Posted: 2/25/2013 8:35:54 AM EDT
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I have had a steady job all my life. Prior was in management because I kinda fell into and it payed well. Management is not my passion. Anyways they shut my facility down and they were required to retrain me. Basically I got to go to school for free. I am graduating in a couple of weeks with an Associates Degree in Electrical Engineer. I have started the job search and have had a couple of interviews. Today I had an interview with Company A. They called me back 30 min later and offered me a job. Now the people I interviewed with I REALLY liked and this company seems to have all kinds of room for advancement (very large, multiple facilities and roles). The issues are they hire as a temp for 90 days before they take you on as a full time employee (if they deem you are worthy / possibly competing with other new employees for one job). It is also about a 50 min commute. But I like the area and wouldn't mind moving out towards the company. The next issue is the starting pay. Its is not very good and will be JUST enough to get by. I do have a family and have burned through most of my savings while in school/working part time. They wouldn't get much into pay increases but said raises are performance based and lots of room to grow. Company A also has flex hours which is nice. If I would make it passed the 90 days benefits are unbelievable. A couple weeks ago I interviewed with Company B. They called me literally 15 min after company A and offered me a job. This job is closer (25-30 min commute). This company is smaller and MAY not have as much room to grow. Again I liked the people there but on first impressions of the interviewers I would get along better with company A (more my age and similar interests). The best perk is this company's starting pay is 28% higher than Company A. While the company doesn't have flex hours it is a family run company and seem to have those values within their business model. Benefits are above average and way better than previous employer. Both jobs will be building / troubleshooting equipment which I will enjoy doing. I always said I would rather enjoy work than make more money. In this case I don't know what to do. I dont know the entire staff at either companies. Based off the interviewers I would go with company A but its hard to turn down 28% more money at company B. That 28% is A LOT more $$ and goes towards everything I enjoy, guns, ammo, preps, vacations and more toys. where as the other job I only have enough to get by while being a temp and then may not have a job. So whats GDs opinion? |
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The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies.
The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. |
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I would gravitate towards more initial pay as you are setting your pay floor going forward for any future raises or offers from other companies. Unless you think you would hate working for Company B, I would be hard pressed to turn down 28% more money. I'm interested to see what others have to say as well.
x156 |
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Quoted: If you are talking about "just squeaking by" v. "just squeaking by +25%" I think the extra money is pretty important.Can you find out from the grapevine how likely it is that A will keep you on permanently and how much the job pays if it becomes permanent? If they are actually looking for a full time employee and not just a temp I think I would get on. Not positive but I am a good working and understand what my job would be there. They wouldn't give me an exact number after the 90 if I were to get on. They said raises are performance based. But even if they give me the standard 5-7% temp to FT raise I'm still no where near the other company |
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Quoted: The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies. The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. No OT at all with company A Company has OT avail for time+ 1/2 and double on Sunday's. Another very good perk
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First off, congrats! I would gravitate towards company B myself unless you could tell that you would not enjoy working with the people there. I don't go to work to meet friends but I have to at least be able to tolerate who I'm working with. With company A you have 2 unknowns with future pay increases and if you will even have a job after 90 days. I say take the money that's on the table now
A bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush right? |
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Based off the little info I would go with Company B. Remember this likely won't be your last job, go for the $$$ This. Plus, if you are working in the engineering field, a lot of firms will bring on a lot of staff (temps with the possibility of direct hire) in order to complete a design project, and then can everyone once the project is completed or work slows down. |
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Quoted:
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The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies. The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. No OT at all with company A Company has OT avail for time+ 1/2 and double on Sunday's. Another very good perk I despise overtime, although I might have a different view if the wage was sufficient. |
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Quoted:
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The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies. The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. No OT at all with company A Company has OT avail for time+ 1/2 and double on Sunday's. Another very good perk If you need OT to survive you're living above your means. |
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Quoted: Umm ok????Quoted: Quoted: The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies. The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. No OT at all with company A Company has OT avail for time+ 1/2 and double on Sunday's. Another very good perk If you need OT to survive you're living above your means.  I can easily support my familty at the 40hr rate but more money is always nice. I'm sure I can find something to spend it on. I haven't reached the point where If I TRIED I couldn't spend all my money. |
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Umm ok????Quoted:
Quoted:
The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies. The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. No OT at all with company A Company has OT avail for time+ 1/2 and double on Sunday's. Another very good perk If you need OT to survive you're living above your means.
