Hunting for a job and going through interviews is already strenuous enough.
Finding out that someone has gotten hired for a position they're not qualified for, simply because they're friends with the boss, makes the whole process so much worse, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor Haunting_Complex4499 had been with their company for nearly ten years, working their way up from the bottom, and learning all they needed to know to essentially run the company.
They were already hurt when they were not hired for the position when it opened up, but the Original Poster (OP) was appalled when they were expected to train the actual hire, giving them the secrets all they had learned.
They asked the sub:
"Am I overreacting because I refused to train my new boss at a job that I was told I wasn't qualified for?"
The OP was prepared by the previous Executive Director to step into the role.
"Today, I was told that I would be spending five to ten hours per week, starting in April, to train the new company Executive Director."
"I refused. I was then told I was overreacting and that I had no choice."
"For some context, I have been at my job for a little over nine years. I have gone from receptionist to Regional Director within my time there and have held almost every role on my way up."
"For the last couple of years, our Executive Director has been training me on all the things at his level, and during my time there, I've created our database, workflows, SOPs, onboarding procedures, budget trackers, and more. It was a great team."
"Unfortunately, our ED’s wife unexpectedly passed, and he decided to retire with only a couple months' notice."
"We had agreed that I would step in as interim and, hopefully, transition to the role permanently after the probationary period."
"The day comes that the announcement is made of his retirement, and we meet again the following week, where I was told that our board, whom I’ve met maybe three times in all my years there, had decided that we needed to do a formal procedure for the ED role."
"So I applied and never heard back. Even as an employee there, we were all kept in the dark."
The OP was surprised when they were not selected for the role.
"On Monday, almost three months later, an email was sent out to all staff stating that a new ED would be starting on the first of April."
"Today, a board member came to the office and met with me."
"After some small talk, I asked why I wasn’t considered as a candidate to interview for the role. I was informed that the board had decided that I didn’t have the qualifications to do the role. I was a little stunned, I’m not gonna lie, and maybe a little hurt."
The OP was surprised by what the board expected them to do next.
"Then he proceeded to tell me that they still appreciated that I had applied, and because I had the most institutional knowledge, I would be perfect to help with onboarding and training of the new ED."
"Apparently, the new ED is transitioning roles and fields of work, so they would need to be fully trained."
"I said no because if I didn’t have the qualifications for the role, maybe I shouldn’t be training them. And maybe, I was still processing what was going on, but that's what came out."
"He then stated, 'There’s no need to overreact because it’s not really optional,' and proceeded to give me a list of documents and projects the new ED would need to be oriented on, as well as all the contracts, budgets, databases, policies, procedures, and so on."
"I kinda shut off after that, and now I’m home, wondering if I overreacted."
"AIO?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NOR: Not Overreacting
- YOR: You're Overreacting
Some reassured the OP that they shouldn't feel pressured to do free labor for a role the team said they were not "qualified" for.
"NOR. It seems insulting to me that they don’t think you are qualified to do the job, but you are qualified enough to train someone else to do the job."
"You are supposed to be more qualified when teaching someone else, not less."
"It sounds like they gave the job to a friend and didn’t even try to hide it well by at least conducting other interviews. There’s not much you can do about it, unfortunately, if you want to keep working there."
"You might want to rethink if you do, it won’t stay the same work environment with the new boss. If the new boss has no idea what he’s doing and no prior experience in that role, the work environment will change and reflect that."
"Personally, I would look around, find another job, get a good reference from the old executive director that you got on well with, then leave them with no executive director or regional director and no one to train them, just to be petty." - Exciting_Cold_6560
"The same thing just happened to me. I was running an area. They decided it needed an admin position, created the position, and filled it with someone from another area. Then, they just announced the new lead to the team with no heads up that the position even existed. I was then asked to train them. Turns out he's drinking buddies with the GM." - AmthstJ
"It is soo often a friend of a friend. It’s SOP to put out ads because you have to pretend you did a thorough search for applicants, and yes, they waste time with these applicants. It’s worth it for large companies so that they don’t get caught hiring cronies."
"My company did this, yet they hired a new suite of VPs from London for a very American fashion label. The new Canadian CEO (used to be in Canadian chain pharmacies). introducing themselves at an all-hands meeting, we found they had no experience in fashion and all knew each other socially through their tennis club or fancy dogs. They didn’t notice how badly it went over, and they don’t think they cared."
