Back from the Caribbean and Professional Ethics

"R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet" (r-saldana)
10/20/2014 at 18:39 • Filed to: Jagvar, first world problems

Saw some cool cars in Miami, obviously. Am glad my wife deems Carnival Cruise lines inferior. Bummed we didnt get to go to the correct islands due to the hurricane currently hitting Bermuda. Glad to be home. And now stuck in a conundrum.

Previously I had informed Oppo of landing a new job, while still having a few companies consider me. Well I returned from the Caribbean on Saturday morning and got an offer from a company I would much rather work for (more money, almost no commute, provides a product I am genuinely excited about). I have accepted both offers and finalized paperwork with the second company (the one I like more) but am waiting on the return of background check and drug screen (there will be no issues with either). I don't know how I am going to exit the company I started with today, should I do it now and wait out the week without working (even though the only work I will be doing here will be orientation) or work at company A until I have 100% certainty of employment at company B on Monday morning?

I feel like more of a bastard the longer I will sit here, with the knowledge that I plan to leave by the weeks end. There is no doubt that I will take the offer from company B once my paperworknis all finalized, but what should I do when I inform my new, current boss about the other job.

Jagvar, you literally just went through this. How did you pull it off?

DISCUSSION (25)

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 18:48

Can you claim a much shorter commute as a factor?

I think what worked with Jagvar was simply telling the truth. I, of course, prefer deception, but that's me.

BoulderZ > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 18:55

We had a few people we made offers to where I used to work, who had a similar situation. The ones who immediately called the hiring manager and said, "I'm sorry, but I've received a superior offer that I need to take. I appreciate your time and consideration and apologize for any inconvenience.", there were no hard feelings. However, the ones who dissembled or gamed it were blacklisted.The job market is one of the highest friction, least efficient ones there is. It makes a bad joke out of classic supply/demand theory. Most everybody knows that enough to not throw a fit when things get adjusted a bit (and the few others are just nuts you wouldn't want to work with anyway). Congrats on multiple offers! A muddy conundrum, but a nice problem to have, in a way.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 18:56

1.5 miles roundtrip versus 40 miles roundtrip plus 6-7% increase in salary.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > BoulderZ
10/20/2014 at 19:00

So i should announce my intentions before finalization of my paperwork and acceptance at company B?

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 19:01

So I'm to understand that the job you want is a longer commute? Oh well.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 19:07

No the desired job has the 1.5 mile commute, the one i already accepted has the 40 plus mile commute.

Textured Soy Protein > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 19:08

This situation calls for being honest...mostly.

Since you mentioned that Company B is way closer to home for you, that's your reason.

I would however leave out the detail about you did the paperwork with Company B, before you started at Company A.

I would wait until you get the final go-ahead from Company B that you're good to go, then tell your boss at Company B:

1. You took the offer and started at Company A because you weren't expecting to hear back from Company B.

2. You just got the offer from Company B and it's 40+ miles less driving every day.

3. Apologize profusely that the timing worked out this way but you feel like Company B isn't something you can pass up.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Textured Soy Protein
10/20/2014 at 19:10

Does it matter if i went through a recruiter for the position with Company A?

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 19:12

Perfect! That could be one ingredient of explaining your choice. Here's a question - if you take the better job, are you in an industry where it will get around? I'm a lawyer in NYC, so the answer for me is "no." If it's something that will damage you professionally, you may have to bite the proverbial bullet.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 19:21

Well it is IT, i would go from a managed service provider being a support specialist (rrlatively low level) to a net/sys admin position at a defense and federal contractor that is not looking to grow its infrastructure as it has already been built up. It nets a substantial pay increase and also puts me into a situation i am more familiar and comfortable (serving one company and one network vice one company with 500+ client companies and their subsequent networks) one major drawback is that i would learn far more at company A about my field, but company B is veteran owned and operated (as am I) and geared more toward maintaining the current infrastructure for a span of at least 3-5 years.

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 19:43

Buddy of mine has the very job you want, Cisco federal contracting. It's very reliable employment - he's been at it nearly 20 years. Do it.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 19:47

Should i worry about the recruiter i went through to land at company A or that company A has large scale connections as an IT service provider?

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 19:49

Can't help you there - only got a job through a recruiter once, and the job was so horrible I berated him. If you think Job B is steady work, the recruiter will probably be doing something else when you want another job.

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 19:52

I should also say - there is a possibility that the recruiter will lose his commission if you walk, so he might have it in for you. I walked before a year was up, and I believe the guy lost the money. And deservedly so - he knew he was sending me to work for a lawyer who was the biggest asshole partner in DC.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 19:52

Hm, yeah i think im going to play the part until Friday once all my info for company B has been ok'd.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 20:00

Wow, i had not thought of that. But genuinely i thinknif i stayed with company A i would get burned out within the first 6 months. I am young but i dont like young people. Company A is full of hipster, bearded jeans everyday very unprofessional and the annoying kind of nerdy people. Company B is a far more professional and adult environment in my opinion. I'm the weird type of 20-something who likes order, professional dress, and separation of work and social life. Many people in my field like the Google-esque way of doing things but i do not.

Steve in Manhattan > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 20:19

If Company A thinks about it, they'd realize if you landed a better job now that you'd probably be poached in short order. Better they shouldn't invest time and money in you only to lose you.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Steve in Manhattan
10/20/2014 at 20:31

You are definitely right. I had other plans if i received no other offers to leave the IT field altogether and go do something far more industrial.

f86sabre > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 20:53

since you are getting good advice about the job, I would like to hear more about the cruise. We are taking a Carnival cruise over Thanksgiving. We've cruised once with a celebrity and once with Norwegian. Our sites are set low and we basically just want to take a long boat ride with the kids.

BoulderZ > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 22:26

I think I'd announce intentions when you feel it's a "definite go". It sounds like a lock, with just the drug/background formalities to have all the boxes checked. It also sounds like you're feeling like it's getting to be more like stringing along Company A, too. Trusting your gut with that is a good indicator as well. Again, congrats! Waiting on hearing back on job opportunities is killing me right now.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > BoulderZ
10/20/2014 at 22:41

Prayers for luck and good tidings are being sent your way now. I hope that the stress of the job search didn't take too much of a toll on your family.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > f86sabre
10/20/2014 at 22:45

I will never cruise with Carnival, they consistently are only ever in the news ofr something bad. However, my cruise with Norwegian on the Getaway was not only my first cruise but also my first real, true vacation. Even though the hurricane diverted us from our intended course, on which my wife and I specifically picked this cruise for and did over 6 months of research on our port stops for self-excursions, I have nothing but compliments and happiness to speak about regarding Norwegian Cruise Lines. I hope your family has a blast and remains safe on your holiday cruise. And I look forward to booking our next one as soon as responsibly possible.

BoulderZ > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/20/2014 at 23:20

Thanks! Fortunately, we were on the watch for the job change for a long time, so we weren't caught unprepared. I really liked my old job, but the business had some major issues. The well-wishes must have worked, just found and applied to two more perfect fits just now. :)

f86sabre > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/21/2014 at 09:49

We had the same misgivings with Carnival. We did do a bunch of research and found this particular cruise got good ratings, so we took the risk based on the price point. Our expectations are low so if the food is better than McD's we will be impressed. Celebrity and Norwegian were outstanding though.

Textured Soy Protein > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/21/2014 at 11:06

Well, it's probably worth informing the recruiter as well. I've worked as a recruiter—these things happen. It sucks, because it affects the recruiter's commission. But at the same time, you've got to look out for yourself.