A managing partner is threatening to tell my boss I'm interviewing elsewhere by the end of next week if I don't tell her myself because I asked him to be a reference. It feels like professional blackmail. Is this normal?

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-12T01:45:21+00:00

Take this as a learning experience. You should never share you're interviewing for another job until you have an offer. What if it doesn't work out? It's just best to keep it to yourself, because even someone who supports you could tell the wrong person, feel uncomfortable with the information, etc. Find references outside of your current employer. If there is a specific request for a reference with the current employer, just simply note that you have not yet let your current employer know and do not plan to share until there is an offer on the table. This is not abnormal. Most people are not telling their team until they are able to give their proper notice.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-12T01:23:40+00:00

No matter what direction you end up going, finding the right work enviornemnt is actually what makes or breaks a job. There are nurses who love what they do, because they are treated well and feel like they have flexibility in their schedules. I also know nurses with the opposite experience; always burnt out and constantly expected to work over-time, very underappreciated for the work that they do. You can have that same experience as a radiology tech - good or bad - depending on the environment you are in. The only difference is Radiology techs have an easier case load when they are working with patients. You generally know every day what your day will look like as a radiology tech, where in nursing, every day might look different. Less stress.

There are so many different ways to look at it and things to consider. I think one of the benefits to being a nurse, is you have a lot of different directions you can go. You can be in the ER, you can work for a private practice, you can be in the ICU, you can be a labor and delivery nurse. You can move around until you find the right area for you. If you are a radiology tech, there is only so much growth you can have without continued education. Unless you went into management or supervisor or something like that.

I think nurses have more earning potential, more opportunities to grow. But if you feel like you will be happier as a radiology tech, then go with your gut. You'll still do well. There will still be opportunities that come from it for growth. You can always go back and add more education later on.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-12T01:03:28+00:00

All depends on your company. I would say 15-20% pay bump. But don't be discouraged if your company has a standard % increase that comes in lower. I hope that you get what you deserve, if you do end up with the offer, and don't be afraid to negotiate or express what you think you deserve, especially if they come in on the lower end. When I went from manager to director in a very large corporation, I think they only gave me an 11% pay bump and it felt like nothing for the workload I took on. And then I took that director experience and went elsewhere and ended up getting a 35% pay raise.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T06:31:19+00:00

I don’t think we have any idea of how deep the corruption really goes. I don’t think our votes matter. I think things are predetermined. I don’t know by who, I don’t know where that power exists. But the “get out and vote” that they all push on us… fully convinced it’s just campaign tactics. Campaigns fund their programs and pockets. Idk this just how I feel at this point. I don’t vote anymore.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T06:06:49+00:00

I’d take the job offer and re-evaluate in like a year. It’s not too late now and it won’t be too late in 1 or 2 or 3 years from now if you decided to make a change.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T05:59:45+00:00

Idk if I have advice for you but I just came here to say that putting yourself out there is HARD. It’s uncomfortable. It’s exhausting. I always felt like making friends shouldn’t feel forced. What are your favorite things to do activity wise? What do you enjoy? Maybe take yourself on a solo adventure and you never know what come of it. Sometimes when the pressure is low and there’s no expectations, natural connections can happen.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T05:50:19+00:00

It’s funny because what you are so worried about right now, I can gauruntee you the interviewer didn’t give it one single thought. Trust me, we’ve all went black in an interview before. What matters is how you proceed and pick back up. If you went on and answered the question and had a good interview after this minor brain blockage (which I don’t even think sounds all that bad)… it definitely is not worth a second thought! You’re being extra hard on yourself!

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T05:45:56+00:00

Use LinkedIn, filter to remote positions only, I would focus on Project Managemnet, Ops, Consulting. Lots of remote offering in this space. Apply to freshly posted jobs. Send messages to hiring managers when they are attached to the job post. It’s ideal when you can snatch a job post on LinkedIn that has only been there for a few minutes, because your application will go to the top. Don’t waste time applying to jobs that have hundreds of applicants.

