Well No One Told Me About Her/Him | Career Angles

Well, no one told me about her (him)
The way she lied
Well, no one told me about her (him)
How many people cried

Performed by The Zombies, “She’s Not There”

Written as a lament about not being warned about a girl with a narcissistic personality who is able to disguise her mental illness by presenting herself as normal at the beginning of the relationship and then slowly revealing the truth, so it is with many employers/hiring managers to do much the same thing.

Having worked for someone like this before, I can attest to the seductive qualities that they have. Smart. Capable. Presenting successfully. I ignored the recommendations of people I knew who try to head me off from going to work for this person.

Both the mania and the narcissism displayed became terrifying. Phone calls were listened in on. Emails were read. The smile on their face had the daggers that were to come. I experienced multiple years of hell and, like others a try to head me off, when I left, I tried to head others off but they, too, were fooled as I was. That’s how good the seduction is.

One thing I encourage job hunters to do prior to joining an organization is a little bit of reconnaissance about the…