I have worked for a couple of different sized companies ranging from very small 5 person startups to what was at the time the largest company in the world, including a few somewhere in the middle. I'm at my second large corporation gig and each has lasted for longer than 5 years. So when it comes to corporate bullshit I have a masters degree. The thing is though, there is bullshit everywhere. Straight away I can hear people say "Oh no, I escaped man, I'm my own boss, I gave up all that crap and I live free and swim with the dolphins in paradise". BULLSHIT. There are different types of bullshit in different types of jobs and companies but rest assured they all stink. But guess what, I LOVE my job, had a great mid-year review, recently been promoted, getting to work on interesting projects. You can let the bullshit get to you and allow it to sour things completely or you can accept how things are and try to make the system work for you. Now if you were in a Manager position a level above your boss, someone who has no direct relationship with you other than saying "hello" in the hallway, and you saw someone spending a significant amount of time reading a website. Would you expect them to have a positive opinion of you? I'm not defending the opinion that everyone needs to be busy all the time but the reality of the situation is that this is how Managers think and unless you can change the world its something that you will have to tackle or suffer the consequences.
I don't disagree which is partially why I added the bit about how more was discussed than just what I am presenting. It was nice to hear that my boss thinks I am naturally gifted in the work I do. Frankly, when I started (at a different company) I was pretty convinced that my day-to-day work could be done by monkeys... but as I have changed companies I no longer think that. My current job could not be done by monkeys. It is also nice to know that my boss realizes that if she gives me easy work I will dick around, and as a result she gives me the hard work - not in her words, of course. And, for what it's worth, I always ask to be put on the hard/new projects. I'm not trying to dick around 24/7. It's just that if I get assigned easy work I won't be entertained. I like difficult jobs - I find them much more interesting. Recently my boss has caught on, and she has begun putting me on projects I want (for their difficulty) before I even ask. That is honestly kind of great. What other people consider difficult I consider fun. As kleinbl00 mentioned I generally drink the koolaid while trying to be fully aware that I am drinking koolaid. I think what my boss was trying to tell me, in many more words, was essentially that I need to drink more. I just really do resent the fact that because this work comes easily to me I am expected to work harder in order to "exceed" expectations when, with coworkers who it does not come easily to, they are rewarded for their effort. For their sweat. So what if I am not putting in 100% effort? I am, simply put, doing the job better than they can, every single day. If you want to see me sweat give me a job that will make me sweat. Don't insist I sweat over things I can knock out with ease, in order to make you feel like you are fully utilizing your team. Don't refuse to promote me because, essentially, this job is too easy for me. (To be fair: I am and always have been someone who works best and puts out the most effort when challenged. If I am not challenged I put out mediocre effort. I know this about me. I am glad my boss has realized this about me because it's why she's giving me hard work.) (I just feel like I am being mildly 'corrected' because for me, the carrot doesn't look as good as it does for those other donkeys, and damn it, they all want that carrot more than anything whereas I am like "well, you know, I already got some oats here, and they are pretty good, so...uh...yeah I'm going after the carrot but only because you told me to.") For those of you that know me on Hubski it may also tickle you to know that my boss told me, essentially, that I need to be less of a hardass. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." (I did actually say "Let me put this in my own words...Don't be a hardass, right?" to her.)
You just repeated the exact comments that have given to me by several people. I don't get out of first gear unless the problem presented has a level of difficulty to peak my interest. I have made that perceived weakness into a strength by seeking out difficult problems and solving them, if nothing presented itself I went over and above to come up with problems others are having and 'fixing' those. Now this may be specific to our particular jobs, working as a developer I may have more scope to do that but it should still be something you could try (If you want to of course). The other problem I had which is the hardest for me to overcome is self-promotion, letting others know when you have done a good job and preventing others from stealing your thunder (bosses, fellow co-workers included). For me that was the most difficult thing to change but its a life skill that yields the most return.(To be fair: I am and always have been someone who works best and puts out the most effort when challenged. If I am not challenged I put out mediocre effort. I know this about me.
