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Five Signs Your Manager Takes You For Granted

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Dear Liz,

I'm celebrating my 25th birthday next month and I'm hoping for some realistic career advice from my favorite guru! I got a new job in February. I just had my first performance review (it was supposed to be a three-month review, but it was two months late).

My boss gave me the middle rating out of five levels. She gave me an "Acceptable" rating and she added a plus sign, and a note that said "Acceptable Plus" to my written review.

I took the job because my manager "Grace" made a great sales pitch about how much impact I could have in this job. The truth is that I have had a lot of impact! I created our company's first client newsletter. I got no guidance on that project or any other project I've taken on.

I work extremely hard and I know I'm making a difference here, but Grace doesn't seem to think  so.

I scrapped the ancient customer database and worked with IT to make a new one that is a lot more flexible and easy to maintain. I taught myself Photoshop in order to use images in the newsletter. I work with over 50 salespeople and take care of all their needs. Every day they tell me how helpful I am, but Grace doesn't say a word.

My best work-friend, Angie, asked me how my first performance review went. I told her it was kind of disappointing to get Grace's "Acceptable Plus" rating when I know from other people that I've elevated my job description to a much higher  level than the woman who had the job before me (who was fired).

Angie said "That's how Grace is. If she acknowledges that you do about three times the work of the person who had the job before you, Grace is afraid you'll ask for more money."

I wasn't even thinking about asking for more money, even though I can barely get  by on what I'm earning. I've never gotten a raise before the one-year mark at any previous job (except part-time retail jobs). I really just wanted some affirmation that I'm doing things that make a difference, but I didn't get that feeling at all from Grace. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks Liz!

Yours,

Tyler

Dear Tyler,

It's frustrating to work as hard as you do and get no thanks or recognition from your manager. Angie sounds like she knows what she's talking about.

If she's right, Grace would certainly not be the only manager who hesitates to praise her employees because she's afraid that if she acknowledges their contribution, they'll ask for a pay raise that she doesn't want or isn't able to give them.

It's important to feel good about your work -- and your relationship with your direct manager -- but it's only important if you plan to stay in the job for a long time. If you don't, then you might not care as much what Grace thinks. You might realize that the best thing you can get from this job is the resume fodder you're building by re-creating databases and launching newsletters and helping salespeople.

You might decide that this is a one-to-two-year job at best. You might grab all the good stuff you can from this job and take it with you to your next assignment. If that's your plan, you'll be very careful to make sure that your next manager is someone who isn't afraid to recognize a great performer.

Here are five signs your boss takes you for granted:

1. You know objectively (from records, email messages and/or your co-workers' stories) that your work is head and shoulders above your predecessor's work, but your manager doesn't mention and won't acknowledge that gap.

2. You see the tangible, positive results your work has on your organization but you can't get your manager to see, or in any case mention, that impact.

3. Your manager expects you to take on extra projects, work extra hours and generally kill yourself at work "just because."

4. You hear from others how significantly you're helping them but your boss gives you an "Acceptable (Plus)" rating at your three-month review -- which is two months late.

5. You feel in your heart and your gut that you're investing way more blood, sweat and tears in your job than the job -- or your manager -- deserves.

Many of us have been in your shoes, Tyler! You don't have to feel discouraged. If you can see that your hard work and good ideas aren't getting the recognition that they deserve, that's a sign from Mother Nature.

It's a sign that you are wasting your talent in this job. If your boss can't see or won't acknowledge how your work helps the organization succeed, she is not the mentor you require!

That's okay. All of us are job-seekers now, even when we're working full-time. Even when you're new in a job, you've still got to keep one eye on the job market. Start to build a Mojo File that includes copies of the newsletters you created and the email messages your salespeople send you, gushing about your tremendous service to them. Start to think about what you'd like to do next in your career.

Start practicing finding your voice. If you had it to do over again, you might say to Grace "I'm a bit surprised by your 'Average-Plus' rating for my first few months of work. Perhaps we are not in sync. Having created the new database, launching the newsletter and bringing up the service level to our salespeople I thought that my performance was closer to the Above Average if not Excellent level.

"What do you feel is in the gap between what I'm doing in my job now and what an Above Average or Excellent new employee would have accomplished?"

Grace is playing chicken with you. She assumes that you're so happy to have the job that you will take whatever scraps of praise she tosses you, or no praise at all. I don't think she would have an easy time replacing you at your salary -- do you?

You can hold Grace accountable for her failure to recognize your contributions. She is not going to fire you -- she is only trying to keep your flame on "low" so she doesn't have to pay you more! You are twenty-five now.  You can start to advocate for yourself, and there's no time like this moment to begin that journey!

All the best,

Liz

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