I can easily support my familty at the 40hr rate but more money is always nice. I'm sure I can find something to spend it on. I haven't reached the point where If I TRIED I couldn't spend all my money. So working seven days a week is supporting your family? There's more to life than working. |
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When I started at my current job, right out of college, I was going to the smallest company of anyone I knew. They were making .25 per hour more than I was. Up and down since then with economy, etc. but when large companies were doing mass layoffs our owners floated us along because there wasn't 100 of us. I would wager I am now making as much or more than some of those at the larger companies. I don't make a king's ransom, but I am fairly comfortable with what I make here.
Bigger company is not always better and anything that is "possible" is also "possibly not" e.g. advancement. I have not advanced as in job title so much, but responsibility, duties assigned, etc. are how I have justified the raises I have asked for and been lucky enough to receive. ETA Go with your heart and brain bro. You'll make the right decision. |
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I would gravitate towards more initial pay as you are setting your pay floor going forward for any future raises or offers from other companies. Unless you think you would hate working for Company B, I would be hard pressed to turn down 28% more money. I'm interested to see what others have to say as well. x156 |
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If you are just getting out of school then you have little experience. If money is sort of an issue then the route I would advise would be take the job at company B, save up some of the money, get a few years of experience in, and then look for a job with a company that has more advancement. Your experience will make a huge difference in pay and even if it is less you should have saved enough from the first job to help you get by until you can advance.
You mentioned moving closer to job A but also said you could barely get by on what they paid. You aren't going to be moving any time soon then. So you need to factor in years of a 50 minute commute into your decision. |
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The problem you have is that you'll never know until you work at the companies. The second choice means a better quality of life, at least outside of work. There's no way to know about the work environment's impact. I think you should find out whether unpaid overtime is expected. My advice - try to find work that doesn't suck. No OT at all with company A Company has OT avail for time+ 1/2 and double on Sunday's. Another very good perk If you need OT to survive you're living above your means. If you even want overtime you are probably living above your means. Both big companies and small companies have their perks. Small mom and pop shops tend to expect more since they feel every single penny directly. Tough choice OP, but it's a good problem to have. My wife is in a similar position. She decided to go after the money. She loves her current company, but doesn't enjoy her job much. Since it will never work into something she enjoys, we have just decided to look at it like they are paying her very well to find the perfect job. |
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So working seven days a week is supporting your family? There's more to life than working. There is much truth in this. You work to have the money to do the things you enjoy in life. If you have a family but don't see them because you are always working, you are not living. If you like to ride ATV's and have them in your garage because you are always working and never have the time to ride, you are not living. |
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Company B. Promised advancement and pay raises may never materialize, companies do promise a lot in job interviews. Bird in hand and all that. Big +1. They'll always say whatever they need to....high raises, good promotion potential, bonuses might happen, etc....but it's NEVER offered to you right then and there. At least company B recognizes your worth. I'd also suggest you talk to company A, tell them what the situation is and how they are drastically low on their offer, and see if they can go from there. It's good to be in the driver's seat when it comes to your career. |
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B FTW!
It costs $1 per mile to operate a vehicle these days (fixed plus variable cost) Co B is already $250 more per week based on 500 mile commute compared to 250 mile commute. If you like the "family" there are lots of advantages working for a small company. I have had many jobs, and always made more money at the smaller shops. |
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Op, I'd say go with company B. Sure, it might be smaller but they usually try harder and work harder to please their employees. Or I could be mistaken on that.
