25Aug24 Bad Job Bingo

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In today's issue:

• Get Hired

  • Green Means Go

  • Eh, It’s Probably Fine

  • Tread Carefully

  • BINGO

  • Seriously, Maybe Don’t

Hey, this is our first Bad Job Bingo-only newsletter! I took y’alls advice and decided to stick to a weekly schedule for BJB, and then do commentary as I’m inspired.¹

Also, I’ve decided to make all 250 of you members of the Bad Job Bingo Shitposting Focus Group. Welcome! I’m working on making a ridiculous digital badge for you to enjoy as part of your membership.²

You’ll notice that today’s issue is sponsored. This was unexpected, but Mood Gummies seems hilariously appropriate for a newsletter in which a frequent tag is I am a serious professional. 

This may be a one-time thing — I guess we’ll see how this issue goes. Either way, thanks for reading today and checking out our sponsor; your interest helps me continue to write Support Human.

Get Hired

I play Bad Job Bingo with every job listing that appears in the Roundup and categorize them according to how well (or poorly, if I hit Bingo) they do in the game.

However, please remember that a job appearing in a positive category isn’t an endorsement of any role or company, and a job appearing in a negative category doesn't mean I think you shouldn't apply if it works for you. Bad Job Bingo is simply an effort to give you a shortcut to finding roles that may match your needs and values.

These and more Bad Job Bingo-rated jobs can be found at Support Human Jobs.

Green Means Go

No flags, or green flags only! A true unicorn.

• Customer Success Operations Manager ($86k-$107k) at Clio (Remote CAN-Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; United States)

  • Application is on Workday. My condolences.

  • We aim to hire all candidates between the minimum and the midpoint of the full salary range. We reserve the midpoint to the maximum of the salary band for internal employees who demonstrate sustained high performance and impact at Clio. — This is the first time I've seen a salary note like this and I actually really like it.

  • Assuming this isn't just for show and they really are rewarding existing employee work and loyalty, it seems like a green flag to me. Overall, this is a clear job description and I see nothing but positive culture signals, so I'm throwing this in Green Means Go!

Eh, It’s Probably Fine

A few flags popped up, but no serious ones.

• VP, Global Customer Support ($240k-$360k) at Zuora (Remote US)

  • No major flags, Zuora seems to have a good grasp of what they want this position to accomplish, and the salary is excellent. Happy to put this in Eh, It's Probably Fine!

• Director, Global Customer Support ($139k-$292k) at Oracle (Remote US-Columbia, MD)

  • Seems fine. Sounds like a very call center-y, corporate role, which is fine if that's your thing. Benefits seem good, pay range is good (if broad).

  • Lots of other Support roles (over 100) on the Oracle jobs page, some remote, most local.

• Senior Director, Customer Support ($117k-$146k) at Clio (Remote US)

  • Overall, while I don't think there are any major flags, the USD salary range is a little low for a Senior Director role of this type, so I'm going to put it in Eh, It's Probably Fine.

• Senior Manager, Community Support PMO ($185k-230k) at Airbnb (Remote US)

  • Looks like an interesting, meaty role, and I see no major flags. Pay is fantastic.

• Senior Manager, Risk and Compliance Operations ($185k-$230k) at Airbnb (Remote US)

  • This role is not a purely CX role, but it does have a clear CX Ops focus, so I'm comfortable listing it here.

  • Looks really interesting with no major flags. I'm not as qualified to comment on whether the salary is appropriate for this type of role, but from a CX standpoint, it's excellent.

• Senior Program Manager, Community Support ($150k-$192k) at Airbnb (Remote US)

  • Role looks mostly fine, save this requirement at the very bottom: Grace under pressure. I know we haven’t gotten there yet, so you’ll have to take my word for it, but: Love how these companies are independently committing to the theme this week.

  • Again, not enough to throw it into Tread Carefully, I would just recommend following up on it during any interviews.

• Investigations & Response Manager, Customer Trust & Privacy ($100k-$350k) at Netflix (Remote US-Los Gatos, CA)

  • Seems like a pretty straightforward role with no major flags. The salary is, of course, Netflix generous.

• Player Support Lead ($50k-$250k) at Netflix (Remote US-Los Angeles, CA)

  • The role itself seems fine, but the salary range is very wide, and the low end is way too low for a Lead role (especially at a company like Netflix). I don't think that's enough to put it in Tread Carefully, but I would ask about it if I were a candidate.

• Senior Contact Center Operations Strategist ($99k-$194k) at Genesys (Remote US-Colorado; Indiana)

  • Application is on Workday. My condolences.

  • Seems fine, very corporate, but they're honest about that. Benefits are fine; pay is mostly okay – I think the low end is a little too low for a senior role, but not so low that it's a major flag.

• Senior Customer Success Manager ($93k-$120K) at Carrot Fertility (Remote Worldwide)

  • Seems good! No major flags and the benefits are great. Salary seems a little on the low side for a Senior Customer Success Manager, but if it's just a base salary with commission, it could be great.

  • The position just says remote, so I'm assuming it's Remote-Worldwide. There are several other Success positions in countries around the world on the jobs page.

