#careergrowth

I've had years of promises, and zero results. I'm tired of all the lies and watching incompetent people get ahead.

Just one more opportunity to AEOI please! - Mike, ELT and HR are you listening? If most of us knew how bad it was going to be we would have put our hands up right away. Some of us need the cushion before making our next move.

I honestly don’t know what to expect at this point. Centene has been great to me, and I can genuinely say that working remotely here has given me the absolute best work/life balance I’ve ever had with a company.

I’ve been able to raise my twins, be present for them, and navigate motherhood without a large village of support, while still making sure my career and work remained a priority. That kind of flexibility has meant more to me than I can really put into words.

If this is it and it’s time for me to move on, I’ll walk away perfectly fine. I’ll always be grateful for what Centene has allowed me to do, not just professionally, but personally. Whatever happens next, I know I’ll be okay. ❤️

It is also worth considering the possibility of an involuntary exit in your calculus of exit math and taking a new job. I was within 5 years of full pension when I got the surprise news. About two years earlier I did the math and turned down an outside opportunity because I thought the risk was non-existent. That was after negotiating the gap as small as possible. Companies change, leaders change, you aren’t in full control. Be realistic. The trajectory of Exxon is clear. Act accordingly.

Story by Melody Wilding, Contributor
August 9

Families pass down all kinds of useful ideas, like "be honest" and "treat others well."

But as the author of "Managing Up" and an executive coach to leaders at top organizations like Google, Amazon, NATO and more, I've seen how well-intentioned career advice absorbed from a young age can work against you.

None of these "rules" came from a bad place. They're simply a reflection of a more stable work world that rewarded loyalty. But that world no longer exists.

Here are five ideas that may have been drilled into you growing up that could sabotage your success — and what to do instead.

1. 'Don't get too big for your britches'
Staying humble is crucial to some extent. Nobody wants to work with a colleague who steals credit for everything. Plus, listening to others before you assert yourself can prevent major disagreements.

Take modesty too far, though, and you become invisible. To avoid coming off as big-headed, you may default to saying "Oh, it was all a team effort," even when your contributions were key. Or maybe you skip sharing a win because it feels like bragging.

But leaders aren't mind readers. They'll tap the person whose accomplishments they see, and who speaks up and makes it clear they want in on a certain project.

What to do instead: In your next one-on-one with your boss, ask what's coming down the pike in the next quarter. Then offer yourself as a resource, perhaps to spearhead meetings or put together a proposal. This move creates a win-win: You're solving a problem for your leader while also earning exposure.

2. 'Always be grateful for the opportunity'
You might've heard this in statements like "Just be grateful you have a job" or "You're lucky to be there." It's easy to convince yourself this logic is 100% true all the time as layoffs surge and more people in your life struggle to find work.

But the flip side is that you start treating the bare minimum as generous. You might accept a lower title or salary because asking for more seems greedy, while your less-experienced colleague earns more. Or you might stay at a job you dislike out of fear.

Gratitude and self-advocacy can co-exist. You deserve to be compensated for the value you bring.

What to do instead: Quit communicating your work in terms of tasks and focus on outcomes instead. You can point to the results you're getting and express thanks for the opportunity at the same time.

For example, instead of "I coordinated with two departments," try: "It was great having the chance to work across sales and engineering. With the new feature request process, I was able to unlock $100,000 in revenue for the company."

3. 'Just keep the peace'
Your parents may have intended to shield you from conflict and ensure you had plenty of positive work relationships with this message. But "keeping the peace" can morph into people-pleasing, especially for women. You might end up stuffing down your opinions or being overly accommodating so others feel comfortable.

The trouble is that the longer you stay quiet, the more entrenched bad ideas and behavior become. Your excessive agreeableness may also be interpreted by decision-makers as lacking conviction, preventing you from getting promoted.

Hard conversations are where your credibility is built. People respect those who can push back on an idea without making it personal.

What to do instead: Learning to diplomatically speak your mind is non-negotiable if you want to be seen as leadership material. And you can do it without burning bridges.