25% more in pay is nice. Living 25-30 minutes from work is nice. I've lived 60-85 minutes from work for the last 10+ years. I would much rather be able to head for a quick lunch than be stuck in my car for 3 hours of my life per day. Some benefits aren't a result of a paycheck... some are quality of life. It sounds to me like company B offers you a better quality of life. Just a suggestion to put as much money away as you possibly can for the first 6 months to 1 year to rebuild your savings... then worry about the guns and toys. |
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B has half the commute time - that amounts to 5 hours a week you won't be sitting in your car. B is paying 28% more. This is a no brainer. +1 especially since you seemed to like company B as well. Get working and making more money. If you run out of room for advancement at company B then there are companies c-z t check out in the future. |
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You've got to think about expenses too. Don't know what you've been offered dollarwise, but that extra distance to company A will add up and will wear on your commuter vehicle real quick. Life is not about money, but it sure seems like it is a lot of times. If you really want to work for company A, I would let them know you have a competing offer and be ready to go work for company B. Either they will see your interest and will entertain your inquiry or they could blow you off. Ask yourself if compensation was the same what would you do before you go back to them.
As has been noted, neither job will likely be your last, but start with a lower wage and you will likely be a long time recovering from the 28% difference, and that commute expense will take a bite in the near term. Look, one company interviewed you and wanted you right away. The other interviewed you and took some time to weigh their options. In both cases you rose to the top. I have a bit of a notion that the one comapany may have seen you as a bit hungry and thus the lower offer. Did they smell blood so to speak? Promises of advancement and performance based increases are too broad in my opinion - sounds good, but is it really? Did they detail how that would work? To advance even in a larger company a vacancy has to come up due to growth or someone has to leave. I also would not count on more than 2%-3% from either company. I don't like the "potential" the one company touted - too much ambiguity. I would not let the time differntial between the interviews and their offers play into my decision. That could nothing more than where each company was in the interview process when you had yours. You obviously have a skill or trade that is marketable and you did well in selling yourself. I would play my cards towards what I know and you know your expenses will be less with 28% more up front with one company. When you have to or want to hit the job market again, you will likely command a higher pay simply due to the higher wage you started with here. It will take you no more than 2 years to determine if you will stay with either company. What wage will you be making at that time and how will that play into what compensation your skills will be worth then if you do decide to move on? I don't think the larger company will get you there in that time frame. Being able to show a potential employer the wage your skills demand (not what you want in wages at some point in time) will play more favorable for you in the next 5 years or so in regards to future compensation especially if you have to get back in the job market. I with you on this - been there. Nothing is clear cut. If you're into opportunity and it really does exist, your choice is easy. If compensation and expense are a concern, the choice is clear. You've got ask yourself what matters to you and will leave you more leveraged in the future just 2 or 3 years out. Good luck!!! |
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ATM - Always Take the Money!
Once you get hired, you can't count on your salary going up more than 3% per year - if you're lucky. It'll take well more than a decade to get up to B's salary level. So always take more money to start. Any employer who sells you on the "we'll start you low, then give you a huge increase once you pass your 'probation'" is flat out lying to you. I've been through that several times, and it never happens - they always lie. Plus you're talking at least an hour more a day in commute time. That's time you work but don't get paid for. That's you're time and it's going down the toilet sitting in traffic. So besides working/driving 9 hrs./day, it's more like 10 hrs./day and your salary differential is more than 31%. And the reason they're hiring you as a temp is because they don't know if they'll need your position in 90 days. They can just cut you loose and pat you on the ass on you way out the door. In the meantime, the other job will be filled and gone and you'll be unemployed again. From all the promises given you by Company A they sound like lying weasels and are not to be trusted. Take the job at Company B. |
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I'm tried of the corporate world and the "global economy". I too, am looking for a job at a smaller, family operated company.
I'm sick and tired of NADCAP, CI, Lean, Six Sigma and SAP. I'm tired of the Union. I'm tired of the babysitting. The pay is good, but the aggrevation isn't worth it anymore. Good luck on whichever job you choose. |