Your HR Manager is not the problem.? She doesn’t hate you because you’re attractive.? Her being unattractive has nothing to do with her skills and your feelings about her appearance are apparent at the office.? She may be incompetent.? She may be a lackey that makes sure she can find jobs for all the president’s golf buddies (really, how many golf buddies in need of work can one man have?).? But the HR manager is not your problem.

Your problem is that the president doesn’t wish to hire you.? Your problem is that your boss won’t ask the HR manager for the list of new employees.? Your problem is that you haven’t advocated for yourself.? Your problem is that when she said, “we don’t do that here,” you said, “Okay,” instead of, “well, what do I need to do to get this done?”

Do you see where I am going with this?? Don’t blame bad workplace dynamics on one person.? Yes, one person can be a nightmare, but it’s that person’s manager who lets the problem go on.? HR isn’t an independent organization that doesn’t report up to the company president.? They fall in the chain of command just like accounting and marketing do.? If she’s a nightmare it’s because her boss allows it.? She should be terminated if she’s a big problem causer.

But, it’s likely that whatever she does is exactly what the president wants.? If he doesn’t want to hire any of the existing administrative assistants he goes to her for advice, “They are all going to post for it, and I don’t want to hire any of them.”? And she replies, “Then don’t post it.”? It’s not her, it’s him.

Now, if it is her, then you just go around.? If you’ve been sitting by the president’s office, and filled in for his current assistant then he knows you.? So, go up to him and say, “Karen is leaving.? I really enjoyed the times I filled in for her.? I have the experience and skills necessary to do the job and I’d like to apply for Karen’s position.? Here is a copy of my resume.”

See, no HR involvement needed.? This, of course, means that the president will either hire you or he won’t and if he doesn’t it means he didn’t want to hire you, which can be painful.? It’s much easier to say the HR manager doesn’t like me and that’s why I couldn’t post for the job.? But, if you want the job, you’ve got to ask for it.? Don’t sit back and wait for it to happen.

Got a workplace dilemma? Email your questions to EvilHRLady@gmail.com.

Photo by Geishaboy500, Flickr cc 2.0

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