S1E14
· 34:35
Hey, y'all. I'm Nikki Winston, and welcome to the Working Mamas podcast. I'm a mompreneur, CPA, and award winning blogger with my career advice featured in your favorite magazines. I'm sharing the accounting tips that business owners need to know, proven methods to make CPA exam studying less stressful, and the career advice and life skills you need to win. You'll also hear the frolic and frustrations of motherhood as I'm a mother to two growing kids.
Nikki Winston, CPA:My guests and I speak the unfiltered, unedited truth and have real conversations about what it really means to do the work. So grab your water, your whiskey, or your coffee, and let's go. Let your network know that you're listening to this episode by using the hashtag working mamas and tag me at Nick Winston CPA on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Hey, y'all. Welcome.
Nikki Winston, CPA:What is going on? How are y'all doing on this beautiful fall day? We literally, down here in the A, went from 98 degrees to 40 degrees in like a day or two. So we have gone from the tank tops and maxi dresses to leggings and sweaters and fireplace days over here. So I got my water with me today.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I actually I added watermelon and parsley. I went to the refrigerator to get a lemon. I was gonna make some lemon water because I think that I've been drinking it for so long. If I go a couple days without it, then my body starts to crave it. So I was going to the refrigerator to make some lemon water, and I had this watermelon that I got it last week.
Nikki Winston, CPA:We ate most of it, but it was a little bit less. And so I said, I wonder how would this taste if I dropped some chunks of watermelon in my water. And then I had some fresh parsley in the refrigerator, so I threw couple bunches of parsley in there, and it tastes pretty good. Parsley is really, really tart, but the watermelon is like the bare sweetness of the watermelon is like overpowering the whole thing, but it's delicious. So anyway, so I had the pleasure of once again having my career advice featured in Forbes a few weeks ago.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And I put a link to the article in the show notes. So make sure you check your girl out, share it with your network, tag me, let them know that I'm out here giving out these career convos, hashtag career convos. But today I wanted to dig deeper into the article. And the article, the title of the article is Unlock Your Dream Job with Three Important Interview Questions. And there's just too many of too many of you, too many of us who are in these jobs that just pay the bills or jobs that are easy because we've been working there for so long and doing the job for so long, or these jobs that you're just hanging on to until your dream job comes along.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And sometimes your dream job will find you, but most times you have to find it. It's out there. You just have to quit taking the detours and quit settling for the $80,000 job when you knew you could have got 99,000 or a hundred thousand. So let's talk about how you get there because these days of going into these interviews and asking these typical questions are over. We done with that.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And many people find themselves in these unsatisfying jobs simply because you just didn't ask the right questions. If you come across a role and it's full of chaos or dealing with these highly manual, you know, pen and paper environments or a manager who wants to know your every move, if you if you encounter those situations and you're willing to endure those, that's great. The problem arises when you unknowingly enter into this environment where the systems are all messed up. You have to pick up some chaotic pieces from your predecessor or you're being micromanaged. When that's not what you signed up for, it leads to frustration and burnout.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And one thing I wanna be clear about is regardless of your industry, regardless of your pay grade, how long you've been out of school, it is important to pursue the job opportunities that you enjoy and those that align with your career aspirations. And most of us have yet to find that perfect dream job, but you can get pretty close to it by asking the right questions in that interview. So there's three questions that I really wanna dig into to help you think through so that when you get to the interview, you can ask the questions and get the clarity that you need to make an informed career decision. So one question that any job candidate should be asking in the interview is, what's it like working here? Ask this question to understand what you're really getting into because the interview is not just for putting your skills on display.
Nikki Winston, CPA:You obviously have an appealing background if you're at the interview stage for a job. The interview stage is more about the fit. Right? Your resume was attractive enough to get you the interview. So now use that interview to articulate your expertise and ask the questions that you might have that were not addressed in the job description.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So what if you go into this role as, you know, you know, let's say you're you're on your way to a job interview and it's this job that you really like, and you have an idea of what you want and what you need in your next position because you know what the current situation is in your job. So let's say you go into your interview and you're this person who works well independent independently. And then you take this job and you find out that the boss is a micromanager. Now you're three weeks into the job and you're ready to quit. So now back on the job market, realizing too late in the game that you don't thrive in this environment and then considering all of the tea, all of the TEE, the time, energy, and effort that you've put into a job that doesn't suit you.