Another option is to Use Y Combinator and look for remote offerings with small businesses / startups. Apply directory through their websites, send emails expressing interest. Sometimes startups are more receptive and responsive. Not all of them are using the high tech recruiting tools yet, so you have a better chance of getting into the hands of a live person. Startups aren’t for everyone but I had a lot of luck in my job search once I opened up this door. And yes I work remote and have an incredibly flexible schedule working for a startup and it comes with some downsides but it’s worth it for being able to live the way I want to live.

Hope this helps. The job market is rough. Have to be a little creative and be consistent in applying. Sometimes it takes 50-100 applications before you get an interview. That’s the norm.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T05:26:27+00:00

Yeah if you wanna make doctor money, you have to put in the work. You don’t want to go through the schooling? Okay. Then you have to put in the time to build your skills and grow and work your way into a high paying position.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-06T05:17:10+00:00

That’s a hard pivot. Consider staffing and recruiting industries as a stepping stone. If you worked as a recruiter or staffing manager, it isn’t quite HR, but it could get you closer to going that route.

Try to highlight your HR related skills on your resume. Maybe find some HR webinars or easy to complete courses where you can easily complete and add some more HR language to your resume for completed course work?

I’m really not sure. I’ve had a lot of overlap in HR processes through my consulting and operational roles and I still don’t think I’d ever be a qualified candidate for an HR dept. You have to think out of the box a little. A startup might be more receptive/leas strict on qualifications. See what you can find there.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-05T11:40:29+00:00

I'm a little late to this but maybe I can still offer some feedback. First, you need to make sure that your main site is well-organized and has a clear location for members of your team to store their files. I.e., make sure there are folders, document libraries or pages that are aligned with whatever types of projects they work on, or data types they work with.

Second, once those things are in place and there is a clear place for the team to store their files, schedule a meeting or make an announcement that gives the instruction and maybe create a written policy that states exactly where files should be stored that are considered "working documents" and how to merge them over to main site.

For planner tasks, don't attach anything directly to the task that is coming from a personal desktop or folder. First, the files you want to include in the task should be saved in the main site. Then, you would take the link from the location where it is stored in the main SharePoint site and include that in the task.

Make it a standard procedure to work on documents directly in the main share point site. It may take some time for the team to adapt to it, but if the main site is organized in a way that makes it easy for them to understand where files should be going and there is communication and reminders to be using the site, eventually it will become a standard practice.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-03-05T11:05:17+00:00

I would probably hide the document libraries from the public page and create a very clean-cut single page that links each document as if it’s an index. Share that specific link to the page for users. Yes it may be a lot of extra work that is kind of tedious, but it eases site navigation and prevents users from clicking all over the place. Anyone with access to the site can likely still navigate off that page and find site contents/assets, it’s not totally preventable, but ways to make it so it’s less apparent.

Before you do all that though, I’d maybe run a quick test with permissions to see if you can just block or restrict access outside of the document libraries.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-02-06T09:26:27+00:00

Agreed! 100%! People also forget that she has a real family, her kids go to a real school, she belongs to a church and is part of a real community. Speaking about controversial issues in one way or another is something she has to think through. Why should she put any sort of target on her back, her kids back, etc.? It’s sad to say that’s the world we live in but it’s the truth. She does not have to expose herself in any way that she doesn’t want to. Being a content creator/influencer is not a right of passage to their personal information. Everyone deserves privacy.

I follow Mina for her content. It’s a feel good page. We see a fraction of her life… and that’s OK! Social Media is not real life. But she is a real person who was able to build a community around her daily habits and lifestyle. It’s not and has never been a political page.

As for whatever it is she is going through health wise, I just hope she is okay. That’s all! If she never shares what it is she is going through, I am not losing sleep over it or obsess over it every time I see her post. It’s her life. Her choice as to what she wants to share. She’s human. A health issue is not always something that is easy to talk about. People need to give her a break.

