That’s not my Job!

By Steve Shaner

No matter how much you make, you still need to work hard, honor your commitments, and do what you agreed to do.

Two stories about that.

Do what’s best for you and the company.

I once worked as the director of public relations for a University in Arkansas, not the University of Arkansas. My background was in news photography, print production, video production, media planning, and media relations. I had many former colleagues and friends in television, newspapers, and radio. I had recently owned an advertising agency and photography studio, and at that time I was more experienced in electronic media production than in traditional public relations writing.

During the initial job interview process, I was honest with the hiring team. I told them I could write, but I was not a gifted or particularly strong writer. They said that was fine because it would be a team effort. The department secretary, now called an administrative assistant, had a degree in journalism and would be able to help with the writing when needed.

Perfect!

A couple of weeks into the job, we were overloaded. I had a news story that needed to be written, and we were up against a deadline. I asked my secretary, whom I’ll call Pat, if she could write the story for me. She looked at me and said she did not get paid enough to do that; she was only my secretary.

I said, “Pat, you may be the department secretary, but you have a degree in journalism. It’s time to step up and use your skill set.” Then I added, “don’t just do this for me, do this for you. This is a great opportunity to show your skills!”

She had tried to find a journalism job in the area, but in a small town, in a somewhat rural area, there simply were not any available.

Pat took the university job for one main reason: as a job benefit, her children could attend school there for free. Tuition and fees were probably comparable to most private colleges at the time, and she had twin boys who were freshmen. In free tuition alone, she received far more every year than value than her annual salary.

I have no doubt she was underpaid. Pat was talented and should have earned more. But she accepted the job knowing what it required and what it paid, then soon afterward said, “I’m not going to do that. I don’t get paid enough to do your job or write for you.” She was capable of doing the writing, and doing it well. She had the degree and the ability, but she refused.

My opinion of her changed quickly. I had respected and appreciated her, but I thought it was unprofessional and inappropriate to refuse work she could do. When I discussed it with her a few days later, she quit.

LIFE LESSON — Regardless of how much you are paid, work hard and do not complain about your salary. Live up to your promise. If you cannot do that, start looking for another job or quit. Patty Ann chose the latter.

If your first job out of school does not pay enough for your lifestyle, accept that reality. Take a second part-time job if you must, but do not complain about the pay after you accepted the job. Do the work.

Work hard for the right reasons:

Soon after my stint as a PR director, I interviewed for a sales and marketing job in Chicago at Service Web Offset Corporation, a high-volume offset web printer of direct marketing materials and catalogs. I was offered and accepted a sales position, moving from Arkansas to Chicago. During the interview, I met with the owner and sales manager, as well as the company president.

The company owner was the active managing partner who led the sales team. Another owner handled day-to-day production operations but was not part of the interview. The owners had hired a president to manage much of the business operation. She was strong-willed, warm, friendly, perceptive, and a very talented businesswoman. Both interviewers asked many questions, most of them focused more on who I was than on my technical skills.

I answered as honestly and enthusiastically as I could. I do not remember every question, but I remember one answer clearly because they later told me it was one reason they hired me.

Whatever the question was, my answer was: “I am going to come to work every day and work as hard as I can. I want to make as much money as I can.” I would be working in sales on straight commission. “I want to earn as much as I can so that when I leave work, I can enjoy life with my wife and two sons. I want to work hard so I can live well. I do not want to live every moment of my day just to work for the man.”

What I meant was that I planned to work hard to support my personal and family life. I did not want my home life to be shaped entirely around serving my work life.

I did not want my wife and family to suffer so that I could succeed at work. After I said it, I wondered if I had said too much. Later, after they hired me, I learned they loved that answer because they were family people too. I went on to make more money than I ever had before, and I continued to make more each year for the next eight and a half years.

Those two experiences taught me the same lesson from opposite directions: do not accept a job and then resent the work it requires, and do not work hard simply to impress someone else. Work hard because your word matters, your effort builds your reputation, and doing the job well gives you the freedom to build the life you want outside of it.