Nikki Winston, CPA:The first time I dealt with this, I asked some sideways questions. And I really wanted to ask what's it like working here, but instead I was leaning towards the milder questions that I didn't think would offend the person in front of me who would ultimately be my manager if I got this job. And she was already like I remember sitting in her office, she was already very rigid. She had already gave off these abrasive vibes, but a lot of people come off that way in an interview to weed people out. I remember I interviewed a guy and he told me that he was terrified in the interview.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And I think it was because I was just very, you know, blunt, very direct. It just wasn't a lot of emotion or it really is not the time to to to key key and all of that because I'm trying to figure out who out of these 17 applicants am I gonna hire. So there's not always gonna be that that fun that fun laid back interview. But with this particular interview, I was at the point where I was asking the nontraditional questions. I just wasn't asking all of them.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So it's funny because the time when I didn't ask the pointed questions is when it turned out to be a disaster. This job that I was interviewing for, it was gonna be my first managerial job, and I wanted it so bad that I had overlooked the subtle clues that would have given me the insight I needed to figure out if that was the right place for me. I mean, the abrasive attitude, the rigid attitude was probably should have been a yellow flag, but I mean, fast forward, I got the job. And from day one, it was just like, what the hell? Like, I spent less time as a manager.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Now mind you, this is my first manager job. I spent less time as a manager and more time as a referee feeling like I was trying to diffuse all of these departmental beefs. And I got to a point where it was just every day was like back and forth, trying to trying to get the left and the right to agree because I had a team of direct reports. My role had been vacant for a long time. And so because of that, my direct reports reported directly to my boss who I just told y'all was abrasive and, you know, little standoffish and just not a very good manager.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So I walked into a situation where there was friction, and they didn't get along with her, and they didn't agree with certain things that she wanted done. And I just got to a point where I was tired of being the middle person. And I was like, this isn't for me. Like, this is not what I signed up for. So I'm out.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And I started looking for another job. And I was at a point where I was three years out of school, and here I am looking for my fourth job. Now that situation, I'm discussing on the job hopping part two episode. So listen to that if you haven't already after you listen to this one because there's a lot to be said and to be debated about job hoppers from what the recruiters and the managers think to what the job hopper candidates themselves think. But, I mean, I just didn't wanna be looking for another job because I would have to explain all of these moves and it gets exhausting.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Okay. Why did you leave this company? Why did you leave that company? But I knew in my heart and in my mind that this was the right decision. And I did not wanna be looking again.
Nikki Winston, CPA:This was not gonna be sustainable, not for my career development and not for my sanity. And just as my luck would have it, as I was looking for and interviewing for a new role, my dream job at the time found me. And the point is when it's time for you to move on, move on. Know that as you search for your next job, you need to ask those pointed questions because I felt like, why did I even put myself in this situation simply by not asking the right questions? But even being in a toxic environment like that, I learned a lot about how to manage and how to not manage people.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So it wasn't all loss. I look at every situation as you either win or you learn, and I learned a lot there. And I mean, I get it. Candidates feel awkward asking these questions for this fear of being too assertive, thinking it might ruin their chances of getting the job. And if you don't feel comfortable asking pointed questions, practice in the mirror or do some mock interviews, but find a way to get comfortable.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Now, also, while you're preparing for the interview, check out the interviewer's background on LinkedIn or I really don't go to, like, managers, Facebooks and such. I usually stick with LinkedIn. But go on LinkedIn. Find some shared interests. Maybe y'all have mutual connections.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Maybe y'all share some similar interests or schools or backgrounds. But find something to break the ice so that you can ease your way into those those questions that you might feel a little bit awkward asking. And it might be uncomfortable at first, but you'd be surprised at how transparent a lot of hiring managers, myself included, are willing to be. So let before I move to the next point, let's pause and talk about LinkedIn for a second and the shared connections. So if you're looking at the interviewer's LinkedIn profile and you see that you have a mutual connection, reach out to those people and see if they can give you suggestions on how to approach the interview.