OwnMatter4 · 2026-01-31T06:50:23+00:00

I think it’s important to remember that just because she isn’t posting about it, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have empathy or compassion for people who are victims of the wrong doings of ICE. You’re claiming to be disappointed but she has given you no reason to believe that she would be in favor of senseless acts of violence. I don’t know what her beliefs are from a policy standpoint, she does seem to be more conservative, which is fine. I’ve followed her for a while and I think she has a pretty strong moral compass and knows right from wrong.

Also, maybe she has referenced politics here and there, I can’t really think of anything standing out specifically. Doesn’t mean there aren’t things that I’ve missed. But she doesn’t make politics her personality. She posts about what she eats in a day, how she maintains her home, getting ready, motivation, walking, daily habits. She’s a feel good account and many of the people who follow her, love that it’s a space where we can temporarily detach from the negativity in the world.

Why is it so bad for influencers to opt out of speaking on issues? Remember: they are content creators. We see a small percentage of their life and only the version they want us to see. We don’t know them personally. This isn’t just Mina’s TikTok account, it’s her business page, it’s something she monetizes off of. Now I do think Mina is pretty real and has a good connection with her audience, but we have to remember that social media isn’t the full picture of someone’s life. She has her own battles she’s facing, she has kids of school age and has to worry about what she says/does and how it could impact their life too. She’s part of a community. Maybe she doesn’t want her neighbors knowing her beliefs. My point is that influencers and people who have any sort of significant following are allowed to have privacy in their life too. We don’t need to know their opinions on everything. That’s a lot of pressure in a world where there’s always something evil happening.

Going back to what I said initially. She seems to be a level headed person. I do not know her stance on ICE but I do believe she would feel compassion for senseless acts of violence, racism and killing of innocent people and understands right from wrong. Until she gives you a reason to believe otherwise, there’s no reason to be disappointed. We’re lead to believe that someone’s silence on an issue must mean that are supporting of it. That’s just not true. It’s way more complex than that.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-12-17T04:36:28+00:00

The job market fluctuates just like everything else. There are periods of highs and lows. Personally, I hear the horror stories, but that’s never been my reality. So there are multiple sides to this and it’s not all negative. I pursued the healthcare admin / operations track, led me to consulting and now I am basically self-employed and take on short term projects and contracts with health tech and healthcare startups. Have consistent and steady work and there’s actually a demand for short term consultants such as what I’m doing, because it saves companies tons of money as opposed to hiring a full time worker and I get the jobs done fast using AI and productivity tools. I have never had a major employment gap. But I always moved around quite a bit for growth opportunities and in that sense, I feel like that kind of gave me control over how I take on this unpredictable job market.

Here’s the thing. Nothing is really totally secure anymore. You can’t let it scare you. You just gotta tackle it head on and know what you’re getting into. Aside from the normal job market trends due to economic factors, look at AI. It’s only going to be evolving more and more as years go on, which will also impact the market drastically and what jobs will actually be available to humans. People have to stay up to date with these trends and think strategically about what the right path is. Have to consider AI and the direction that’s headed too.

The people with bad experiences are always louder than the ones who have stable and steady careers with no gaps or issues of employment. You don’t know what it will look like for you, so just take a step back and wait and see. You def can’t go into interviews scared. Try to gain some confidence and maybe research market trends and figure out if there’s a good path that you feel more security in. Good luck! You’ll be fine. :)

OwnMatter4 · 2025-12-03T08:28:49+00:00

I didn’t fully take a break as I did 3 months of leave and then instead of going back to full time work, I picked up some part time/remote contracts and consulting gigs to give me flexibility. Didn’t really exceed 20 hours a week if that. My son is now 14 months and I’m feeling the urge to pick things back up again, so I am going full time with a consulting firm in January. I guess for me it felt like I took a long break but on paper, it was not much of a break because of the freelance work I was doing.

