone else. If you can put up with it without going crazy and you don’t want to change jobs, then stay until you can do something better. Otherwise, you may have to find a different place to work, transfer out of the department, or any number of other options.

Remember: you have value. No matter who you are or what your background is, you have value as a person and you don’t have to be disrespected or mistreated.

Where to Post Your Resume for Best Return on Your Investment (time)

Post Your Resume on Employer Sites

In order take full advantage of the Internet, you should post your resume on sites where employers are the most likely to see it.  However, no matter where you post it, you won’t be wasting your time.  You have everything to gain if the right employer sees it at the right time.

However, if you are going to use the major job and resume posting boards, be aware that you will have to be active in searching and applying for posted positions, if you want to make the most of it.

Many companies post open positions on their company websites and may require applicants to fill out a web-based application. This is more often found in cases where it is a large company, but smaller companies are now starting to use web services to handle their application processes, too. Some of the larger companies even allow job seekers to be notified of new job openings for which they are qualified, based on their resume content.  Here is another reason to make sure your resume is well written.  Search robots can only search for specific terms.  If they aren’t in the resume, even though you’re well qualified, your resume won’t be seen by a human with the power to hire you.

Professional Association Websites

Professional organizations often allow employers to post job openings for members and the organizations they represent. If you are interested in working in a particular field, try to locate websites for professional organizations in the field.

Housekeeping

It is important to understand that, before looking for a job, your personal house should be in order.  Today, many companies are including extensive background, drug, and credit checks in their interviewing process. Many recruiters encourage their candidates to be up front about any issues that may come up because of a background or drug check.

It is also a good idea to request your credit report prior to starting a job search, just to make sure everything is correct. Interviewing is stressful enough without the unexpected happening.

In today’s complicated world, job searches have become almost an art form and by following a few simple, though sometimes time-consuming, steps you can assure greater success in finding your next position.

Have a plan

Now that you've made the decision to start looking for a better job, consider handling your job search with a three prong approach. Your time and effort should be dedicated to:

(1) search and research

(2) production,

(3) and follow-up

You should develop templates for a standard cover letter and letter of introduction that can be customized for various job titles and open positions. Remember, your resume and letters are business documents, make sure they're focused and concise. Rather than including a laundry list of your job duties, invite the reader to learn about you by offering solid examples of your skills and accomplishments. During each week of your job search, make a commitment to respond to several qualified job leads.

And don't forget to Follow-Up! This can be the most challenging and frustrating part of the search process. This step forces you to deal with obstacles, barriers, dead-ends, and rejection. But if you're willing to be a bit tenacious, this step will allow you to gauge which leads are getting warmer (and deserve more attention) and which have gone cold.

Decide how much time you can realistically dedicate to your job search each week. If your goal is realistic, it can be reached. Then follow an organized, three prong approach to finding your next career opportunity.

Learn more about the benefits of career coaching at The Under Cover Recruiter.

Help! The Online Application System Takes Forever. Mastering Online Job Search: Part 1

Being a techie has it's advantages.

Knowing how to navigate the job boards and resume posting websites, or being able to figure it out, is truly a challenge, even for the most internet savvy job seeker.

Many employers, especially those with hundreds of employees across multiple sites require applicants to use the Internet to submit a resume and application. Sometimes it can take an hour or more to upload a resume, fix the mistakes that the parser made, write a cover letter, and add all of the additional required information. For the technically challenged or the job seeker who doesn't have the right marketing documents, submitting that application can take half the day.

One of the best ways to minimize the time it takes to submit an online application is to get and have the right documents on hand to make those submissions easier and less time consuming. A professional resume writer who is well-versed in these processes is your best bet.

Yes. They are expensive. Yes, you probably don't think you can afford one. Yes, there are a million websites out there that boast they're the best and you don't know which one to pick. My first piece of advice is to pick one that's priced somewhere in the middle. Definitely don't pick the cheapest one you can find.

The best resume writers, or resume writing companies, will have writers who are certified through an international certifying organization such as CDI, NRWA, PRWA, Jay Block, or a number of others. Expect to have to spend from $150 to $500 for a resume and cover letter package, depending on your level of experience and expertise, and the writer or company you pick to do the work. Some companies charge more and that's fine. You have to be comfortable with the service provider and when you find resume writer you're comfortable you should stick with that person.

For this price you should get a formatted resume that you can open and make changes to as necessary, as well as a customizable cover letter that allows you to change the contact information, target position, and whatever else is needed to tweak it for the vacancy. The other document you should receive is a resume that is formatted so it will be easily read by the online application system. Some writers use the .rtf extension (scannable). Some use the .txt extension (text). Some provide both and either is fine for today's back end application systems.

Of course, you'll still want your pretty, presentation copy, but you need the text or scannable copy for online submission. This will eliminate the need for you to rewrite job information every time you apply for a job on a website.

Armed with your new resume and cover letter in various formats, you should be able to get through an application session in less than an hour.