Bad news if at this time last year you were still under the age of 40 ”“ there was a 98 percent chance your boss, deep down, didn”™t give a hoot about you.
Not enough, anyway, to nominate you for a 40 Under 40 award from the Fairfield County Business Journal and your local chamber of commerce.
Too hard, maybe.
How”™s that for appreciation? You are giving it your all for your company, making your business owner or CEO look better before clients, vendors and colleagues during one of the two worst economic crises in a century.
You are giving that person the formative and best professional years of your life and that person cannot be bothered to take up to a half hour of time to submit a web form listing your business, civic and personal accomplishments.
Only 40 people take home the trophy each year, obviously ”“ come to think of it, last year it was an engraved clock. At risk of giving your boss too easy an excuse, perhaps he or she thought the odds too long at actually winning to want to get your hopes up.
That”™s a boss who isn”™t thinking outside the box. Winning a trophy ”“ er, clock ”“ in a room full of mostly unknown faces is not the ultimate reward (though if you missed last year”™s keynote speech by Jay Walker, well, you and your boss would know a thing or two more about innovation).
Far more fulfilling for most, we suspect, is that quiet moment when your boss asks you for your resume and a few minutes of time because he or she is nominating you for the 40 Under 40.
At that moment, he or she is giving you the ultimate compliment ”“ that in that person”™s eyes, you are one of the top young professionals in the area.
Didn”™t get that compliment last year? Maybe your boss will happen to see this week”™s Fairfield County Business Journal lying around, opened to this page, and will amend last year”™s oversight.
After all, there”™s a lot of other employers who would be interested in your resume. The good ones will be at this year”™s 40 Under 40 awards ”“ come meet them.
As for your current boss? The clock is ticking.