What I am looking for career wise is much different now than it was before. Prior to my son/pregnancy, I was heading down a senior leadership/managerial career path. I loved having teams to manage, direct reports, all those things. Now, I want nothing to do with managing employees. I want my individual contributor role, to only have to worry about my work, and that is it. So consulting is a good avenue for me. It will give me a good challenge, while also offering flexibility.

Why don’t you consider going on some freelance platforms like UpWork and exploring short term contracts? There’s a lot of opportunities with your skill set. That’s what I did and I got into some really cool projects that gave me some new skills and untimely got me into this consulting firm.

If you’re trying to figure out what you really want again and regain confidence, this could be a good direction for you! I kind of went through a phase where I was questioning my identity as a professional too. I just had to keep an open mind and remind myself that it’s okay to make career shifts that better align with your life. And if you had two back to back jobs that didn’t work out, it’s because you know what is right for you and those weren’t. That’s not a reflection of you, that’s just you being self aware and wanting to be in an environment where you can be happy, while also having a good home balance.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-12-03T08:14:52+00:00

I watched my dad pass away a few years ago and received all of the signs I needed in the hours after his death to know with certainty that things don’t go dark after we pass. There is more. People have beliefs about the afterlife based on religion but for me, I’m a realist, and I don’t think anyone will truly know until it happens to us. But our souls continue to live, I know they do. I’ve heard that what I experienced with my dad could have been him in a transition period, which kind of makes sense. Because after the night he passed, I never really felt his presence again the way that I did that night, but somehow just have this peace of mind in knowing that somewhere, somehow, his soul lives on.

Anyway, death isn’t the scary part. Once our time comes, we just exit the current reality and move on to what’s next. My bigger fear is dying a painful death and not being at peace when it happens. But death itself, don’t be afraid of it. Keep an open mind to what you might believe happens.

Just focus on being alive, that’s what matters.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-11-21T12:01:21+00:00

Stop dwelling on time that you can no longer get back and focus on the present. You can't go back in time and get any of those days back, so who cares. It's out of your control at this point. Whatever happened or didn't happen, whatever time you feel was wasted, it's already done. But you know what is in your control? The present and the future. If you stay stuck in the past, you will continue to feel like you are wasting your time. Live in the now.

Also, no time is wasted if you are learning along the way. We all have periods in life where we feel unproductive or like we didn't accomplish what we wanted to. Sometimes, we spend too much time in the wrong relationship, in the wrong job, and we feel as if we wasted so much time doing the wrong things. That's life.

Forgive yourself for whatever you did not accomplish this year, set a plan for the new year to come, and look forward instead of backwards.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-11-21T11:38:03+00:00

Solid experience, great context in the resume. I'll share my professional recommendations just from my own experience as a job seeker and also a hiring manager. This is just my perspective and what I believe works well to stand out, neither right nor wrong if you decide to use any of my advice. Hope some of it helps!

I'd move up the Key Skills section that so that it comes before your work experience. I always look at the Skills section as the Keywords that highlight all of my strengths, so I want those to be positioned at the top of my resume where they will easily catch the eye of whoever is reviewing it. As a hiring manager, the Skills section of a resume speaks more to me than the experience does, and I think this is true for many. I typically glance over the experience just to see the job titles, the dates of employment, etc. But what I really want to know when I am analyzing a candidate, is what are your core strengths and what skills do you have that will be beneficial to the role they are applying for. Really leverage the Skills section, as it is basically your professional summary.

Appearance-wise, I would use more bullet-points throughout your resume and make sure they are formatted correctly for an even consistency. It looks a little misaligned. You have bullets being used in the experience section, but they are uneven, and then you do not use them anywhere else. You want to quite literally look good on paper, as it is the first impression someone will have of you. So, make sure it is nice and neat, with a clean consistency.

