#advice

I've been considering using a staffing agency to help with my job search, but I don't know much about them in general. Has anyone here used them before? Were they helpful? And if not, what other options would you recommend instead?

The industry is tough so I’m being proactive and looking into open technology positions at Truist. Any advice or warnings to share? Keep it real with me folks!

Somehow I am seeing that Dell is doing very well financially, their stock and value is the highest it's ever been, same about revenue. Otherwise I am worrying about the constant layoffs I have seen

I am currently interviewing for a Inside Sales Associate role in the NGSA in Hopkinton, MA and would love to hear some insights. Would you take the role if given?

Experts are providing guidance on how individuals can proactively prepare for potential job losses. These strategies aim to mitigate the impact of unexpected employment changes. The advice focuses on financial planning and skill development. It encourages individuals to build emergency funds and explore new career avenues. Following these steps can help navigate challenging economic times.

Washington D.C.

https://www.wusa9.com/video/money/wheres-the-money/how-to-plan-now-for-potential-layoffs-wheres-the-money/65-87affe0a-ae80-4540-95e0-f3801e0a4e30

Will appreciate serious advice on how I can land on the list of RIF candidates without pushing it so far that I get fired.

this all seems backwards to me, doing training and internal backend work at the kent DCs and billing it to the customer

this wouldnt fly at capita or atos

I’ve learned more about ExxonMobil’s policies and the unwritten, dirtier rules outside the office than inside it. I’m sharing what I’ve picked up so far. If this helps even one person who walks blind. Feel free to add to it and keep it a live threat:

1. Be friendly, but don’t trust anyone. EM is not the place to build deep friendships. Surface level professionalism is safer.
2. Keep your academic network alive. You never know when you might need an adjunct role, consulting, or a fallback path.
3. Don’t share your goals. People we-ponize information here. Your ambitions become someone else’s leverage.
4. Don’t share anything personal. Many people cannot tolerate seeing someone else happy or progressing. Protect your privacy.
5. If you’re underutilized, speak up formally. Do your best, document it, and clearly inform management you need a project. Silence gets interpreted as complacency.
6. If you’re paired with a senior person in your area of the same skill, set boundaries immediately. Define your tasks, your ownership, and how credit will be split. Otherwise, your work becomes “their contribution.”
7. In team meetings, don’t rush to speak first. Read the room, understand the tone, then contribute. But don’t stay silent. You don’t want to leave labeled as “the one who didn’t participate.”
8. Document every idea in writing. Don’t let anyone “zoom call” your idea away and then repackage it as theirs. Put things in email, timestamp them, and confirm ownership clearly.
9. Don’t over acknowledge or admire people. The moment you over praise someone, they start acting like you owe them something. You don’t. Keep compliments minimal and neutral.
10. Never let them think you’re desperate for the job — even if you are. Desperation is blood in the water. If they sense it, you become the easiest person to throw under the bus.

I asked AI for a friend about Possible acquisition of Teradata.

“ Teradata is widely considered a notable and highly viable takeover target for private equity (PE) firms and larger tech conglomerates. Multiple financial institutions and market dynamics point to Teradata being a prime candidate for a strategic acquisition“

Just sayin…. If the pattern fits…. Wear it.

If there was one thing you could change in the next year with Truist Investments, what would it be and why?

Advisor Gateway blowwwwwws. I give them credit for trying to upgrade, but when you just put lipstick on a pig, well the original pig looks much better. By the way Envision was 100x better than eMoney. Saaaawing and a miss!

What are some unhinged things you get away with when working remote? Something on the keypad to keep you active on teams? Never opening teams/ email all day? Taking a maternity leave every year?
For those who have quiet quitted drop your tips below

Just advice to decision makers lurking, cut directors that are useless instead of cutting low paid employees getting the job done…. There you go saved you some consultant fees.

Hey everyone! Does anyone have any recent job interview tips? It’s been a long time since I last interviewed, so I’m feeling a bit rusty. Please post some tips if you have any!