Become the kool-aid and let others drink you. Some guy did that a while back and I hear his company has been pretty successful over the years (this is a Jesus thing). A joke, but still . . . . . . yeah, I can't be the only one who inferred that you would be that type. It's not a bad thing. Hell, I've been like that too, especially in roles where I had a personal stake in the thing. That job I was talking about elsewhere in the thread, I was pretty tough on both my employers and on my clients and at times it did hurt the way that things went. I think that this is something a lot of young professionals go through.As kleinbl00 mentioned I generally drink the koolaid while trying to be fully aware that I am drinking koolaid. I think what my boss was trying to tell me, in many more words, was essentially that I need to drink more.
For those of you that know me on Hubski it may also tickle you to know that my boss told me, essentially, that I need to be less of a hardass. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." (I did actually say "Let me put this in my own words...Don't be a hardass, right?" to her.)
It's important to me to represent myself as accurately as possible on Hubski, and also as honestly. I recognize that not everyone will like that, but it's more important to be true to myself and my opinions, and speak up even if I'm some what asshole-ish, than to bite back the bile - for many years I bit back the bile and I realized that it implied at minimum acceptance if not agreement. What doubly-harms me in work is that I do tend to get passionate about how I spent my time, even if it's not my passion, and as a result I can get very agitated about perceived injustices or law-breaking. I tend to be very black-and-white about financial regulations: either you have broken the law or you haven't - and I don't favor interpretations that are more forgiving, such as "Well we technically broke the law but it didn't actually hurt anyone so it's okay." I'm more like "these fuckers are trying to get away with shit, let's NAIL THEM!" Considering that I am working for a Big Bad Evil Corp., I would rather try to get them in trouble for their transgressions any day over letting them go because technically what they did wasn't harmful. My secret goal is to write student loan reform as I think I'd excel at that but alas, I shall never be a politician.
Right. Well, there's this: The pharma reps I've known have been Barbie and Ken dolls. Nice people, but the ones that actually care whether or not their shoes are Mephistos or Claibornes. The ones that have four different kinds of cologne and wear different ones for different clients. The ones that not only know how to get the good table at Spago, but are very proud of the fact that they have a career path where it's actually an asset. None of them have nose rings. Do I think you could do it? Sure. Do I think it'd kill you on the inside? A little.
I know a lot of pharma reps. It's a crappy job, it pay pretty well but then there is a fast ceiling that you cannot go beyond. Your job is essentially that of a cheerleader. You're not really "selling" anything, but handing out free samples and catering office lunches. Lame. Also, like you mention, it's about looks. Your job has a shelf-life based on how good you look. No kidding. I've known several good looking women that went in to Pharma sales to meet a doctor to marry. They did, it worked. Now, Med-device sales is a totally different ballgame. In Med-Device you can make a shit-ton of money. $250k a year plus. This requires you to really know a device though. I have a friend that sells a special table made for spinal surgery. He has to know the engineering of it etc and he's in the operating room when the surgeries occur for the first few times. This is a cool job imo. That said, the Pharma job requires very little sales experience and the Med Device job requires a lot. Interestingly, most good organizations to sell for won't even consider former Pharma reps. If _refugee_ was serious about getting in to Bus Dev, I would suggest something in her field, i.e. selling software to banking institutions. There are companies that would pay her $80k base, company car etc with rev share that could equate to $50-100k a year depending on how she does. But it's a busy, stressful life with a quota that never goes away or gets smaller. Bus Dev is where the money is, but it's not for the faint of heart. There's never a break and if you don't produce, you are gone.
For the record, I'm perhaps a surprisingly good salesperson. (Good enough to surprise me when I did it, anyway.) However - no, not really serious. But sometimes an idea comes along and I like to think about it for a while. It sounds appealing - even though in reality it's not. And yes, I get uglier the older I get, and I'm well aware you need to be model-pretty to be a pharma rep.
Who would want a job that superficial anyways? And for the record, you are far more beautiful than the women I was referencing in my comment. I have no doubt that you would be wonderful at most things that you set your mind to, sales being no exception.
3 biggest assets for being a good sales professional: 1. Listening skills 2. Not afraid to challenge assumptions 3. Follow up Simple stuff really. Dig the audio in that ad, nice work! I remember those "side kicks." -I have a number of friends that are talented artists that are in advertising/branding.
Hubski: Get the vote out (Seriously, it's the piercings, tattoos, and way-too-liberal/way-too-legally-damning past history that too many people know about, as opposed to my personality itself. Maybe things will change, I mean it's all just hearsay anyway right? In addition I'm not good at playing power games, but that's not really here or there.)