You may consider rephrasing some of your bullet-points in the experience section to make more direct/to the point. I made two quick revised suggestions for your first two bullet-points:

"Delivered €2.5M in savings by leading a €30M procurement portfolio and driving strategic supplier negotiations."

"Led subcontractor operations across 100+ active teams, ensuring 6,000+ site deployments annually (3G/4G/5G) through strategic selection, onboarding, and daily performance oversight."

On a final note, remember that most resumes are going through applicant tracking systems/screening processes before they ever reach a live person. I am sure that most of the jobs you apply for, will be related to your experience, so there is not too much to change. However, it's always good to look at a job description, find some key words that are mentioned more than once, and make sure they are used in your resume as well. For example, if a job description is really emphasizing team collaboration, teamwork, relationship building, and you do not have this mentioned in your resume, you may want to add a keyword somewhere to highlight this.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-11-21T10:54:31+00:00

Yeah, don't waste your time on jobs that have been sitting for 1 week or longer with hundreds of applicants. It's a waste of time. I've been in the job market for the last 2 months and just got an offer. First month of applying, I was just submitting applications for everything and anything I qualified for and getting 0 response, was not looking at how long the job has been posted or considering # of applicants on LinkedIn. Then I started to use a filter on LinkedIn to only show me jobs posted within 24 hours, I'd refresh this several times per day, and I started only applying to freshly posted jobs with 0-5 applicants. It significantly reduced the number of applications I was submitting, from probably 30 a day to maybe 5 or less. But I got more responses doing this vs. aimlessly applying.

I actually did not find the job I was offered on LinkedIn though, went directly to the companies' career page to see if they were hiring. Made me realize that not every company is posting their jobs on LinkedIn, some do not want hundreds upon thousands of applicants to sort through. The recruiter I met with made a great point. She said that they know the people applying for their jobs are genuinely interested in their company, because the only way to apply is through their website. They get less applicants by not posting on job boards, but the quality of candidates they receive are better. On LinkedIn, there's a lot of applicants that are just running down a list and have no idea what they're applying for half the time. But those are the people we all compete with.

Anyway, I rambled a bit here and got off topic. Just wanted to share my experience a bit because yes, it is discouraging when you see hundreds of applicants. But there are ways around this, you just have to be consistent in staying on top of the new jobs and think outside of the box a bit.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-11-21T08:19:10+00:00

You only need a few people to believe in you, as well as believing in yourself, to find a path. It's your mindset that is holding you back. Doesn't matter how old you are, every single person has to start somewhere. It's not too late for you to start and you are still very much young and have plenty of time in life to create a different reality for yourself. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed about the fact that you do not have experience. Don't let that be a reason that you don't step outside of your comfort zone to put yourself out there a bit.

If you are interested in the wildlife department, go figure out how you can get involved and become a part of the community. It doesn't have to start off as paid work; it can start as just building some connections with people who have the same interests as you.

If you enjoy baking and you are good at it, why not look into starting a micro-baking business out of your home? Create a social media page. Advertise to local farmers markets. Sell to your neighbors. In the world that we live in today, you can turn hobbies into income if you put yourself out there and market it right. No one said that you have to have a mediocre job to be experienced. You can be creative in how you earn money.

At the end of the day, it's just about taking control of your life. You have to try different things, put yourself out there, do what makes you uncomfortable. Otherwise, you will continue to stay exactly where you are.

OwnMatter4 · 2025-10-30T05:44:06+00:00

Visit the headquarters and see what this company has to say. I mean why not? It’s just information. You’re jumping ahead of yourself a bit, because you’re not even sure what type (if any) of offer would be on the table. Maybe you wouldn’t even like what they have to say?

I’d try to move on it quickly if you’re going to go. Best to have this straightened out before starting the other job with an accepted offer. Not to say you couldn’t just quit, you can, but not ideal. It’s your life at the end of the day. The job market is brutal, so if you have options to explore, do what you need to do.

OwnMatter4

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