Author Topic: They want to promote me... the horror!  (Read 16312 times)

EarlyQuit

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They want to promote me... the horror!
« on: August 12, 2014, 02:08:21 PM »
I had my performance review at work the other day. The feedback I get is pretty much the same every year. But this time something new was thrown at me. My boss basically told me that they (department VPs and such) think that I need to take the next step in my career (i.e. promotion), and in a couple of weeks I need to tell them what aspirations I have, what type of job I want, etc., and they will try to match that with any opportunities that come up next year. Sounds great, right? Well, not so fast.

I work in a 24/7 industry that is very demanding in terms of time commitment and frequent travel. I am fortunate to be in a position, where I can do my current job in 40 hrs a week without night/weekend work, and my work travel is very light. (Travel in this context means more often than not going to middle-of-nowhere places and working outside in any weather at any time of day and night, not resort-type trips). I see other people getting promoted and their quality of life dropping (or should I say, falling off a cliff), and I am terrified of the perspective of this happening to me.

I have mentioned on more than one occasion to my boss that I plan to FIRE, but he just doesn't get the concept. He thinks that I am just joking, and I am certainly not going to show him my FIRE spreadsheets, so I stopped talking about it. I recently posted a case study about my FIRE timeline here, and the range of time till FIRE from those who responded ranged from 1 to 9 years. My own calculations and assumptions gave me a 5-6 years timeline, but after seeing the 1 year suggestion, I decided to set a stretch goal of 2 years for myself.

Telling my boss that I do not want to move up will definitely be career suicide. Even though I plan to FIRE, I am not sure that suicide far in advance of FIRE is a good idea. The boss told me that he sees that I don't have much ambition, but what he is missing is that my ambition is not to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as possible, but rather get off it as soon as I can.

Another issue is that I am often told that the next level (upper management) comes with some lucrative benefits, yet I have never seen a specific list of what they are. I should mention that I already receive very good compensation, my take home pay after taxes is ~$73K.

On the other hand, as far as work goes, I do like a challenge and have no problem accepting new and bigger responsibilities as long as my QOL does not suffer much.

If you were in this situation, what would you do? Would you openly convey all concerns I mentioned above to the boss?

Workinghard

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2014, 02:20:58 PM »
I was recently in a similar position. I was asked to considered being a clinical supervisor. The base pay would've been around $8000-$9000 a year more. However, I would have made significantly less money as my full-time job is Friday through Sunday and I work an additional two days a week.

I would have enjoyed the challenge and learning a new position. It was not worth it though as my primary focus is retirement and I love what I currently do. Now if they had been willing to match my current pay then it would've been different. As my husband said, either way it would be the same amount of money. It's just their choice what position they choose to pay it for. They did not push though. Probably because I'm good at what I do, my productivity is way higher than the other people I work with, and it would be about impossible to find a weekend replacement.

I ended up writing an email thanking them for offering the position but declining it. I listed some of the reasons. I was somewhat annoyed that they did not discuss it further. Ha ha. I know I could've done well in the other position. In the end it doesn't really matter because we will meet our financial goals and I'm probably only looking at three more years. Technically we could pull the plug now but since my husband will be working for another 18 months, and I want to transition, I'll work another year after that.

Gimesalot

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2014, 02:23:28 PM »
Personally, I would just play the game.  You want to be done in two years.  They don't have any openings, so they are looking at 2015, right?  That's one year down.  All you have to do is stick it out one more year.  My plan for this would be to figure out who was just promoted and say you want their job.  Or you can say that you want a job for which you have almost no skills.  This way immediate promotion is unlikely. 

Zikoris

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2014, 02:26:02 PM »
I would focus more on telling them how much you enjoy what you do now, rather than how what they want you to do would suck - coming across as negative is never a good thing, and bringing up specific anticipated problems gives them points to argue with you on (and that's probably a discussion you don't want to have, I wouldn't).

Cheddar Stacker

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2014, 02:26:56 PM »
I believe I was the responder who said 1 more year right?

I wouldn't sabotage your current career by oversharing, but I would temper their expectations a bit if it's not something you want. Make it clear you feel you need a bit more time for growth, training, whatever, but not in a way that makes them want to get rid of you.

Climbing the ladder makes it more complicated to get off. I'm not saying don't do it, just be aware it adds another layer of challenges.

