Went to a big 4 but got fired for underperformance in a year recently - Now every one thinks I'm pro - How to balance expectations?

Question

My problem is basically as above: Went to a big 4 but recently got fired for underperformance within a few months of joining (couldn't handle the over work). However, every one now thinks I'm pro because I am ex big-4.

How should I balance expectations when applying to future jobs? I'm open to taking a salary cut for better work/life balance, but the general expectation here is that no one goes down on their salary unless something is wrong with them. So this is what I tell recruiters - I'm leaving the big4 because I'm looking for challenging work, but somewhere it feels like lying.

Are there any other strategies to handle my situation (post getting fired) better? I've savings, there is severance on the way, and I don't have major financial commitments, but self esteem has taken a hit. There is also a sense of guilt as it feels I'm lying when I don't want to.

Answer 1

But you are a pro.

Always remember that. A recruiter at Bigcorp looked at you and went "you know, this is a pro I'd like to hire"

Working a bazillion hours a week isn't what makes the people at Bigcorp pro, it is the ambition and innovation. The bazillion hours just burn people like you out.

So present it like that, if they ask you to give a salary indication: "I liked the challenge and I liked the technology but the compensation was geared toward working a 80-hour week and now i'm looking for a better work-life balance" Or, as per Emilio's suggestion below: "... but the culture demanded an 80-hour work week and I'm looking for a better work-life balance." if you want to keep your cards closer to your chest.

90% of hiring managers will understand and I don't know if you would want to work for the remaining 10%.

Answer 2

How should I balance expectations when applying to future jobs?

I would position this as "the amount of hours required to accomplish what was expected was way more than I anticipated." Everyone typically understands when you are overworked, you are going to burn out, and eventually not meet expectations. At that point, you either quit and move on or are let go.

Just because you don't want to work to death doesn't mean you are not a professional.

Are there any other strategies to handle my situation (post getting fired) better?

Make sure you understand the expectations from a time and output perspective. You definitely do not want to get into another high performing / sweatshop situation.

but self esteem has taken hit.

This is natural, but do not let it impact you too much. Every person has limitations, and this process you went through is part of learning yours.

Answer 3

The first step is understanding what actually happened. Because there is a difference between "I had to put in a lot of hours because I wasn't ask skilled as expected" and "I had to put in a lot of hours because the workplace expected it due to being Big Four."

This may require a lot of self-examination which you might not be up to doing, but it will help you understand what you are looking for in a position. I'm going to tackle "I wasn't as skilled as expected" first.

The key to growing in your career is being honest with yourself about your skill level while also understanding that you will very likely improve over time. I've been a software engineer for about 40 years and the me from 40 years ago doesn't hold a candle to the me today. There were times, early in my career, when I struggled quite a bit, but eventually I found my thing and my career took off like a rocket. But if I'd stuck with what I was doing most of the first ten years of my career, I'd have grown increasingly unhappy and likely been unable to retain a job. Which is why understanding your passion is so important. If you aren't enjoying your work, you are very likely to underperform relative to your peers. If this is you, you need to find a workplace where performance pressure is a bit lower and you're able to find a mentor and grow your skills. This is remarkably easy to do.

The second possibility seems like it may be closer to your situation, but the uncertainty is why I decided to answer. Working in a sweatshop is no fun, even if the pay is fantastic. I make phat a year, and while I don't mind putting in hours (it's 6:30PM on a Friday, I started at 6:45AM, and I'm getting just a bit weary of my hours of late, but I know that will change), even I hate working entirely too much. And I'm a chronic workaholic. The harsh reality is that some "highly competitive workplaces" can expect a lot of hours and some even pay far better than others. The even more harsh reality is that professions in fields which involve deadlines and "heavy seasons" (retail, tax filing, software ...) are just plain like that. When I was at the company where I worked the longest, every release some department was completely hammered -- months on end of heavy hours. Because of my role in my department, I typically logged huge hours for 3-6 months at a time every 2 or 3 years. I absolutely loved it, but I'm ... a chronic workaholic.

The good news is that there are honest answers which can address both situations, and sometimes you don't even have to give an answer. Just about anything can be explained with "my previous position wasn't a good fit", with a bit of "I'm looking for better work-life balance" tossed in for good measure. Companies will tell you about training opportunities, and a company with a tuition reimbursement program can be very helpful in terms of demonstrating that the company values learning.

Answer 4

I recently quit a great paying job at a large company. I did it to move across the country to find better opportunities, as well as better weather.

I told recruiters what pay I expected at the current role and not what I was previously getting. What I was looking for was $10k less than that previous job. If a recruiter pressed me on my previous compensation, I told them and continued on to say that I didn't want to miss a great opportunity simply because of a wage difference.

As far as reasons for leaving, I said I wanted to work on a different project, as well as mentioning the climate change. Don't lie to the recruiters, because they will find out or guess one way or another, but make sure to tell them something that will essentially distract them from a possible negative in why you are leaving. Stating that you are looking for a better work-life balance comes off as both a negative and positive (which most recruiters will understand), but stating that you don't want to continue working 60-80 hours a week comes off as negative. It's taken as criticism of the company as well as them wondering why it took you 60-80 hours to get your job complete. Some recruiters will understand it's the company dumping too much on their employees, and some will think you are just a lazy/slow worker. They forget that slow/lazy workers don't spend 60-80 hours at work.

As Borgh mentioned, you are a pro. Getting hired at one of these companies is tough. The fact that you got in there at all shows how good you are. Just because you couldn't keep up with the uber-OCD or hyperactive people they like, it doesn't mean you are bad at your job. What it does mean is that you are more normal than their average employee and not willing to literally kill yourself to make others rich. This is a good thing. The fact that you even tried to work for one of these companies shows that you are willing to work hard and are more than likely to be a high performer at any other company. I have a friend that used to work at what was essentially a technical sweatshop. He is much happier in a different job. He also felt like a failure after leaving the job, but eventually realized his worth as well as the unrealistic expectations of that former position.

It might feel like a failure, but failure is often just a reminder that you aren't ready for that task and there are always more options to keep trying. Feeling bad for a while is natural. Getting fired hurts, even when it's for the best, including maintaining your sanity. Just try to realize it was their unrealistic expectations that got you fired, not anything you did. If they hadn't fired you, you'd shortly be burnt out and worth less to other companies. Not worthless, just less inclined to work hard for someone else after such a bad experience. Been there, done that.

Take your time to make sure your next position has realistic expectations. Since you have some money in hand and on the way, you don't have to jump at the next job and simply hope it's better. Take some time and make sure you actually want to be there.