Try resetting a boundary. If you've been shouldering a process that should belong to a peer, for instance, you might say, "While I can't own this beginning to end, I'll put together full documentation for your team to take it over."

4. 'Do your job well and everything else will fall into place'
When your parents were rising through the ranks, mastering your craft may have been enough to succeed. That's changed. You still need excellent technical skills, but talent on its own won't distinguish you from your peers.

The highest performers know that expertise must be paired with political savvy. You have to consistently assess: Who knows my work, and how much do they trust me?

What to do instead: Turn a group of neutral colleagues into allies invested in your growth. Instead of bullishly pushing through an idea, get key decision-makers' input to shape it. Ask them to fill out a survey, comment on a draft plan, or make introductions. They'll feel greater ownership in the final product, and greater investment in you.

5. 'Figure it out yourself'
If the belief that self-reliance means survival instilled initiative in you, then you're probably resourceful and accountable.

But if you internalize this advice to mean that asking for help equals weakness, you'll burn out trying to solve everything solo. Your reliability can eventually stall your career growth, too: Leadership can't promote you because nobody can replace you.

What to do instead: When you need a hand, ask for it in a way that makes your effort visible: "After researching, I've narrowed the options down to X and Y. My hunch is X is better because [your reasoning]. What's your take?"

And when someone brings you a problem, ask questions before immediately jumping to fix it yourself, like "What have you tried so far?" or "What options are you considering?" This builds their capability and confidence, rather than their dependence on you.

Melody Wilding, LMSW is an executive coach, human behavior professor, and author of "Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge."

Does the fact that you could go all out, work a ton, crush all your goals and then some, and still be laid off in the spring motivate you to work harder?

I was assigned Centene university learning on Friday , that is due on 9/11. Could this be a good sign? Or am I just hoping for no reason.

How long can someone stay stuck at the same management level? This clown has been in his role for almost four years and has been ranking the team for all four cycles. (made his gang). I’ve heard that staying more than three years at the same level is bad for their career.

Are execs truly happy or miserable? Ranking must be brutal.

Is the risk higher for execs not to make it to retirement eligible (ie 55)?

What’s the latest CL promotion Guide?
I know it’s complicated, but looking for something simple….like below:

Avg OWD = 1yrs
Avg Outstanding = 2yrs
Avg Excellent = 4yrs
Avg V Good = 8yrs
Avg Good = 16yrs
Avg NI = 30yrs

Thanks for any useful info.

I was informed of my fate yesterday.

Like the two previous OPs, I work in IT. I have been here a long time. I am being told I will have two years of employment.

I will not be working very hard. I will finish my new certification goals. I will get more out of India then India gets out of me. I will use this to my advantage. I will prevail.

I will defeat the Borg.

If you are 1 to 5 years at Chevron and trying to navigate your career path, it might seem foggy but there is a method to the madness. You have not fully built your network yet while everything seems to be changing fast. My advice is collaborate more than you compete. You will be surprised how many employees with 10+ years of experience will be willing to mentor and even lend you their connections if you run into a rough patch. Compete against yourself to be better, not against your co-worker. Take advantage of all the training opportunities Chevron provides. All of that is well within your control, everything else is mostly noise. Trust the process.

I heard some of my colleagues have been getting OWD and heading to NC for training. What do they actually do there? And how hard is it to get OWD?

Teradata is a legit great spot if you're a SWE who actually wants to build real stuff instead of constantly refreshing LinkedIn for the next round of layoffs.

You get to work on massive data systems that actually matter to big companies, not some half-baked startup that burns through cash and then ghosts half the eng team. The tech is solid, the problems are hard in a good way, and they're not out here treating engineers like disposable headcount every time the market dips.

Compensation is competitive, the work-life balance is better than the usual grind, and you can actually grow without wondering if your job is safe next quarter. While a lot of folks are still recovering from the last wave of cuts or staring at empty calendars, people here are shipping product and getting paid to do it.

