Topic awaiting preservation: Job question

I just graduated with my BS in Computer Science and Math this past December, and started looking around for possible places to work and sent out a few resumes to places that seemed to fit what I was looking for (and had a position close to what I wanted 'advertised' on their site somewhere) around November. By the end of January, I'd sent out at least a dozen or so resumes/applications covering the Rockies from Colorado to Alaska, and the best I heard back was, "We'll keep your resume on file and if a position becomes available, we'll contact you."

I finally got a call (or email rather) from a place (Company A) I hadn't sent anything to, however, during the phone interview/screening, I find out they are looking for developers to fill an immediate contract they got requiring .NET. I haven't done .NET, so they said if we need Java developers, we'll give you a call again.

OK, it didn't work out, but it was something at least. And I didn't expect to get the first job I interviewed for anyways, even though I would have loved to move to Anchorage for it.

Right around the end of January I got another call (well, email again) from another place (Company B) I hadn't sent anything to, and they brought me down for 2 days of interviews with three different departments (22 people in all that I talked to), and I felt everything really went well. Interesting work (large, not-for-profit R&D company ranging from automotive technologies to space science to military work and everything in between), but the location was the exact opposite of where I'd been looking. So I wasn't too worried about getting an offer or not.
Finally, I get an offer, and I take my time getting back to them (holding out hope that a similar job in a much better location would present itself), and after awhile I call them back (just before lunch today) and tell the HR guy I talked to there during my interviews that I was going to accept the offer. Now I jus need to send back the contract and other info to make it official.

Well, now the hitch (as if you didn't see this coming)...

Less then 7 hours after that call (something I've been working on for over a month now), I got a call from another company (Company C) (one I actually sent a resume/application to, so I know they got out there and there wasn't some conspiracy to keep me from getting a job), in as close to an ideal location as I could come up with. I went ahead and did the quick phone screening tonight (time zone difference helped) and they said they'd get that info to the hiring dept and they'd contact me within a few days as to whether there was further interest or not.

My dilemma... I told Company B I'd have the contract in the mail in the next couple days so we can get to the relocation stuff started. I'm penciled in to start work bright and early Monday, March 28.
I really want to see if I can make anything happen with Company C (location is well over half of what I'm looking for right now).

I was planning on calling Company B's HR guy back tomorrow and asking for an extension on returning the contract and giving a more solid decision because someone contacted me at the last minute about another job that I'd like to look into at least for comparisons.

From the more experienced professionals here, are there any particular suggestions you'd have? Tell them a certain way? Don't mention specifics (I wasn't planning to)? Don't tell them yet and hope I can get a little more firm idea of if I have a chance at the other place real soon?

I've had one guy mention that I shouldn't tell Company B until I know Company C is going to work out, quoting "nice guys finish last." But I have trouble with that, and try to play everything a little more respectable than that...

Without getting into the really gory details about it, that's pretty much the gist of what's going on. So, any comments on how to ask for another couple weeks at least before I'm committed to one or the other?

Many many thanks,
LF

Lord_Fukutoku,

I understand what you're saying about wanting to treat Company B fairly. I won't even go into the discussion of how business have been screwing the worker for the last fifty years and can't comprehend why they have difficulty finding people with loyalty any more.

I accepted a job a number of years ago from a company (Company B). I had been interviewing with them for a month and about the time I was expecting them to make an offer, the company I was working for at the time (Company A) was having a reduction in staff and my boss gave me the opportunity to take a separation package. I took the package because it was a nice offer (four weeks pay in lieu of notice), and if I took the separation, it would save the job of someone else on the staff.

Company B then diddled around for almost a month before they were finally ready to bring me on board. This, of course, made my separation package from Company A look less attractive since I was spending it to support my family rather than being able to start earning an income from Company B and use the separation package to take care of other things.

Anyway after a month they brought me on board, just a week before Christmas. I received a Christmas bonus and turkey and the week between Christmas and New Years off with pay. During that week another company (Company C) gave me an offer with a 30% increase in pay. I returned to the Company B the Monday after New Years and turned in my two weeks notice.

I told my manager that I felt bad about leaving such a short time after joining their company. He said not to worry about it. He understood that that much of a pay increase was very attractive and also to keep in mind that the first month or two on a new job was so that the company and the employee could get to know each other. If things don't work out for both then it is perfectly acceptable for either one to move on. More often it is the company that will tell the employee during that period that things aren't working out and they hope the employee does well in their next situation. But, it is just as valid for the employee to end the association.

What I would suggest is that you go ahead with the process of joining the company where you have an offer and pursue an offer from the other company as rapidly as possible. Don't tell Company B about your offer from Company C until you have an offer from them and are ready to leave. You may discuss your offer from Company B with Company C only to try to get them to expedite an offer to you. However, don't go into too much detail about the state of that offer because if Company C feels that you can be easily persuaded to move from one company to another they may decide not to make an offer at all since they don't want the same thing to happen to them. Emphasis the facts that Company C is offering you the location and the career opportunities you are seeking while you had taken the position with Company B to gain more experience even though it was not in a location or even really in the field you are interested in. Make company C feel that they have more to offer you than just money because money alone will not keep anyone working at a job.

Another reason to continue with the offer from Company B is, like your friend said, "An offer in the hand is worth five hundred who are interested but have not yet made an offer." Unless you are independently wealthy or don't care how long you continue to live with your parents or have some other means of support, you are better off accepting today's offer than hoping tomorrow's offer will be better.

It has always been my experience that whenever I think an upcoming offer is better than the one I already have, the upcoming offer almost never materializes.



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-- not necessarily stoned... just beautiful.

hyperbole - Thank you very much for that.

quote:

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It has always been my experience that whenever I think an upcoming offer is better than the one I already have, the upcoming offer almost never materializes.

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That's exactly what I was afraid of having happen. But it's reassuring to hear that taking a better offer so soon after starting one job isn't quite as frowned upon as I first thought. Although, I realize that if you do that more than once or twice, especially early on, it'll just get harder and harder to convince an employer that you'll stick around.
Hopefully the timing of these two will work together a little better than I'm thinking it will and whatever happens will work out for the best (I'm not usually this optimistic, but if it works I might just have to give it a try).

Thanks again hyperbole, that was exactly what I needed to hear

LF

To put it in a nutshell, it is always better to look for other work, whilst still employed. Take the job with Comp B, but keep your options open until you feel settled with Comp B.

No Sig ?

It also can't hurt to be very frank with company C and say "this is what I've got lined up. I can't wait to see if something materializes with you, but if you're interested, make me an offer"

Well, I have to say, this is by far the most reasonable advice I've heard so far. Once again, this place lives up to it's reputation

Thanks again all three of y'all,
LF

illuminating conversation, and sad as hell. People used to have relationships with their employers, employers looked out for their employees and their loyalty and trust that went both ways. Nowadays people and jobs are commodities. We'll be robots before long.

Please understand I'm not passing any judgement here at all, this is some fantastic and relevant advice being offered in here, just a commentary on a cultural shift that makes me sad.

edit: restraining hippie rant



(Edited by JKMabry on 03-05-2005 00:28)

LF, be sure to read your contract carefully. If they are paying to relocate you, some companies will stipulate that you must work for them for 'X' amount of time or you have to pay back what they gave you for relocation. The company that I work for does this so I thought I might mention it, just in case.

Good luck and congratulations!!