Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

My boss, whom I love, just got offered a great job. It&'s a big promotion
for her and especially good timing because the company we work for is
on a steep downward slide. I want out too and have been looking, but
haven’t found anything that has the right combo of intelligent
supervision and chance to learn more. She just found out she has the
chance to hire an assistant and has asked me to apply. I definitely
want out of where I am but am a little concerned that having only one
boss will limit me if something goes awry and I have no one to vouch
for me from two sequential jobs. The rest of the job sounds it like has
similar headaches to where we are now, but she thinks it’ll all work
out.

Go or Stay?

 
Dear Go or Stay:

A bad boss is the bane of most working people’s lives. Having a good
boss would be an unimaginable dream and relief to them. A good
boss who invites you to follow her to a new job is a boss who not only
respects your skills but cares about your future and welfare. Unless
you have a reason to believe New Company is not a good fit for you,
for any of the normal criteria you would look at, such as wage,
location, job title, hours, bennies, etc, I think you should show up for
the interview. As though you want this as much as anything else you
care deeply about.

 
The reality is that she already controls part of your professional life. If
your company is dying and this is a chance to jump into a decent
lifeboat I say grab it. Another thing you should grab is some Old
Company stationary. Ask her for a letter of reference that you can use
for all time in applications. You might submit it as part of your
application to New Company too.