Nikki Winston, CPA:They might know the interviewer's personality or have some other tips to help you out there. I've done that before. I've even had people say, oh, hey. I know such and such over there who works in HR, or she's the CRO or CFO. Let me send her a note and and tell her that you applied for the job.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So you'll never know what those shared connections can do in terms of getting your resume moved to the front of the line or even getting you an interview. And also, any of us like myself that have I I think I have well over a thousand LinkedIn connections. So when it comes to the connections, make sure that you're reaching out to somebody that you have a rapport with. Not just because you see that this person is a mutual connection of somebody that you're trying to connect with. Don't just start sending these random requests about, hey, I'm trying to get this job.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Can you help me? To somebody that you've never talked to. I get a lot of LinkedIn invites every week, like to the point where I have started setting aside one to two hours a week just to work through my LinkedIn connections. And the reason for that is because I look at the profiles of everybody that I get a connection request from. I don't like to be blindly connected with anybody because when, not if, but when the time comes that I need to leverage my network or when somebody reaches out to me, I wanna have already broken the ice with them.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So when I accept the invite from somebody, I send a note to say, hey, person's name. Hey, Nicole. Thanks for the invitation. I'm glad to connect. Plus something I'll throw in something that that kind of breaks the ice.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I remember this one lady that sent me a connection. I looked at her profile and she had this fire blazer on in her profile picture. And I was just like, hey, thanks for the invite. Glad to connect. Love the blazer.
Nikki Winston, CPA:That's it. And then I'll also look at people's profiles to see what they're doing. I had a person who reached out and I think she she had recently posted an article. I read the article just to see what type of things she writes about, and I complimented her on it. Hey, such and such.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Thanks for the invite. Glad to connect. Loved your article. I mean, it's not it's not like overkill, but it's like, hey. I'm just not gonna hit accept and not even reach out.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Like, your network is nothing if it's full of people that you don't know. So it's really important to build the rapport now. Don't wait until you need something to try to break the ice with somebody. Work now to create mutually beneficial relationships that will pay dividends a hundred times over. So the next question that you need to ask is about leadership.
Nikki Winston, CPA:What's your approach to leadership, or how do you manage your team? Most of the time, somewhere in the interview process, you're going to be interviewing with the person who's gonna be your direct manager. So this goes back to the micromanaging situation. Many people don't do well with somebody constantly looking over their shoulder, wondering if and what they're working on. And I remember, I will never forget this day.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I remember, and this was interestingly at my dream job, my dream company. I was on the way to work one morning and I got stuck behind one of those terrible Atlanta T bone trucking accidents that shuts the whole Expressway 285, everything down. Now I had already had a one hour drive without the traffic, and the accident made it about two and a half. Don't ask me why I didn't just turn around and go back home, that whole being committed thing. Because at the time, I felt like this was my dream company.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So you know? But I still managed to get to work. So I got to work after I had been texting my boss, like, the whole time. Like, hey. Stuck behind an accident.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I'm gonna be late. And then when I realized how bad it was gonna be, I was texting her like, okay. This is really bad. The highway shut down, blah blah blah. So when I finally made it to the office, I usually got there like 08:30.
Nikki Winston, CPA:This time it was like 10:00. And I'm telling her, I'm like, ah, I finally made it. I'm dropping my bag, my laptop. And here she comes like, oh, you made it. Oh, can you put that on my calendar and let me know what time you got here?
Nikki Winston, CPA:And I'm like, what? Like, interestingly, the funny thing about the whole thing was when I finally got to work and I was on the elevator, I was in the elevator with her boss, with my boss's boss, who had been stuck behind the same accident because we stayed on the same side of town. So we both in the elevator, like, oh my god. That was crazy. Like, how long did you you know, just kinda talking about it.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And so when she said it, I was floored. Like, okay, not sure where she's going with that, but whatever. And I put it on her calendar and I was like, okay, this lady is crazy. And then all of her micromanaging tendencies came out for no reason. I was doing well in my job, which is first things first, and my performance reviews reflected that she was just a micromanager.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So needless to say, after I was promoted, she was fired and then even struggled in several roles outside of that. She was fired, left the company, started working for these other companies. And I would just hear people like, oh, you know, she works at such and such, and she is like, a lot of things that I would say about her, this person was saying, because this person was now working with her. And remember, that's another career tip. The world is not as big as you think it is.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. And those somebodies are all connected some kind of way. So here I am talking to a random girl that I met at a charity event. And I'm telling her about my experience, she's telling me about her experience, it sounds exactly the same and we have no idea that we're talking about the same person. So you need to know what type of manager you're gonna be dealing with to make sure you're not in a micromanaging situation, which can make you hate a job that you love.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Now, unfortunately, let's be clear. There are some instances where micromanaging is warranted, where it's necessary, especially with performance issues. Hold on. Let me grab some water. That watermelon sweetness is really coming out.
