Frank Hunt’s son

[fbhjr]

I’ve been thinking about where I am working for the next 9 days and how the head of the division is the son of the owner.
My father didn’t own a business, so I don’t really know what it is like.
The closest thing I have seen to it was 25 years ago when I applied for a job where my father worked.

My father worked for the power company for 52 years. He was the head of his engineering department for about 30 of those years. He didn’t like being a manager, so went out of his way not to be promoted any higher, even though several people who used to work for him ended up being put in charge of him.

When I was fired from my first job, my mother convinced me to apply for a job at the power company where my father worked.
After all, my father worked there, her father had worked there, and she had worked there for my father. So, it was as close to a family business as we had going.
I was about 25 and had only worked that one job out of college at the time.

My father’s office was only 10 miles from where I was living with my (now) wife. So, it wouldn’t be a bad drive. They were a nice stable place and paid well.
Going by that, it seemed like it might be a good place to work.

I walked in and from the very first person I met, everyone said the same thing: “So, you’re Frank Hunt’s son?”
Then they usually went on about what a good engineer my father was, how many years they had known him, and their great respect for him.
While these are nice things to hear about your father, it certainly did not make me want to work in his shadow.
So every time someone ask “you’re Frank Hunt’s son?” I’d reply: “No, I’m Frank Hunt.”
This seemed to confuse them. At least until they actually would look down at my resume and see the junior at the end of my name.
(I’d do the same thing to my father. If I had to call his office he always answered “Frank Hunt here.” I’d reply “No, Frank Hunt here!” I’d usually get a “Oh, it’s you.” in response to that.)

I made sure I didn’t get the job. I failed to fill out the form needed to be considered a candidate. (My mother and I, predictably, got into a big fight over this.)
I had no interest in the job. They weren’t even talking to me because of my experience, skills or training. Only the name mattered.
That wasn’t the sort of job I wanted.

This is why it surprises me a bit when the head of the division says things like “my father, the owner of the business, might be stopping by for an inspection today”.
I’m not saying I got where I am without help. I had tons of it. From family, friends, teachers, coworkers and everyone in between.
But, I certainly never want to spend my career being someone’s son. I find it strange others do.

Comments

[discreet.livejournal.com]

My dad owns a company but I have not worked for him since I graduated high school. But my brothers worked for him for the last 7yrs after he was laid off from his machinist job he had straight out of high school.

My dad owns a tree removal business. Which he's owned for 20some years now.. it was his brain child after retiring from the machining world that worked in for 22yrs..

I didn't mind the labor of the business but I couldn't stand working with my dad and mom and living at home with them.plus my dad had a bad temper that customers knew about and I didn't want to be associated with that.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

The idea of working with my father wasn't bad, I actually liked the idea.
It was the idea that I was defined by my father I didn't like. The other people at the company didn't even read my resume. They just said "Oh, it's his son, let's hire him".

Working with my dad would have been fine. As long as it was on my own merrits.

I can certainly understand why you wouldn't want to live and work with your parents. You certainly need some time to be yourself.

[meathiel]

My dad was a personnel manager before he retired but he always was adamant about NOT getting me in the same company. Because it wouldn't look good, right? He DID get me into another company in the same town, though, because he knew the personnel manager there. Well, thinking about it he got me into my current job as well for the same reason. I've been there 22 years in October ...

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

It all depends on the son. The two "sons" that I've worked with were clearly riding on dad's coattails.

The first one made sure we all knew who his father was. It meant that people were much less likely to question his poor decisions. Which meant that he had an easier time getting what he wanted and never had to learn the fine art of management diplomacy (read - he was a total jerk).

Son number two was a known alcoholic. I was told that every so often dad would send him off to rehab to dry out, and then he'd come back to work until he fell off the wagon and spiraled down so far that he'd need another stint in rehab. I'm pretty sure that nobody else would put up with those sorts of shenanigans. But when your dad owns his own company? Guaranteed job!

BTW - Good on you for wanting to make your own way! I think that says everything you need to know about your character. *thumbs up*

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

My first full time job out of College was working 'under'/for my Dad at an R&D Lab.

It was hard to get used to seeing him in the office when he'd swing by now and again in the afternoons.
Also because since I still lived at home at the time, we'd essentially follow each other on the drive back home.
Now and again we'd sort of have this unofficial "race" to see who'd get there first, more "take different route and see if that improves the commute" than anything.

Part of the weirdness was when I was a kid, when he'd come home, he'd hug us and he would smell of the rubber compounds
from the factory. It became one of those familiar smells that had a sort of good memory attached to it, as strange as that sounds.

So when I myself would come home smelling of the same smell, it was surreal.

Incidentally, when that R&D Lab was closed up and the company merged with the company he used to work for (QB), my brother ended
up working at that plant for a spell, and he would then come home 'smelling like Dad'.

But, I didn't go into rubber chemistry like he did, and while he was known by name among the industry and seemingly respected,
when I went in for the job interview I didn't get to experience this "So you're [Dad's] Son" very much. The other awkward angle is my Dad used to
host a few "Pool Parties" at our house for the people in the lab that worked for him at QB, so two of those workers ended up working for the
other company (Biltrite) so they saw and knew me as a kid. Whether or not I was considered by them as the stereotypical "bratty boss's kid" is not
known. When I worked at Biltrite, it seemed like I did alright, but I think everyone knew, including Dad, I wasn't destined to stay there.

Either way, the "family business" thing always seemed awkward and peculiar to me. But, apparently it makes for big-bucks and major-ratings TV programming
because Egads Teh Drama

[chaquir.livejournal.com]

I still find it weird that in your country it is the habbit to give the son the same name as the dad. That never happens over here. :o)

I would rather make my own path also instead of using the one my dad created.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

My father was named for his father too. So, I am actually the 3rd Frank Hunt in a row. (My father did have a different middle name than his father, I had the same as my father.)

In my mother's family it is considered a very strong tradition. Her brother's first son died as an infant and my grandmother said it was because he wasn't named for his father. I do not believe that had anything to do with it, but it does show you how strongly my grandmother believed in it.

[postingwhore.livejournal.com]

I could never imagine name-dropping 'my father' into a sentence like that! Not unless it was really a family business.

[endlessblush.livejournal.com]

My Dad had his own very successful business too - I was never invited to work there. I guess because I was a girl and not a boy.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

While I did work forbthecsame company that my father did, when I was in college, he had less than nothing to dimwit hit. It was a huge company.