Beric01

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2014, 02:27:39 PM »
My Dad has turned down promotions to manager. He was a manager at his old job, and it was just too much stress. Right now he's happy as a senior individual contributor.

A lot of promotions do seem to come with more stress. Here's the way I look at it: if you get 50% more pay but have to work 50% more hours (and answering emails at home in the evenings IS working), that's no promotion at all.

I would never mention FIRE to a boss. I would also not bluntly say the promotion doesn't attract you. I'd just say it's not in your career objectives at this time.

Piper

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2014, 02:32:44 PM »
Good question. I'm curious to see the responses. I often wonder what I'll do if I'm offered a promotion, which is looking pretty likely. I'm fairly happy where I am though.

Could you tell your boss that you'd like additional responsibilities (and, of course, commensurate compensation) but would not be interested in additional travel or hours? Sounds like they're open to consideration.

I'd leave out the wanting to jump off the ladder early part. Let them know you're dedicated and interested in working; they just don't need to know for how long. Also, stand your ground on rejecting conditions you know/think might lead to a decrease in quality of life. Sounds like you've earned a good deal of decision-making power. Nice work!

Daisy

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2014, 02:34:22 PM »
Once I was looking for an internal transfer to another project, and the hiring manager said he expected 55-60 hour work weeks.

My mom has been sick for a while and there have been times where I had to work remotely during her surgeries and stuff. At this point, she wasn't in one of those stages. But I politely turned down the offer because I said I had to help my parents out a bit and couldn't work those extra hours.

If you could phrase it this way mentioning an outside factor that would constrain your time, maybe you can get some kind of promotion, but with the understanding that you can't do the extensive travel and/or longer hours they expect. If they can't promise that, then you kindly say well I would have loved to work in that position, but my current circumstances don't allow it.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2014, 02:35:54 PM by Daisy »

Gone Fishing

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2014, 02:47:11 PM »
As I tick closer to ER, I find myself suffering from major on the job boredom, there is plenty to do but I have done it all before, making it harder and harder to stay motivated.  There was the possibility of taking a total burnout position earlier this year and I was seriously contemplating taking it IF I could negotiate a SIGNIFICANT raise to take it.  I figured it would give me a little extra cash in the 'stache plus give me something else to do for a year, although I knew I could not do it for an extended period of time.  In the end, the company ended up not filling the postition so I didn't have to worry about it. 

So my question is, are you REALLY happy in your current position, can you easily do it for another 2 years with out getting bored to tears, if so, stick with it.  But, if you are willing to take a bit of risk, and your family is okay with it, cite the additional workload and ask for 125%+ of what the promotion should bring as a condition of taking it.  If you get it at that, you can move your FIRE date up a bit, if not, you have declined the position without really declining it.

rujancified

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2014, 02:58:33 PM »
100% non-sarcastically: You have my sympathies. I like being a solo artist or working closely with teammates on projects. I like a relatively easy work schedule where I'm responsible for most facets of the projects I work on. I like making things easy for my immediate teammates and managers and avoid drawing any attention to myself above that level.

For w/e reason, none of my bosses ever think that's enough and there's always talk about next steps and ascension. The first time I was a manager I had a moderate breakdown in an annual review and BEGGED to be go back to just being an individual. I think about 12-18 months went by before I was asked to do it again.  I turned it down for ~5 years, but I kept getting title & range promotions that left me vulnerable to a layoff as a non-manager, so I'm managing again. I'm pretty unhappy doing it, but it keeps me safe until we're FI.

This is actually one of my favorite posts on the topic: http://moz.com/rand/if-management-is-the-only-way-up-were-all-fd/

If anything, managing ppl has made me more focused on FI so that I can scale back.

But enough about me :)

Would the increase in pay accelerate your timeline? Is the temporary increase in misery worth that acceleration? I wouldn't mention plans to retire soon and I would be business-vague* about what jobs interest you.