Hey everyone! Let’s help each other out—drop your best resume tips or favorite formatting hacks below so we can all level up our applications!

I have been in a legally protected status, but now theyre after my job. been in this place for 5 years and this is what they do. if you tote work life balance, where is the example. hikes are dismall, childcare is so darn expensive and if you make changes according to the employee handbook, they decide to drop you with a hot potato.. new parents be damned! product and innnovation group and digital assets is a horrible place. stay away. ive gotten a lawyer

Hey everyone, let's stop falling for the bait. People are testing our responses to see if leadership comments here. Having a positive, negative, or neutral opinion just means people have different thoughts. It doesn't make them leadership. Don't let them trigger you.

Anyone else getting denied for unemployment benefits for false reasons? I was laid off and aldi is telling unemployment that I was terminated for failure to follow directions…

Any advice?

From conversations I've had, it sounds like the company is still working to align spending with current business realities. One of the innovation leaders I respect shared that August and September are expected to be particularly challenging as organizations work toward their headcount targets. Many innovation teams are reportedly running more than 3% above their planned staffing levels, which means difficult decisions are likely ahead.

If that's the case, it's going to be an anxious summer for a lot of people. My advice is to focus on what you can control: deliver meaningful work, support your teammates, keep learning, and take care of yourself.

Enjoy the summer where you can. The months ahead may test a lot of us.

I want to say something that might help someone avoid the mistake I made. I bought into all the hype about how great this company was, how it looked amazing on a resume, how lucky I was to be here. Friends and family reinforced that constantly. So despite years of bad management, a toxic environment, and watching good colleagues suffer the same fate, I stayed. I wasted so much time. If even one person reads this and decides to think twice before joining, then saying this was worth it.

Will Meg come to her senses and realize that AMs desperation move to contract as a services provider to a hugely incompetent national oil company of India was a mistake. Providing technical services in brown…the darkest of brownfields offshore India does not make sense..not bp’s wheelhouse or forte ..

If you accepted the offer, why are you still nervous? This is an honest question. If I got it, I'd have accepted it and been relieved. I don't understand all the anxiety over a longer wait. Either you get approved, which is what you wanted, or you don't, and you stay in the same situation you're in now. What's the issue? What am I missing?

I've been through the layoff process and I wanted to share what I learned. I was able to find a new position within a couple months, but I'll be honest, it wasn't because of anything I did at Oracle. The industry is well aware of what's happening at this company and they're not exactly impressed. So when you're interviewing, focus on the skills you've built, not the brand name.

I need advice on how to deal with a certain type of coworker. There’s a guy on my team who talks a lot in meetings and always volunteers easy solutions to every problem that comes up. But after the meeting, he’s nowhere to be found. None of his “solutions” actually materialize, and there’s no real follow-through on anything he says. It seems he’s 100% focused on creating the perception that he’s the solution guy, the smartest one in the room, the one who has it handled, but in practice he’s not even close to that. Basically, he’s a meeting hero / work zero. The frustrating part is that management hears him in these meetings and happily believes he’s actually taking care of things, masterminding solutions for everyone, while doing absolutely nothing when management is not in room. Has anyone else worked with someone like this? How do you deal with all the showboating without getting irritated? Has anyone seen these types ever get the karmic justice they deserve or do they just keep getting away with it forever.

Give it your best. I'll answer truthfully to the best of my knowledge.

Mornin' all
For anyone interested - here's our review of Episode 3: Purpose
https://underthetable2026.blogspot.com/2026/07/episode-3-purpose.html

Hope that everyone can get some rest and recoup regardless of where you find yourself on this carousel of chaos. For those enduring the terrible heat, be careful out there!

Even the Tough Love Guru. Seriously, who hurt you?

I really don’t know how much longer I can put up with this. Looking but the job market is so bad right now. I can barely bring myself to the door to badge in. I can’t believe I actually used to like working here and felt energized by the work. This place has gotten so bad. Like trying to figure out if I can get some sort of disability claim and try to survive on that level if bad. Anyone have any suggestions on just making through the day?

