job-seeker contacts/advice

[nate82]

Has anyone taken a job out of the country? I have been contemplating trying to get a job out of the country in the next couple of years. Anyone have any advice on where to start on this?

 

I am not sure where I want to go either.

[GAME05]

My only experiences with it are through a main Parks and Recreation website/job board which was advertising a two-year stint running a pool in the Marshall Islands. They offered to interview via Skype. Not out of the country, but there was a similar one for Assistant Recreation Director in Nome.

[GAME05]

Been thinking more about transferring to a different park. There's things I like here, though. But I don't appear too popular (work-wise, not personality wise) and I'm a little tired of everyone quickly getting really quiet when I walk into the office.

 

There's a couple places I've wanted to go to, though they don't have openings often and transferring is based on seniority (and I don't have terribly much). But others open up fairly often and of course they come with their plusses and minuses.

[GAME05]

Had an interview in order to transfer to a different park. It's actually a demotion but with no pay change. I think my chances are pretty decent, but of course it's not up to me and I don't know a thing about any other applicants.

 

Every other police department has what's called a Field Training program--you get sworn as an officer, but you assist an experienced officer for a long time to learn the ropes and how to do things. My agency doesn't have that and it's hurt my professional growth. The demotion gives me more immediate supervision, which I believe I will benefit from. Right now I'm in a more independent position, so if I make a mistake it's not noticed and rectified until the proverbial fan gets dirty. And when it's other people having to step in and make the corrections, it's a good time to reassess.

 

Yesterday, hearing "We tried to tell you to do X, Y and Z, but it didn't get done" cements that a move is a good idea. I don't ignore suggestions, but they either weren't done appropriately or completely (not necessarily related to law enforcement actions), and more immediate supervision should help resolve that.

[NeedMoreFans]

I am entering my 9th year as a teacher, and I saw a job posting at the high school in the city I live in that I would like to apply to. The application requires me to submit three letters of recommendation from supervisors/administrators. How do I go about asking for these letters? I have only worked at one school, but I know a couple of administrators that moved to other districts. Do I ask them for letters? I don't have a lot of options available.

[RobDeer 45]

NeedMoreFans - Yes, a lot of letters of recommendation come from people you no longer work with. A lot of scenarios, it's tough to ask for a recommendation letter from your current employer. I would imagine, in your scenario, a current administrator would likely be happy to help you though.

[GAME05]

I got my transfer. Looks like I'll be moving. This is actually a demotion, but I believe having an additional supervisor will help me in the long run, at least professionally. This park is heavier on search and rescue than law enforcement, such as looking for lost hikers until 2am. More maintenance work, which I like, though more teaching classes, which I won't like.

 

But a lot of hiking trails around me, which suits me. Currently the best trails are 45 minutes away.

 

And I'm now 3 hours away from a good friend of mine, as opposed to 6 hours, which should hopefully mean a lot more visits.

 

Pretty happy. I think this is a good move for me.

[CheezWizHed]

Congrats GAME05. I took a step back 6 months ago. I got there and proved myself. A manager left and now I'm back up to where I was at my previous job. You never know what might happen when you work hard.

[jerichoholicninja]

I have an interview this week at a place I've interviewed 3 times prior for 3 different jobs over the past 5 years. The position I'm interviewing for I actually interviewed for and got a few years ago. Even after the position ended they've asked me back a couple times to work when the person who has the position was out for a while. Now, I'm not expecting them to just give me the job but what exactly do they expect to learn from an interview? Based on who I've spoken with over the phone, the HR people are different, but I'm also interviewing with the department I worked in and it's the same people I've worked with multiple times before.

[Baldkin]

I got my transfer. Looks like I'll be moving. This is actually a demotion, but I believe having an additional supervisor will help me in the long run, at least professionally. This park is heavier on search and rescue than law enforcement, such as looking for lost hikers until 2am. More maintenance work, which I like, though more teaching classes, which I won't like.

 

But a lot of hiking trails around me, which suits me. Currently the best trails are 45 minutes away.

 

And I'm now 3 hours away from a good friend of mine, as opposed to 6 hours, which should hopefully mean a lot more visits.

 

Pretty happy. I think this is a good move for me.