• Voice of Customer Manager ($91k-$115k) at Clio (Remote CAN-Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; United States)

  • Seems like a neat role, although I do wish the salary range was higher.

• Customer Experience & Service Transformation Management Manager ($87k-$259k) at Accenture (Hybrid US-Certain Cities & States)

  • Application is on Workday. My condolences.

  • I have no idea whether this job is remote, hybrid, or onsite. I'm going to guess Hybrid since they require "primary residency within 90 minutes of an approved Accenture office."

  • This job seems fine if very, very corporate, the weirdly wide salary range notwithstanding.

• Technical Support Engineer (L5) ($100k-$720k) at Netflix (Remote US-Los Gatos, CA)

  • Seems great, and the salary is amazing.

• Knowledge Strategist ($100k-$120k) at Airbnb (Remote US-Certain States)

  • Sounds like a neat Knowledge role, and the pay is great (especially for Knowledge work, which is often undervalued).

Tread Carefully

Didn’t quite hit bingo, but there were several yellow flags or more than one red flag.

• Support Team Lead ($40k-$46k) at Arbor Education (Remote UK-Leeds)

  • This job was reader-submitted. Thanks!

  • I'm torn – it's rare to see salary transparency for international roles, so kudos to Arbor Education for sharing the salary and putting it up front: £30,000-£35,000 (~$39,600-$46,000). However, a lead position at that salary level is not great, and that's even before I look at the JD.

  • Overall, it's pretty clear they're looking for a discount manager, which is enough to put this in Tread Carefully. There are several other CX positions available as well.

• Director, Customer Success (“Competitive” comp not given) at Qualio (Remote US)

  • Qualio's Careers page is one of the most informative I've seen – they have a great Interview Prep page and an extensive hiring FAQ.

  • Man, I really want to put this in Eh, It's Probably Fine, but alas, they claim a competitive salary without then sharing the salary. So – well, you know how this ends.

• Senior Manager, Technical Customer Support (“Competitive” comp not given) at Zuora (Remote AUS-Sydney)

  • Positive attitude and the ability to overcome adversity; ability to stay calm under pressure. — These companies do know that no one's forcing them to build company cultures 20,000 leagues under the sea, right? Come out of the water. It's nicer up here.

  • Since Zuora seems to only offer salary transparency when they have to, I'm throwing this in Tread Carefully.

• Manager, Customer Onboarding (“Competitive” comp not given) at Qualio (Remote US)

  • Strong ability to de-escalate a situation (internal or external) to create a win-win scenario for both parties – But why would they need to de-escalate situations internally? Yikes on bikes.

  • Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally on a common goal while influencing without authority; Adjusts quickly to shifting priorities and conditions; Copes effectively with complexity and change, while maintaining focus on priorities. – Well, we're certainly building a narrative here, aren't we?

  • This one definitely earned the Tread Carefully category.

• Technical Support Engineer – L3 (“Competitive” comp not given) at Redis (Remote UK)

  • There's only one woman in the C-Suite, so it's a double whammy of "all the women on the leadership team are white" and "all the women on the leadership team are from Support, Marketing, or HR."

  • "Find your voice in bringing our story to the world" rubs me the wrong way, but otherwise Redis has a standard, moderately informative Careers page.

  • the excitement of helping name-brand customers — Are people really excited by this? I might be too jaded for this job description. Sorry, Redis.

  • In this role, you will use and extend your existing technical depth and increase your technical breadth by addressing complex problems for the top companies in the world. — I really like this phrasing. It respects a candidate's existing knowledge while emphasizing that growth will be needed.

  • You will level up to be an expert complex problem solver on Redis Enterprise Software, being used as a high-performance database by thousands of worldwide customers. — Okay, I was all ready to be outraged by this weird dehumanization, but thankfully the Bad Job Bingo Shitposting Board of Directors pointed out that it's just a poorly constructed sentence. Now it's just very funny uh-oh.

  • We are looking for brilliant experts — Dull amateurs need not apply!

  • High availability and commitment to customers — HMM. Without elaboration, that "high availability" is fishy as hell, y'all.

  • I understand that it's customary for there not to be salary transparency in international roles, but I refuse to excuse companies simply because they're not required to have it, especially when they claim to offer competitive salaries.

  • There are a bunch of other TSE roles in various EU countries open as well.

• Support Engineer (“Competitive” comp not given) at Zuora (Remote AUS-Sydney)

  • Careers page is great – informative and easy to navigate.

  • Our ideal candidate possesses a strong technical background, is a detailed documenter, and is a masterful troubleshooter. In today’s ever-changing social landscape, we need someone up-to-date on the latest and greatest web tools and platforms, able to troubleshoot basic software applications, and an excellent communicator via email or over the phone. — Again, I love it when companies skip the job listing cliches and just describe what they're actually looking for in a candidate. So refreshing!

  • A self-starter with the ability to work independently, yet able to account for their activity. — This isn't terrible, it just tells me that they're not big on proactive trust, which kinda stinks.

  • Ability to work independently and be a self-starter. — Okay, we got it. No lazy moochers.