"We noticed most of them never even moved to NYC, and only flew in for two to three meetings that year. For them, it was a lark and a great paycheck. I think of it always when people claim businessmen make rational decisions, LOL. It was also so stupid." - KendalBoy
"NOR, and how can you train someone in something you are unqualified for? So train them on your stated positions, job duties, and when the trainee asks about other stuff, say "I am not qualified for those duties, you need to ask 'next boss' about that.'" - Vaaliindraa
"Not even were they not qualified to do the job, they weren't even qualified enough to be offered an interview. So that indicates the board thought they were massively underqualified for the role. So that's a definite no to doing the training." - NooOfTheNahh
"There may be requirements in the role of executive director that OP's experience doesn't cover, depending on the way their organization functions."
"Writing efficient workflows for the organization's operations doesn't automatically mean OP will be able to secure donations. Having been the receptionist doesn't necessarily translate into community outreach. Streamlining budget tracking doesn't imply OP can influence politicians and policymakers."
"However, there is, imo, a lot of disrespect in the way they treated OP: no response to their application, even after they took on the role ad interim and letting OP find out their decision along with everyone else through a generic mail and waiting **another** three or four days to have a personal conversation and immediately cornering OP that they have no choice but to train the new ED."
"I think your suggestion that OP leave early is a great idea." - Stormtomcat
Others were in total agreement and advised that the OP begin the process of quiet quitting.
"NOR. Send a formal email stating you are not qualified to train the new boss and that you will only be doing your role requirements going forward. Immediately stop doing anything that isn't in your contract and start working on your CV (i would also speak to your old boss and ask for a reference and advice)."
"They will fire you as soon as the new guy is up to speed. Get out ASAP and take the whole place down when you go if you can." - Fallout4Addict
"I love the idea of getting a job and leaving asap before the new person starts." - Vivid_Percentage5560
"The new guy will find every reason to undermine you and look to build a case why you need to be fired. He can’t afford to have someone smarter than him around. Start looking now." - Vulvina
"You can stick to your official job description and most likely qualify for unemployment when they fire you. Unless you happen to work in Montana, then they would have to build a case for cause." - Ok_Zebra_1500
"Document EVERYTHING, and talk to an employment lawyer. And start brushing up your resume and looking at other companies, while telling your former boss that you'd love to have his recommendations." - Sufficient-Lie1406
"Honestly, she should probably just walk, no matter what. A place that didn’t have the courtesy to interview an internal candidate or at least have a conversation about their qualifications is not a place worth working for."
"I keep coming back to this, and I think this is the crux for me: no response to OP's application + lacking the courtesy to let OP know a decision had been made, so OP had to find out through the same generic email as everyone else and waiting another three or four days to actually talk to OP and pressuring (almost threatening) OP about their obligation to train..."
"Unless the new ED is aware of this snub and addresses it openly and honestly, and has a credible track record of integrity (so OP can depend on their word), and they're both committed to improving the organization's culture, I don't see this working out." - JupiterStarPower
"Oh no no no. You’re underreacting. The instant you finish training them, they’re getting rid of you."
"DO NOT help that person in any way. The day they’ve learned the ropes, is the day you get fired. Do not speed up that process. At all."
"Get another job, immediately, because keeping this one won’t be an option. They are already trying to phase you out. Walk out the door on your own terms and let them figure out how to train that fool. Not your problem."
"Exit plan. Now." - ThirdSunRising
After receiving feedback, the OP shared an update.
"First, thank you all for confirming that I wasn’t just in my feelings and that I wasn’t misreading the situation."
"I received a bit more information today, which I’ll share here. We are a small nonprofit with just 34 staff members, so we are very close. I say this because today, our HR person approached me to ask me if I had heard anything about the new ED."
"Apparently, our HR person found out about the hiring with the rest of us. The new person did not go through our standard onboarding. She was also sent a separate email asking her to draft a raise letter for me."
"Apparently, they plan to offer me a $10k pay bump. No one other than HR has mentioned this, so I’m taking it with a grain of salt."
"But I am taking all of your advice and updating my resume and LinkedIn. I will update again if I hear anything else!"
Soon after, the OP shared a second update.
"I am currently working on my MBA with a BA in Psychology. I got this job while I was in school to get some work experience working with the community, and have just worked my way up."
"I found out yesterday that our new ED only has an Associate's in Biology. So I am coming to the conclusion that this is a 'friend' hire."
"But on the plus side, I have two interviews lined up next week."
"Thank you to everyone who commented and gave their two cents!"
It was already enough of an insult that the company board told the OP that they were not fully qualified for the role, but the fact that they were then expected to train the person, who was arguably not prepared for it but seemed to have special connections to it, was so much worse.
