DerpyPanda

The core team feels like a gang that everyone else can never infiltrate

Been in this company for about 8 months. Company is great but there’s just this team that works on all the important things that’s absolutely hard to keep up with. They don’t share anything with us till the last minute. I was asked to share some copy for something and when I asked was more information, I was told that it’s “confidential”. I just pointed out that I can’t do anything about it if I’m not given more info. I’ve been begging for more responsibilities the past couple of months. I’m okay with mediocrity and just warming the bench for a few weeks. But can’t let my career take a fall with that. I’ve jumped between jobs too many times, I last a year at best everywhere and I want to stay here for a while and build up. But the more I watch them, making plans with the founders, doing their thing and hiring new people, all the while I’m here asking to be seen, it feels like this is just how it’s going to be. I get paid well, I spend only about 2 to 3 hours working everyday. Might sound like the ideal job for some but I definitely feel like if a layoff comes, I’ll bite the dust because I was not given the opportunity to be part of this group and did nothing important.

8mo ago

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DizzyLlama

Freelancer8mo

I'd suggest the following -

If you have reporting manager and have 1:1 with the person, do let them know that you are available. That they are not utilizing your fullest potential and that you can do lot more. I am sure If you are hired, they would wanna squeeze every ounce of work from you especially if it's a startup. If they arent doing it, they must not be realising it.
Find out how the core team hangs out outside of work. Say a Sutta break or a after work drinks assemble etc. Even if you don't do any of those, try to find a way to be part of conversations outside of work, try to make them your friends.
Whatever work is being given, be damn communicative across everyone. If a work is shipped out, they should know it comes from you. With this, with some time you should get into the core team.

You can also just ask them what's it gonna take to get better work? Maybe since you are new it's a trust issue at their end on whether you can deliver more complex work. Easiest way for them to change this view is by you showing how amazing you do work even in simplest of things given to you!

DerpyPanda

Stealth8mo

The last couple of weeks, I finished my work for the week in a day and sent it across. I didn’t just do it but I’ve done extremely well in the past two quarters. Met my targets well into mid-quarter I’ve spoken to my manager a lot of times about this. He just keeps asking me to give it some time. Also, I was referred by one of these core team people. The whole team is in Dubai. So they just ask me to go there on my expense. I’m not going to do that.

I am in Dubai now and this separation just seems so obvious seeing it up close.

DizzyLlama

Freelancer8mo

Try talking to the head of this group without seeming as someone complaining why others are part of this, but rather what it would take to be part of this core thing while appealing to them that they can better utilize an asset like you.

If nothing works maybe it's time to switch

JumpyRaccoon

Bollywood8mo

Core teams can be of different types.

The early employees (the founding team basically) are usually very closely knit and they wouldn't want to talk things out but rather want to own it up by themselves and drive things forward. Sometimes if you joined a bit late, even a junior employee by grade but a founding team member can still choose not to open up to you or have you feel included because of the exclusivity they get to enjoy as a founding team.

The next type is if your core team is full of IIT/IIM folks who studied together or have worked together in the past and have a very strong bonding/networking benefit, it would be very difficult for you to crack through and have a seat at the table in this scenario too.

What I would suggest is your work being finished on time and exceeding targets is fine, but look at avenues where you can own up new tasks or bring initiatives across the growth funnel which was not even supposed to be yours in the first place. It can be belonging to a different team too but they may have completely skipped even looking into it. There will be resistance but that's the only way you garner visibility across the organisation and grow. I'm assuming it's a startup so you can always find a way to penetrate through things and fix them and it should be welcomed, assuming the culture is good.

DerpyPanda

Stealth8mo

For context: this is a small team with only 50 people. Found that the founder is talking to someone who I’ve known and I don’t consider is very talented. But is being brought on for things I wanted to pick up. This was the nail on the coffin.

DerpyBoba

Student8mo

Your are in marketing sort of role or ceo's office growth types? Also ctc and yoe?

DerpyPanda

Stealth8mo

Product marketing, 6yoe and 47 LPA

DerpyBoba

Student8mo

Wow that's great for 6yoe, how did you have that journey? Mba t1?

GoofyPotato

Sharechat8mo

Any reason you have jumped between jobs too many times? It's not possible that all those orgs were bad?

DerpyPanda

Stealth8mo

First ever company shut down, stayed in my second one for a year and a half (got paid 3 LPA), moved to a tech startup as my third company, got acquired into the fourth company where I spent 14 hours a day on meetings/work and I quit.

GoofyPotato

Sharechat8mo

The core team should be a gang. Try to slowly become a part of it. Trust is earned not given randomly to everyone

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