u/acuity-creel

I left my last job because I was completely burned out. Honestly, I'm not built to be on the phone with clients all the time, day after day. I was honest with my manager about why I was leaving, and she seemed very supportive. She also told me to put her down as a reference for anything I applied to after that, and said that if I ever wanted to come back to the same role, the door was open. I believed her, so I listed her.

A few weeks later, I found a position that seemed like a much better fit for me. It involved much less client contact, and they were fine with adjusting the work around my availability. The person doing the hiring seemed happy to speak with me, and after the initial interview, she scheduled a second interview right away.

When I went to the follow-up interview, the vibe was completely different. The hiring manager was noticeably colder. She said she had spoken with my references and that my old manager had told her she had concerns about me because of my burnout. Honestly, I didn't know what to say, because my old manager knew exactly why I left.

I explained to the interviewer that I left because of the constant client-facing work, and that the new job wouldn't have the same issue because the client interaction would be limited. Apparently, that concern was enough to change the decision, because I didn't get the job.

I feel like I want to contact my former manager and ask her why she would offer to be a reference and then ruin my chances. I'm confused and honestly upset. If she was worried about me, she could have talked to me instead of messing with my income and future job opportunities.

There are a lot of people who don't know the difference, and put former employers as references because they think they have to, or employers who will do anything to blacklist a former employee

So, it is very important to listen to other people’s experiences and advice, whether they share them on Reddit or LinkedIn. Paying attention to all of that and reading it carefully is important before getting involved in an actual job.

I make about $70,000 a year in my supervisory role. The net amount I receive each week is about $1050. Just two weeks ago, I worked 68 hours.

If you calculate it, that comes out to about $15.44 per hour.

And what's the shocker? Most of the team members I supervise earn more per hour than I do.

Honestly, I'm fed up with this whole system.

I've shared thoughts here before, and I've always supported the collective pursuit of better working conditions and respect for personal time.

I'm a finance professional in my early forties, holding a Controller position, earning a good income to support my household.

Lately, I've been receiving calls - not from external headhunters, but directly from internal recruiting teams at various companies - asking if I'm open to a new challenge, as they have an open senior leadership accounting role.

Overall, I'm comfortable where I am, but I usually listen to what they have to say. However, when I ask about the salary range, I'm always surprised by their reluctance to disclose it. Instead, they turn the question back to me, asking things like