If you're tired of the chaos and want a place that values the people building the software, Teradata is worth a look.

Apparently India staff are so impressed by WFs new ranking system and career prospects based on it that as soon as they get an IM, they start applying out, get hired in 1-2 weeks, and leave.

The best part is, execs don't understand this, don't understand it takes months to years to fully train up a replacement, and don't understand how this is leading to system instability. Why can't they just follow the Jiras to do the job?

The cards are starting to fall.

Trust me, you do not need “mentors.” By my second year they assigned me one, and when I asked my teammates what that even meant, they all said the same thing: “We barely talk to ours.” And after my own interaction, I understood exactly why. These people aren’t mentoring anyone ,they just want to claim they’re training, developing, and guiding you so they can collect credit for work they never did. It’s corporate politics. They’re not helping you; they’re helping themselves look important. Avoid them. You’ll learn more on your own in a week than they’ll “teach” you in a year.

As someone in early career, I’m finding it really difficult to make any headway in growing. I’m on a team that doesn’t really teach me or train me and is far from what I’m wanting to do with my career, yet all leads (stretch assignments, internal transfers) have been shut down. After the reorgs, we lost half our team but are expected to do the same amount of work, and I can sense everyone burning out.

How can I get out? The early career market right now is so bad I’m unable to get even an online assessment or interview from any of my applications. And since Nike is my only real experience, I’m not sure if recruiters view it as a good thing

Has anyone else noticed more technology employees moving from Markets to TTS (Treasury and Trade Solutions) over the past couple of years?

What are the main reasons driving this?

• Better work-life balance?
• More stable funding and priorities?
• Better career growth opportunities?
• More interesting technology projects?
• Less pressure compared to front-office technology?
• Or is compensation no longer significantly different?

This is the only place I've worked where tenure is a disadvantage. New people get attention, praise, and opportunity, while most of long-timers get ignored, overloaded, and quietly pushed aside. The loyalty that used to mean something now feels like a trap.

48 years, 13 YEE, probability 10%

Current RTM’s, how was your Q2 bonus versus when you were an SR?

Source: Justin Bateh, PhD

Tactical advice for managers running teams, projects, & operations in the AI era | CEO @ AI Operators Lab | Led 40 AI Rollouts | PhD & PMP | Top 100 Maven Educator | Leadership • AI • Project Management • Career Growth.

They didn’t teach me this in school:

1/ Perception beats performance
→ People promote who they trust,
→ Not just who deliver
→ How you're seen > what you do

2/ The real decisions happen before the meeting
→ Most rooms are just theater
→ Influence happens behind closed doors

3/ Loyalty is transactional
→ It’s not personal, it’s positional
→ Don’t confuse company values
→ With job security

4/ Power protects power
→ People in charge defend their seat first
→ Be aware of the hierarchy
→ Even when it's unspoken

5/ Silence is strategy
→ Sometimes the smartest play is no play
→ You don’t need to join
→ Every argument you’re invited to

6/ Allies matter more than arguments
→ Influence flows through relationships
→ The right support can move mountains quietly

7/ Information is currency
→ What you know can help, or hurt, you
→ Share wisely, not widely

8/ Your reputation moves faster than your resume
→ People talk, good or bad
→ Make sure the version of you in the room
→ Matches the one outside it

9/ Not everyone wants you to win
→ Growth triggers discomfort in others
→ Keep rising anyway

10/ Politics are unavoidable
→ It’s not dirty. It’s real.
→ Navigating power is part of leadership

Don’t ignore politics. Understand it. Then use it to protect your team and your growth.

Not sure what the correctly terminology is, but for those that are having the company Reimburse them for education expenses, how will it work if those employees are laid off. Is there a requirement that the employee must work for the company a certain number of years?