*Business-vague: using groups of words that sound good together, but don't mean anything when deconstructed.


chasesfish

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2014, 03:12:32 PM »
Early - how much different is the pay?  I recently went through this and took the plunge.  It's had its positives and negatives.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2014, 03:34:55 PM »
I was recently in a similar position, my boss was trying to push management responsibilities onto me.  I said 'if you need to distribute some of your workload I'll do anything I can to help, but I would prefer to not take on management roles if possible', and outlined a couple reasons why.  I realize depending on those above you it could be career suicide to say you're not interested in management, but I very much like where I am in my career and have no desire to move up the ladder.  I think my boss understood and I didn't harm myself, but even if I had I don't care in the least.  I guess I'm in an FU position and this is one of the benefits, being able to turn down duties you don't want to do even if that includes a promotion.  If you're 5 years away from FIRE you're probably semi-FU as well even if you don't realize it.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2014, 03:53:14 PM »
Take. The. Promotion.

A few points:

1) Your job is to do the absolute best for your company that you can.  It isn't to stay there for life
2) Assuming this is a mid to large size company, you are completely replaceable.  That isn't bad - it means you shouldn't feel guilty about quitting in a year
3) As you mentioned, turning it down could be career suicide.  *Especially* because you've told your boss about FIRE before.  He'll wonder why you turned it down, remember your conversations and realize you were serious
4) It sounds like you'd like the job (at least for the next two years) - you're up for new challenges and guess what? this one pays better
5) You have no idea what can happen in 1-2 years.  It could be that some unforeseen event happens that hurts your finances.  While unlikely, if you were planning to work anyway you might as well act in your current best interest
6) It can speed up FIRE timeline

You don't have to outright lie.  You can say your goals are to do the absolute best job you can for the company.  That you're motivated by new challenges and by being compensated for performing well.  If they push it and you have to fib (i.e. where do you see yourself in 10 years?) then so be it.  As a company, they are going to act in their best interest.  As long as you aren't doing anything illegal/unethical, you need to do the same.

Eh, I very much disagree with #1 in this context.  Your job is to do your job the best you can.  You have no moral/ethical obligation to take on another job that you don't want to.  Might you become obsolete/redundant if you don't adapt?  Maybe, maybe not.

#2 & #3 I personally consider to be complete non-issues, but that's just me.  It wouldn't really bother me if I got laid off.  Happened once before and the next 5 months of unemployment were the best of my adult life.

#4 It sounds like the opposite, that he believes he'll absolutely hate what will probably be his new responsibilities, by looking at others that have gone before him.

Sorry, don't mean to pick apart your post, but the numbered list just makes it easier to comment on each line separately ;-)

To OP, one thing I just thought of is that you said in your industry the work conditions are usually pretty crappy, but you have a position that isn't.  So one thing to consider is if you turn down promotions, how likely do you think you'll get let go, and if you do and get another job in the industry at another company, how likely is it to be industry standard (shitty hours).  Like a few others have said, maybe best bet is to say you would like more responsibilities but you don't want X or Y (more travel, more hours, on-call 24/7, whatever), and design or let them design a position for you.

Weedy Acres

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2014, 04:11:14 PM »
I'm scratching my head a bit at why turning down a promotion (especially one to manage people) is so widely considered career suicide.  As a long-time manager, I've seen all too many people who were great solo contributors take on management jobs and hate them/not do well/burn out.  And companies I've worked for in the past are very conscious of the fact that the best technician (or salesperson) is NOT guaranteed to be the best manager.  Do you really think they'd fire you if you're doing a great job where you're at but don't want a promotion?  That's crazy!

When I ask people what they want to do in the future, I'm mostly wanting to make sure that if they have aspirations to do something different, I'm aware of them and can look for opportunities to challenge them or to help them develop the skills they'll need to do that job well.  I don't want to lose someone because they're bored and ambitious.

I'm happy to hear if they'd rather stick with being an individual contributor (such people provide a lot of stability/continuity, and since that's the opposite of my personality, I value it a lot).  In fact, when I'm considering promoting someone to manage people, I'll ask them lots of questions about how they feel about different aspects of dealing with people, to make sure they're up for the job before I'd entrust it to them. 

OP, while I wouldn't tell them I intend to retire in a year or two, I wouldn't hesitate to be honest about what you want out of your job/career.  I turned down a promotion once because I hadn't been in my current job very long and hadn't seen results yet from a bunch of improvements I had started.  I thought it would be a disservice to my staff at the time, and told my boss that.  It didn't limit me from future opportunities.   If your reasons for not wanting a promotion are about travel and losing family time, it's perfectly legitimate to say so.  You wouldn't be the first to choose work-life balance over promotion. 