Thinking about going to the coffee shop and bringing the company laptop to work there for a change of scenery- is there security risks or am I ok if I use the VPN? Is public WiFi not allowed?

Is anyone else questioning the legitimacy of things we've been told about the VSP or our future here? I mean, with all the intentional ambiguity and gaslighting, I don't trust anything or anyone anymore.

What's up with the disclaimer in the offers that says "this is an estimate and can change"? How would it change? Hopefully, people aren't making decisions based on the numbers provided, only to find a significant gap when the money is dispersed.

For those who chose to leave after a reorganization and successfully landed a new role—how did you approach it?

This reorganization has been incredibly draining. I’m grateful to still be employed, but I’ve taken on responsibilities that are scoped nearly three grade levels above my current role, and I’m realizing it’s time to move more strategically.

I’m open to contract work and seriously considering submitting my two weeks once I have a solid transition plan. I’m feeling depleted, but I know I need to start taking steps toward something better.

For those who have made this kind of move, what helped you navigate the transition?

Do folks have any tips or strategies on preparation and the tactical steps when giving notice?

Recent LinkedIn slop post by Mike Whitaker that perfectly explains why the Citi MDs that have no clue get the seats that they have:

“Nobody is going to manage your career for you.

I wish someone had told me that in 1980 when I walked into NatWest as a junior office worker.

Instead, I spent the first few years of my career believing that if I worked hard and kept my head down, the right people would notice. That the system would reward me. That someone, somewhere, was keeping track.

Nobody was keeping track.

Here's what I've learned across 45 years and thousands of careers watched, and developed:

The people who progress are not always the most talented...

They're the ones who:

→ Know exactly where they're heading and why
→ Build relationships before they need them
→ Move towards discomfort instead of away from it
→ Think two jobs ahead, not just one
→ Refuse to let their current expertise become their ceiling

The people who plateau are often the most capable people in the building. They're just waiting for someone to tap them on the shoulder.

That tap isn't coming.

I've sat in boardrooms where promotion decisions were made. I can tell you — the conversation is "who's ready?" And readiness is something you build deliberately. Nobody builds it for you.”

The substack post below might be relevant to some of you

https://substack.com/@gregorojstersek/note/c-282587294

Simple playbook to make yourself valuable in the AI era:

1. Suggest/propose a new AI initiative
2. Implement it
3. Create a blog post about how you did it
4. Speak about it at a conference or meetup

Do this a couple times, and you'll build a great reputation.

but instead of talking about the usual "diversity" bullsh-t, when will this company find a way to gain usage? Mainly any store allows google pay as a payment option, what about this company? Paypal is around way more years, why being stuck only in the ecommerce realm? I know they are trying their best to make it as shittier day by day but still...

I sincerely feel for everyone at Centene who is feeling lost, unmotivated, angry, and downright exhausted. If you feel like this is not the company for you any longer, I want nothing more for you than to find somewhere you can thrive.

However, in the meantime you need to use your time wisely. I know It’s astoundingly difficult to put in the work when everything feels fleeting, but there is still time for you to utilize company resources that can benefit you greatly if let go.

Please take advantage of trainings, certification programs, company discounts, financial consulting discounts, and various other company resources while you still have access to them. Put yourself in the best position you can now in case you are let go whether that is voluntary or otherwise.

Your future self will thank you!

P.s. Much love to whoever completes my pseudonym in the comments ☮️

Based on the way the VSP is written, will an unemployment claim be approved? Assuming yes, when should you file the unemployment claim?

The writing is in permanent ink!

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/22/target-brian-cornell-shareholder-support.html

I don’t know how it is in other organizations, but EMTech is aggressively hiring in BTC. Either move to a safer department or keep your options open and look elsewhere. I know strategy advisors are always on confidential projects, so they can’t talk about them, but you can still get useful signals from them.

Watch and learn

https://youtu.be/5nbeGkLRSa8