Nikki Winston, CPA:But okay. So yes, there are situations where micromanaging is necessary. So like if an employee is underperforming, it's necessary to have more frequent check ins, more status updates, just to make sure they're on the job, that the deliverables are gonna be met. And if an employer is not, or if an employee is not performing, I'm gonna tell them that now so they can correct it now instead of waiting until six, seven, eight months down the road for a performance review to say, oh, remember what you did six months ago? That wasn't right.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Like, you shouldn't have did that. Like, I'm gonna tell you now so that you can start working on it now. So there's there's this really fine line with leadership and management styles that even if somebody told you how they manage, you're probably gonna see some of that. But if somebody said, I'm not a micromanager, I'm totally hands off. There might be moments where they are micromanaging.
Nikki Winston, CPA:When the pressure's on, when it's month end closed, and we're trying to get the books closed and it's 07:30 on day 10. I mean, sometimes the micromanaging can happen, but you don't wanna be working for a boss that's totally aloof either because that means they don't even care enough about your development to have ongoing conversations with you. And some managers will initiate that, but for me, I feel like even if the manager doesn't initiate it, the employees certainly should. So asking your potential new manager how they will lead, how they will provide feedback to you is important for your professional development. And most managers fall somewhere in the middle.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So asking this question tactfully will provide insight into the type of manager you'd be working for. If you say something like even if you gave a scenario, if you had an employee that's underperforming, how would you how would you provide feedback? Or how will I know if I'm meeting your expectations? Just something to let them know that, hey. I'm not trying to be condescending.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I'm genuinely curious about about how you lead and how that that works with what I'm looking for. This is a nicer way of saying it, but it's important to align yourself with a manager who will help you identify goals and put together a plan to achieve them. And like I have said, at Navium, have ongoing discussions with your boss. Discussions about how you're doing at the office and what you have going on outside the office. Build that relationships.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Build that relationship, and it it's it's possible. It might be a little more difficult, but it's possible to establish this rapport even if you don't get along personally. And my my personal mantra is I can work with anybody when it comes to getting a project done, getting a job done. Even if I don't like you, we don't have to go out for happy hour cocktails after work, but we can get this money, we can get this work. Whether we like each other or not will not stop me from getting to my bag, period.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So know what you're getting into from the leadership perspective. Understand what kind of manager you might be reporting to so you can decide if you can deal with this and build your career in this company, at least for the time being. Now another very important question you need to ask. Why did the last person leave? Now I speak a lot from the accounting perspective.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So if you're a senior accountant or you're an accounting manager and you're interviewing for a new position and you're at the interview, I would ask, why did the last accounting manager leave? Because this question is very telling and you should listen very closely to the response. A lot of what you'll encounter your first several weeks in a new job will likely be linked to your predecessor in some way. Now while your boss and your colleagues are showing you things, you'll hear this person's name mentioned. You might see their name on files or old emails.
Nikki Winston, CPA:The other thing is you might find that you're being viewed as an extension of your predecessor. So let's let's talk about that. Let's say that you took the new accounting manager job that Wilma used to have. I don't know where where Wilma came from. I must be thinking about the Flintstones.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I don't know. But your colleagues, instead of seeing you as Nikki, as who you are, they just look at you as Wilma's replacement, and they compare you and contrast you to that person. You'll hear things like, oh, was terrible, or she started this but never finished, or she approved this last year. And then it's like, first of all, I'm not Wilma who left nine months ago. And it's usually somebody's personal opinion of that person and not necessarily even related to what you're doing in the role.