And disillusioned with Fidelity.
Is it my imagination that career moves lateral up or sideways don’t exist?
I feel like I’m spinning my wheels making no progress.
Mind you it’s a good job decent enough pay clearly a nice benefits offering but I’m going nowhere.
I’ve made gains in my skills that show initiative and intellect.
Nothing seems to help me grow or advance in any way, shape or manner.
I feel like maybe it’s time to cut hair and look externally.
What is it they are looking for? I mean I hate to say it but it sure seems like young Asian women rule is it just I’m the wrong gender and ethnicity/race?
Could HR be this shallow?
I’m not speaking sarcastically I happen to be very intelligent, extremely professional and polite and nothing changes regarding my career here.

I've seen great employees kept in place because their managers didn't want to lose them. They make their department looks good, manager looks good, but they end up stuck because their manager sabotages their advancement for their own gain. If you've been stuck in the same position for a while and don't know why, this might be it.

Curious as to how a VG early in your career affects your career prospects with the company. Are you limited in how far you can go? Looking for personal experience

Will you immediately seek employment, go back to school, take a break, etc. What are your plans?
God Bless Us All.

March 2027 for me, so I'm a bit envious of those who got earlier dates, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth!

The majority of our jobs won't exist anymore in just a few years.

People join, learn the ropes, build their resume, then leave for something bigger. I've been noticing it more and more.

Got a nice raise of nearly $20k. Nothing like getting laid off and realizing you were being severely underpaid in your previous position.

Just wondering how long you have spent or plan to spend in your current role? I have been with the company almost 20 years and in my position for a good portion of that time. I used to really like it. The last few years, not my immediate director, but the next level up has become extremely controlling. It is to the point that I don’t even know what decisions I can make or not without vetting it through both levels. It’s incredibly frustrating and has led to burnout for me. Theres always a chance for turnover I guess, but I am also considering moving to a different group. It has been quite a while since I have tried something new.

When I got the notice, I thought my career was over. Instead, it was the push I needed. I found a role with actual work-life balance, a team that respects me, and no daily dread. And I'm not alone, I keep a running list of ex-colleagues who've moved on and thrived. Not one of them regrets being let go. It's a strange comfort knowing that getting cut might be the best thing that ever happens to me.

Ex-Verizon here. Seeing all these RIFs even after I left still hurts. And each time, I see people that I used to work with put on the open to work banner on LinkedIn.

I initially joined Verizon as part of an early in career development program right out of school around the COVID era. I quite liked the program at first, but as time moved on it really seemed like I wasn’t learning anything relevant that could be used outside of Verizon. Still quite glad for the opportunity, met some great people who helped a new kid find their feet in the working world. Though it probably was a silver lining when I got caught in one of the big RIFS a few years back, managed to land in a pretty good company after that.

For those who are still in the program, new grads who just joined, or those that graduated from VLDP/EIC, how is the program now? How is the management and mentorship? I can’t imagine morale being high with all these problems. For those that remember the old program, how much has changed? Hopefully it’s still going strong, but with all these issues it feels a bit hopeless, coming from someone on the outside.

Professional and Technical Tier guidelines have those positions

Associate
Expert
Senior expert
Principal
Senior principal
Chief

Do they correspond to a specific CL?
Or rather a CL band (like 27-29)?
What’s the base pay for Expert or Senior Principal ?

as an external hire, just because everyone can see other people’s “tier” online I inferred this isn’t the same as CL. Anyone can shed light on what it is and how to upgrade this ?

It's waste of time. I applied for over 80+ positions in the past 4 years, for promotion roles. I got few responses and like may be 5 or 6 initial interviews. Except one position, I am pretty sure that all other interviews are fake and they just interviewed me for documentation purposes.
Everything else is an automatic rejection email. Internal mobility for higher roles is a SCAM!

Bumped from @bk+1kxk1gpmb.

I'm documenting everything and training two new hires. Either I'm getting promoted or I'm getting fired.

Pretty much…if you don’t like it, leave.

I’m working on that, Gunjan, don’t worry.

It’s clear if you are remote or not in one of the main hubs, there is no longer any growth for you. They want you to leave.

So disheartening after years of dedicated work to just feel like I’m being pushed out!

Left after 5 years, no regrets. New role pays 18% more and I actually take my lunch breaks.