  • No salary transparency and some interesting culture signals put this in Tread Carefully.

• Director of Customer Success (No comp given) at Handle (Remote US)

  • Careers page is fine, if basic. The role seems pretty straightforward and I'm not seeing any major flags.

  • I wish they wouldn't call benefits perks, but that's a minor crime. I think it would probably be fine, except there's no salary transparency, so into Tread Carefully it goes. Womp Womp.

• Technical Support Engineer - UK (No comp given) at Axonius (Remote UK-Leeds)

  • High level of professional resilience to work in a pressurised environment — I appreciate that they're being upfront about this, but it's a bad sign that they have to be. It's our job as leadership to create an environment of respect for our customer support teams among our customers. If things are so bad that you have to specify "professional resilience" in your candidates, that's a failure of leadership and the company, not in potential candidates.

    • Yep, I'm making that a new Bad Job Bingo entry.

  • Must be able to have fun in tough situations while working closely with an international Technical Support organization — Woof.

  • Culture is important to us — Is it, though?

  • We didn't quite hit BINGO, but this is a solid Tread Carefully.

• Lead Knowledge Strategist (No comp given) at Airbnb (Remote Ireland)

  • Would be in Eh, It's Probably Fine if not for the lack of salary transparency. It's your own fault, Airbnb.

• Knowledge Strategist (Global) (No comp given) at Airbnb (Remote Ireland)

  • Boo, no salary transparency. Companies should always be transparent, not just when they have to be! I expected better from you, Airbnb.

• Premium Support Associate (No comp given) at Airbnb (Remote CAN-Alberta; British Columbia; Quebec; Saskatchewan)

  • They should also be adaptable and responsive in our fast paced environment, sometimes under pressure, while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, efficient and demonstrating a high level of professionalism and confidentiality. — This might be the only time this week where it makes sense (and is something of a green flag) for a job description to warn about needing to be able to function under pressure. I imagine supporting guests in luxury Airbnb accommodations can be very high-pressure at times (although I wish it weren't).

  • This is a very well-written job description authored by someone with a deep understanding of the Support function at Airbnb. It focuses on key duties and, in doing so, helps candidates understand exactly what they'll be doing in the role (so they know if it's a good fit or not). Kudos to the hiring manager and/or whoever wrote this.

  • As much as I'd like to put this in Eh, It's Probably Fine, I can't because there's no salary transparency. A solid JD is only part of the overall package; a big part of a candidate knowing if a role and company are going to be a good fit is being able to determine whether they're going to be adequately compensated for the work they'll be doing.

  • Not being clear about this upfront wastes everyone's time and demonstrates a lack of respect for a candidate's experience. (This is true regardless of where in the world the role is based.)

  • All that to say: show me the money, Airbnb.

BINGO

Welp.

• Surprisingly, none this week.

Seriously, Maybe Don’t

Don't say I didn't warn you.

• Director of Support (No comp given) at PeopleGrove (Remote US-Arlington, VA)

  • Okay, the Customer Success Manager role was a bit of a stinker, let's see how this one goes.

  • Role Description: 40% Individual Contributor | 20% People Management | 20% Project Management | 20% Strategy — I'm all for staying close to the customer, so I'm trying to figure out why this bugs me. Maybe it's because I'm trying and failing to think of any other kind of role in which a company would type something like this out. I don't see a Director of Engineering being described as a 40% individual contributor or, as the BJB Shitposting Board pointed out, having their work so specifically divvied out for them before they ever step into the role.

  • You’ll have a voice and a seat at the table in shaping our support and onboarding strategy. — Unless you're reporting to a VP of CS/CCO, this feels like a major red flag. If you're the Director, why aren't you the one designing and driving the strategy?

  • I don't think they really know why they're hiring a Director of Support, which will likely make actually working in this role unpleasant, to say the least. I'm putting this right next to this company's other role in Seriously, Maybe Don't.

• Customer Success Manager (No comp given) at PeopleGrove (Remote US-Arlington, VA)

  • Careers page looks great – and they offer pet insurance!

  • Passion for supporting the mission of higher education. — Sure, but I'm speaking from experience here: mission juice will not pay your bills or feed your family. Edtech is especially bad about bleeding their people dry in support of the mission, so just...be careful. My alarm bells are ringing.

  • Comfortable with taking risks, leading and working through ambiguity, and challenging assumptions to develop and deliver optimal solutions for customers. — Boy, those alarm bells are getting loud. I don't even know what this is supposed to mean, but you should NEVER EVER take on risk on behalf of the company employing you unless you're, like, a firefighter or something. Which this is very much not.

  • Yeah, I was gonna put this in Tread Carefully, but not anymore! Seriously, Maybe Don't it is.

  • (Oh god, do I need to start counting pet insurance as a red flag? Why, hiring managers, WHY?)

1  Thank you all for the lovely comments in the poll, by the way. It’s easy to feel like I’m screaming into the void, and even though I’m happy to be known for that, it’s nice to remember I’m not screaming alone.

2  The group chat still exists; they’ve been appointed to the Bad Job Bingo Shitposting Board of Directors.