Nikki Winston, CPA:It's you trying to learn your position and it's always, oh, well, such and such did it this way. Such and such did this. Such and such left it this way. And the other thing you'll learn is that those people who say those things, those are the people you need to keep at a distance. The ones who have the tea on everybody or they're outwardly opinionated about everything, always got something to say.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Steer clear of them because that's, some of that you can't do nothing about. People are just wired that way, but it's up to you to establish your brand within the organization. And depending on your predecessor's departure, this person may have left urgent projects undone that you'll have to quickly learn and complete. You may find yourself inundated with messes that you've inherited, But that's also why you've been hired. The company feels like you're the person to fix the problems that they're dealing with and take them to the next level.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So I I really wanted to dig into those three questions because those three questions focus on the things that you'll deal with at work on a consistent basis. Even if your job responsibilities change, going back to an accounting environment, you can be working on month end close one day. You can be doing reconciliations the next. You can be doing financial reporting another day. Even when those things change, rarely will you find that your job is exactly what a job description says it is.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Right? Most job descriptions have that little line other duties as assigned, and that can include a lot of different things. And also keep in mind that the job description may have been just what the hiring managers refer to as a generic one. And as a hiring manager, having sat on both sides of the interview table as a candidate and as a hiring manager, a lot of times I've heard HR departments say, okay. We'll just get out a generic job description.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And it's like, no, I need a concise, specific job description because I don't wanna be attracting the wrong people. So you also gotta think about that. How reflective is your job of what the job description had you thinking it was gonna be? So if you're working on analysis today and then you're working on another project tomorrow, the culture and the leadership are the same. They remain constant.
Nikki Winston, CPA:So these three questions that we dug into about why the last person left, about the leadership style, about what it's like working there, The point was for those questions to focus your interview discussions on the things that won't change as much. If you go into an interview asking questions only about the job itself, how will you even know what management is like? When people leave their jobs, their departures tend to have something to do with issues with managers. And also the answers to these questions are most likely not mentioned in the job description. You might see free break room snacks, great corporate culture.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And my question is, is this uniform across the organization? Is this only applicable to a couple locations? Does this depend on where you work or and who you work for? Or is this a standard across the organization? So it's really important to hone in on those questions and know what you're getting into, starting with the job description.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And speaking of the job description, make sure you study a job description. Don't just blindly post to a bunch of different jobs. Look at those bullet points. And first, look at how many bullet points there are. If there's three or four bullets, maybe the company threw a job description together just to get the job posted.
Nikki Winston, CPA:And that could speak to the haphazardness of a company. And that usually means there's an urgent need to just get somebody in the seat. And, unfortunately, lazy job descriptions attract lazy candidates. Now on the flip side, let's say there's so many bullet points that is overwhelming to read, like it's like a page out of a book. Then that means that, or it could mean you're waving goodbye to any ability to disconnect from this job and have a life.
Nikki Winston, CPA:If you have a long job description, that either means there's such a great need in the job or that the company is looking for talent so specific that they'll only consider candidates that meet all of the requirements. Either way, you you really gotta scrutinize these job descriptions the same way that these companies are scrutinizing your resume because it is a mutually beneficial relationship, at least it should be. So considering the sometimes insane amount of work we spend working, it's important that you treat your career like a business and manage it accordingly. Had you known on your first day what you know now, would you have still accepted your role? Money aside, benefits aside, talking strictly about what you do every day.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Is your job that you're doing right now true to what was presented in your interview? If it is good for you. If not, it's probably because you didn't ask the right questions. But I'm curious. Let me know.
Nikki Winston, CPA:As y'all listen to this episode, tag me at Nick Winston CPA and let me know. Let me know how you're feeling about your job. You don't have to be specific, name dropping company names or nothing like that. But just to put this on the table and really, really have some some open discussions about it. But thank y'all for listening.
Nikki Winston, CPA:I try to keep these short and sweet for the busy mamas and everybody else who have a lot going on. So I appreciate y'all tuning in. Again, share this episode with your network. Tag me at Nick Winston CPA and use the hashtag working mamas, W E R K I N Mamas. And I look forward to talking to y'all soon.
Nikki Winston, CPA:Bye y'all.
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