But think about what you DO want to enhance your job (more responsibility, new challenges, etc.) and maybe there's a project they can put you on that you'll knock out of the park and really enjoy.

brewer12345

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2014, 04:13:51 PM »
Easy solution: fuck up a few times in an obvious, but nonfatal way.  You will no longer be  on the unwanted promotion track.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #15 on: August 12, 2014, 04:31:09 PM »
IowaStache: thanks for the additional explanation.  Sounds like we're pretty much on the same page.

Weedy Acres: if only all management was as reasonable.... :-/

Easy solution: fuck up a few times in an obvious, but nonfatal way.  You will no longer be  on the unwanted promotion track.

Haha, and then there's the simplest and most obvious solution....

fixer-upper

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #16 on: August 12, 2014, 07:18:34 PM »
It sounds like they're buttering you up to train a replacement. 
« Last Edit: August 12, 2014, 07:21:31 PM by fixer-upper »

MsRichLife

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #17 on: August 12, 2014, 07:37:07 PM »
I went through this same train of thought over the last year. I was starting to be groomed for a very senior position in our organisation (still 8-10 years away, but you need a bunch of stepping stones along the way). I knew darn well that I had no desire to do that job and would be well and truly retired by then but I didn't want to say that directly. I simply cited current family obligations for the reason not to take on an intensive year-long management college course in 2015. Despite knocking that back, I still got identified for promotion.

So I worked with HR to find me a new job in my current location, that retained my current level of flexible work arrangements. I spoke to my new boss and was very clear that I will get results in my new role but I will cut out any unproductive, bureaucratic rubbish. He said, that's why he wanted me for the job. Anyway, I feel that I've been quite clear about what I will and won't do in the new role so I guess time will tell. I only have three staff members and they are all quite senior and shouldn't need too much oversight.

The promotion gives me an increase of $18,000 in salary each year and boosts my superannuation by $80,000 a year, so it's quite significant. I think of the benefits to the Stash and making FIRE a little more secure.

EarlyQuit

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2014, 12:27:39 PM »
I believe I was the responder who said 1 more year right?
Yes, you are!

EarlyQuit

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2014, 12:31:04 PM »
100% non-sarcastically: You have my sympathies. I like being a solo artist or working closely with teammates on projects. I like a relatively easy work schedule where I'm responsible for most facets of the projects I work on. I like making things easy for my immediate teammates and managers and avoid drawing any attention to myself above that level.
I agree 100%

*Business-vague: using groups of words that sound good together, but don't mean anything when deconstructed.
LOL! Oh, the many skills corporate America teaches us...

EarlyQuit

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #20 on: August 13, 2014, 12:33:24 PM »
Early - how much different is the pay?  I recently went through this and took the plunge.  It's had its positives and negatives.

The problem is that I do not know what the difference is. They are very vague in describing the supposedly lucrative benefits of the step up. I need to tell them that I need the exact answer to this question before I can make an informed decision.

chasesfish

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #21 on: August 13, 2014, 12:39:02 PM »
I think your response needs to be:  "I have some interest" and keep pushing them for details.  Mine was a 25% overall comp increase, but came with a three year commitment to the new job.  It was in line with my FIRE goals

EarlyQuit

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #22 on: August 13, 2014, 12:40:57 PM »
Easy solution: fuck up a few times in an obvious, but nonfatal way.  You will no longer be  on the unwanted promotion track.
Like, get on this forum in the middle of the work day?... Done!
In all seriousness though, this approach has crossed my mind, but in reality I would not jeopardize my projects this way, just not the way I operate.

EarlyQuit

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #23 on: August 13, 2014, 12:45:08 PM »
I went through this same train of thought over the last year. I was starting to be groomed for a very senior position in our organisation (still 8-10 years away, but you need a bunch of stepping stones along the way). I knew darn well that I had no desire to do that job and would be well and truly retired by then but I didn't want to say that directly. I simply cited current family obligations for the reason not to take on an intensive year-long management college course in 2015. Despite knocking that back, I still got identified for promotion.

So I worked with HR to find me a new job in my current location, that retained my current level of flexible work arrangements. I spoke to my new boss and was very clear that I will get results in my new role but I will cut out any unproductive, bureaucratic rubbish. He said, that's why he wanted me for the job. Anyway, I feel that I've been quite clear about what I will and won't do in the new role so I guess time will tell. I only have three staff members and they are all quite senior and shouldn't need too much oversight.

