TL;DR: If you could ask for anything – reasonable to ridiculous – what are your wants & needs in your contract?
The Slightly Windy “I know the shortest route but I like the trees this other way” Version:
So I, 30F, have been out of the STEM position/world I went to school for almost two years now after being in it for almost a decade. I was very disillusioned with how things were going during the initial peak of COVID, felt very isolated and unsupported, and basically checked the fuck out, said fuck this, I don't want to be in this environment ever again, and peaced out. I was maybe the third person to leave during this time, but after I left, there was a mass exodus over the next twelve months of everyone from the front desk person to director level because shit was – and is – so poorly managed there.
I truly had no intention of going back to this industry because certain interactions have left a horrible taste in my mouth. Plenty of friends still work in it, and have actively worked to find roles they liked and could live with and off. I actually took a job at a nonprofit and, though I've upended my entire life, I really really enjoy what I do there. Definitely took a pay hit, probably making about a third of what I was before, but the work tickles my brain in a way the STEM positions never did (unless I was volunteering or mentoring).
Through a friend of a friend of a friend, my current resume got passed to a company that is looking to grow and hire project managers. After an initial phone call, I spoke with one of their C-level guys in person on Thursday and I expressed my hesitancy on rejoining the industry. He told me that despite that, he thinks I would thrive in the role and to follow up in the next week or so with what I'm thinking salary-wise and “what benefits are important”. He did mention that they have 100% employer-covered healthcare, which is sweet, but, as of writing this, I don't know any other “standard” benefits they offer beyond that.
In no order of importance, I know the role would entail:
– coordinating contracts, vids, client relations, etc
– some US travel, project dependent
– currently an hour-long commute between my home and the office, though I would like to move closer when money allows
– site visits, local and US nationally
– lots of project communication
– other shit
Things I am considering asking for, also in no particular order (literally just word vomiting)
– company cell phone and laptop covered (they mentioned covering wifi too)
– if/when I have to move, I want one day of paid vacation to move
– even though I've had a somewhat shitty experience with the industry, I do believe it's important to continue supporting the next generation that wants to get into STEM, so company/managerial support to go to college career fairs and outreach/mentoring opportunities and all that jazz
– I'd like to post on LinkedIn and maybe do some other social media accounts to increase visibility about our projects, so definitely some brand voice training / maybe some content creator training
– standard two weeks / 40 hours of vacation , BUT I want certain days as paid holidays every year – my birthday, July 5th, Friday after Thanksgiving, maybe the week between Christmas and New Years, maybe some others. Haven't seen a company calendar yet so unsure if any of those are automatically built in.
– if any of my mental health therapy appointments absolutely have to be scheduled during the day, I want that hour covered, no questions asked.
– I want formal quarterly check-ins with real, honest feedback. None of this “oh, we have this sheet but we don't need to do it, do we?” NO if I'm fucking up or doing great, I wanna hear about it sooner rather than later
– maybe a company credit card for that travel junk
– probs 401k matching
So that's my 2am wishlist. If they're really gonna be serious about pursuing me even when I express hesitancy and tell me “tell us what you want and we'll see what we can do”, then I'm gonna ask for the moon and hope for the stars. And if worse comes to worst and they say lol, I think not bitch goodbye, I still have my nonprofit role, plus I can freelance a little with a smaller firm.
So, again, TL;DR: If you could ask for anything – reasonable to ridiculous – what are your wants & needs in your contract?