Pros
The Consultancy PR has a professional network of clients in the design industry.
Cons
Despite advancing through a rapid hiring process that appeared rushed, I joined The Consultancy PR excited, motivated, and confident that my experience aligned with the agency’s goals and job description. In a little over one week, we held several interviews and I signed my offer letter. Although I had considered the speed of the hiring process to be a potential red flag given my position’s level of responsibility, I naively assumed we were simply assured in the match and ready to move forward. I came with an extensive background of related experience and a strong track record of navigating nuanced working relationships and challenging leadership dynamics. In hindsight however, I do not believe the position was thoughtfully integrated into their organization as the job description outlined. TCPR’s leadership frequently contradicted their expectations and seemed unable to set a consistent direction to integrate my role into the agency. I was surprised to be accused of both not working and working too much, and my overall working enthusiasm was regularly dismissed despite delivering quality work that measurably improved campaign performance and received words of appreciation from TCPR’s clients. With an optimistic outlook and continued accomplishments from my team, I believed that patience and communication would eventually clear up leadership’s hesitancy to integrate the position as it was defined in my interview and job description. Unfortunately, my monthly internal meetings were usually postponed or canceled, and leadership expressed annoyance at reading my emails if they surpassed a few sentences. When leadership did attend our scheduled meetings, they were often distracted while driving and unable to view the work I had prepared for them. These communication barriers cemented a one-way dialogue as I continued to receive confusing criticism with little opportunity to be cross-functional, showcase my team’s wins, or how I had adapted to their changing directives. I strove to realize a level of trust that I had earned from the clients my team served, but as time passed, nothing seemed to reverse TCPR leadership’s harsh tone and reluctance to communicate with me. What I found to be the most alarming was discovering TCPR’s past retention issues with this position, and how their clients had expressed dissatisfaction with its ongoing turnover. Given this history, I was confounded that TCPR’s leadership remained reluctant to acknowledge my achievements and deliberate in siloing me from communication. I wanted to make a lasting difference for the agency and their clients, but it became clear there were more foundational issues at play that I could not influence, such as interpersonal challenges, inconsistent management styles, and an inability to make informed long-term business decisions. Although my experience with TCPR’s leadership was challenging, their unwavering insistence on stifling and disparaging my performance ultimately equipped me with an invaluable lesson and newfound self-ownership of my working standards. They taught me the importance of working with professionals who are authentically results-oriented and treat their working relationships with a common level of respect.