The promotion gives me an increase of $18,000 in salary each year and boosts my superannuation by $80,000 a year, so it's quite significant. I think of the benefits to the Stash and making FIRE a little more secure.

Sounds like everything worked out awesome for you!
As far as grooming for a very senior position, I am in the same boat. I was told to look at the next one as the stepping stone, so it's ok if the job sucks, because that's how you get to something better. Their "something better" means a VP level position, while my definition is a lot different and involves a lot of not working for anyone.

MsRichLife

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #24 on: August 13, 2014, 05:18:37 PM »
As far as grooming for a very senior position, I am in the same boat. I was told to look at the next one as the stepping stone, so it's ok if the job sucks, because that's how you get to something better. Their "something better" means a VP level position, while my definition is a lot different and involves a lot of not working for anyone.

Exactly! I can't say I'm not interested in the very senior position because in their world view that's what everyone wants, don't they? More status, more money, more work? It would blow their minds if I mentioned I'll soon be retired and travelling the world or pottering around on my farmlet instead of sitting in back to back meetings and playing office politics. Blah. They can keep that.

Paul der Krake

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #25 on: August 13, 2014, 05:21:25 PM »
I think your response needs to be:  "I have some interest" and keep pushing them for details.  Mine was a 25% overall comp increase, but came with a three year commitment to the new job.  It was in line with my FIRE goals
How do they enforce this 3 year commitment? Because a non-compete clause would be pretty darn funny if you intend to retire.

EarlyQuit

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #26 on: August 13, 2014, 05:38:07 PM »
As far as grooming for a very senior position, I am in the same boat. I was told to look at the next one as the stepping stone, so it's ok if the job sucks, because that's how you get to something better. Their "something better" means a VP level position, while my definition is a lot different and involves a lot of not working for anyone.

Exactly! I can't say I'm not interested in the very senior position because in their world view that's what everyone wants, don't they? More status, more money, more work? It would blow their minds if I mentioned I'll soon be retired and travelling the world or pottering around on my farmlet instead of sitting in back to back meetings and playing office politics. Blah. They can keep that.

Yep. Sadly, my boss is the poster child for the corporate model of success. In his mid-50s, he by his own admission, does not need any more money. And he is nowhere close to Mustachian - new cars, expensive restaurants... you name it. Yet he still comes to work every day. And stays late. And comes in on Saturdays... but he is the big bossman with status (and no life to speak of). He's been a huge motivator for me to stick to my FIRE goals though...

Guesl982374

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #27 on: August 14, 2014, 08:29:05 AM »
... but he is the big bossman with status (and no life to speak of). He's been a huge motivator for me to stick to my FIRE goals though...

Sounds like he's living the life he wants: high prestige and the big bossman. I've seen guys like this: one claimed to have $17M in the bank and was still working 24/7 for a fortune 50 company. For these guys, its all about power and prestige. Money is only a scorecard.

Schaefer Light

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #28 on: August 14, 2014, 10:30:28 AM »
I like raises a helluva lot more than promotions.

Tetsuya Hondo

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #29 on: August 14, 2014, 06:36:42 PM »
Easy solution: fuck up a few times in an obvious, but nonfatal way.  You will no longer be  on the unwanted promotion track.



"If they think you're not trying, you're in trouble. But try too hard. And you might get the fucking promotion. It's a tightrope, Spud, a fucking tightrope."

MsRichLife

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #30 on: August 28, 2014, 07:29:10 PM »
Just in the last week I have been contacted by two companies who want me to come and work for them! I find it amusing that as soon as I commit to retiring in a couple of years, offers start rolling in! If I was on a different path I'd be flattered and excited.

Actually, one of them is a consultancy firm, so maybe I should keep in touch with the person who's trying to headhunt me in case I want a bit of work on the side in a couple of years once FIREd.

TomTX

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Re: They want to promote me... the horror!
« Reply #31 on: August 30, 2014, 06:48:26 AM »
"I've really been thinking a lot about what you said.  I'm really interested in advancement and new challenges, but I have family commitments that make [lots of travel/shift work/extra hours] very difficult to commit to - so I had ruled myself out for most of the opportunities. Could you help me identify a role which would let me continue to fulfill my [family commitments/helping sick mother/whatever detail you want to give]?"