I am getting so nervous that my boss hasn't told me whether or not I have received a spot for the fall touring season yet. I had talked to him early in March and he said there would be a possibility and than I emailed him the first week of May and he still hasn't told me anything. We hung out this past weekend and he still hasn't said anything. Its driving me crazy. I love this job (despite my bad experience with my tour partner)! I'm so nervous and all these things are going through my head right now. If I don't get a fall position I know I would get a Winter/Spring position again but I'm not sure what I would do in my few months off and I will feel like a failure if I don't get the position. *shrugs* Somedays I feel like I shouldn't have taken this job in the first place.
Learn this from me: Don't worry about the things you can't control. If you waste your time and energy worrying about something that turns out to be the complete opposite of what you expected, it is indeed a great loss. What did you accomplish? Nothing really. :/ So stop worrying and focus on the present instead!! Feel better and GOOD LUCK!
Just ask him if he's made a decision. He should be able to tell you either yes, no, or hopefully give you a reason for the long wait. And, as for your many months off, you could travel the country going to all of the Pride events this summer
From me as well. You can't control when he's going to make a decision, or what that decision will be. So stop worrying about that. What can you control? Well - you can have a plan B. Put your resume together and see what's out there. You've got hotel experience and some kind of acting experience now. So that opens more doors to you. (What comes to mind is something on a cruise ship - as I think often the performers in the evening also have some kind of 'day job' on the ship - don't they? I don't know - I've never been on one...) You can also control what you communicate to your boss. Rather than pester him about this, just tell him one more time that you understand that he may not have made any decisions about the fall, but that you wanted him to know that you would definitely be interested in continuing if there was a spot for you. And just leave it at that. Good luck. I'm sure it will work out for the best.
This. Asking your boss about where your career is going should be a pretty normal question to ask. It is very likely that it just slipped his mind. And in that case, you worrying about the silence is all unnecessary. Just mention casually that you'd like to know whether you made the spot, or whether you should start making other arrangements for the fall season. Even if you don't get it, don't feel like a failure about it! There's no such thing as a job where you always get what you want. And if you don't have the position, he might be able to give you the reason why. And maybe even suggestions of some places where you could work in the meantime.
>>>What comes to mind is something on a cruise ship - as I think often the performers in the evening also have some kind of 'day job' on the ship - don't they? I don't know - I've never been on one... I don't THINK the show people have "day jobs", necessarily, but they usually have other "entertainment" jobs on board. On the cruises I've been on, there's been a big show almost every night, and all of them use roughly the same cast. Someone might play "bus driver" on Monday night, have the starring role Tuesday, and be moving scenery on Wednesday. And if you "like your space", let's just say it's not an ideal gig, as you'll be rooming with somebody in VERY close quarters. If you've "hung out", I don't see any reason not to contact him again. Just tell him you're trying to plan out your next move, and you want to know whether or not being in the fall touring season is in the cards, because you don't want to cause any conflicts with scheduling. He should understand how that goes. Lex
Well I never said it would be like being on vacation... :icon_wink But for a young person who is used to being on the road and living out of hotel rooms, the cruise ship might not be a bad thing.
So! I'm about to lose my cool. I feel unvalued. So the buzz around the company is that Fall season spots have already been filled. So ... no one told from management told me. I'm hearing it from all my co-workers who are spread throughout the state! I'm about to lose my cool. I had approached management in March and than two weeks ago and no one would give me an answer. I found out from my new tour partner today and talked to others and they all told me that fall had been hired. Why am I the last to know??? Its bad enough my feeling weren't taken into account when I was on the road with someone who was extremely unhealthy for me and I was told just to "deal". I give up! I'm tired of being second best on everything!
No offense but... do you realize that in EVERY job-related posting you've written about on EC you are *always* the victim in some way? Employment is employment. It is not your employer's job to deal with your feelings. You might find some incredible ones who do, but most will not. You said they recognized that the other guy was the problem and that should be enough. I don't know, but perhaps you were not their first choice because you are labeled as a complainer or whiner or whatever. I can tell you that if I were a prospective employer, and got wind that somebody was complaining that their feelings weren't being taken into account, that person would likely not be my first choice to hire; employers, particulary in the touring business, want guys who will roll with the punches and take what's dealt to them and keep the show happening without complaint. When I was a tour manager, I had a stage technician (guitar tuner/monitor engineer) who was really good at his job, and who the artist adored... but he was a pain in the ass, constantly complained about everything, said he wasn't paid enough, etc. When it came time to hire for the next tour... I didn't offer him the job. He called up and asked me why and I basically told him that he'd constantly complained, and we weren't looking for people like that. Perhaps he learned from it, but he never got a second chance with us, because there were a million other people delighted to have the job. I'm not saying this is the case for you. But... if all the positions were filled and no one told you, that may be an indication that they don't want to tell you. And if that's the case, you have to look at yourself and ask why. Don't blame anyone else. Look at yourself. If you know someone there that you're really friendly with, you might ask specifically if you can have unvarnished, unfiltered, honest criticism and commentary about what you could do better, or if there was anything that stood in the way of your getting a position this time around... and no matter what they say in response, don't defend, justify, or argue, just say "Thank you. I appreciate your sharing that with me." And then think about it. I've been in the uncomfortable position of having people I didn't want to rehire. Some I didn't bother to try to explain because I figured they just wouldn't "get it", and so I just sorta did what this person did to you. It's not very nice and I wouldn't do that now, but I'm not the same person I was then. So the best thing you can do is try to ask, not "Why didn't you hire me" but "what can I do to increase my chances next time" and "what would be some good areas for me to work on." There are some real opportunities for growth you've come across in the past few months. Make use of them! Take the time you have off and maybe consider getting into therapy. And I'm sure there are other opportunities you can find between now and next spring, or even other, better opportunities out there that you just haven't found yet.
I'm going to have to agree with Chip - it sounds cruel, but employers aren't there to care about our feelings, they give us money and we return labour. My own employer can, on occasion, not care about my feelings either - although in her case it's more of a function of her being busy and not realizing the implications down the line for her decisions and their effect on me. But, that's why I have friends, family, and church - they DO care about my feelings, and it's who I turn to when I need solace. I think that given you raised issues with your employer earlier in the term could possibly have influenced their decisions - employers don't like problems, trouble, or drama - they like things to run on time and on budget, without worry or fuss. It's why I never approach my boss with a problem unless I have a solution, and I work to make sure problems don't find their way on to her desk - she pays me to solve problems.