 

Can I ask where you're off to? Best of luck

 

I was someone who used to hate teaching classes (I coach software development teams) and slowly fell in love with it. Being in front of a group became more comfortable and learning to get the group engaged through powerful questions was truly helpful.

[GAME05]

I don't want to say exactly since I'm in a law enforcement position, but I'm in the Southeast, moving from a flat park to a mountain park.

 

There's some things I miss about my old job already. It sounds lazy because it is, but you were either 100 mph or 0, and the 0 meant long lunch breaks when it's slow, parking it at home if it was raining, or four-hour "lunch breaks" in the off-season. Not too much law enforcement here, which means everyone gets busy with projects year-round and is pretty hard-core about it. I no longer have the option of leaving late because I neglected to make coffee.

 

There can be a lot of good to no real supervision or training, or anyone looking over your shoulder. But that does make professional growth a lot slower, which is ultimately why I moved.

[burnzy24]

Ok Job advice needed: Got an offer the other day for a lateral move at a similar employer but for more money. I'm struggling over the decision and have gone back and forth on this. I stress about this stuff way too hard so i figured I would open it up and see what everyone else thought. I have been at my job for about 4 years. I really like the location where I work and the people I work with making coming to work fun. My supervisors are good too. I applied for this job because it seemed interesting and the pay was better, essentially I applied to learn more about it. I didn't really know what to think after the 1st interview. They asked for a second, but I thought it went poorly and I had kinda cooled on the job so I let it slip from my mind because I was very sure it wasn't going to get offered to me. Well lo and behold they offered. Now I learned some things after the offer that I have concerns about. My current employer pays for me to maintain a certain license and lets me use work time to those take classes because they believe it benefits them in my work. Even though my job would be similar, this new place will not pay for them and I likely can't use work time for most of the classes so I would have to burn several days of vacation time a year to do this. These are expensive and it's a big issue for me. Additionally, a portion of my raise will be eaten by parking costs because it is in downtown area. Now this new place has its benefits. It probably has more room for advancement and the job content is slightly more interesting that what i do now. However, I really don't see myself at either place long term so I don't know if I should completely switch everything up for more money. I also don't want to burn any bridges should I turn this down. Thoughts?

[BrewersSuperCollector]

The new job really doesn't pay anymore money with your added expenses,so pay can be taken out of the equation. What is the difference in health insurance and 401k benefits?

[GAME05]

making coming to work fun.

 

That comment really stuck out to me. I don't know how many people could really say that about their job.

 

When you talked about your current job you went right into what you like about it and didn't really mention any negatives. When you started talking about the new job the first things you listed were the negatives.

 

I get it if the pay raise represents a significant boost to your lifestyle, but if it's not enough to make for any real change, I doubt you'll be factoring that into your "Did I make the right choice" decision later on.

 

You mentioned neither job is in your long-term future. Do the new and additional duties of the new job make you more marketable for your future career? SuperCollector makes a good point about the money, which would make the decision come down to additional job responsibilities and how much those are worth vs. a job you already enjoy. And if neither company is permanent, how much can those new duties really be worth?

 

The other option, though not always wise to do, is if you really start to lean toward the new position, present the option to your current boss and use it as leverage to get another benefit. Maybe it's a slight raise, or maybe you can ask them for more tuition help to cover (in some part) classes which would benefit you in your next career.

[reillymcshane]

Ok Job advice needed: Got an offer the other day for a lateral move at a similar employer but for more money. I'm struggling over the decision and have gone back and forth on this. I stress about this stuff way too hard so i figured I would open it up and see what everyone else thought. I have been at my job for about 4 years. I really like the location where I work and the people I work with making coming to work fun. My supervisors are good too. I applied for this job because it seemed interesting and the pay was better, essentially I applied to learn more about it. I didn't really know what to think after the 1st interview. They asked for a second, but I thought it went poorly and I had kinda cooled on the job so I let it slip from my mind because I was very sure it wasn't going to get offered to me. Well lo and behold they offered. Now I learned some things after the offer that I have concerns about. My current employer pays for me to maintain a certain license and lets me use work time to those take classes because they believe it benefits them in my work. Even though my job would be similar, this new place will not pay for them and I likely can't use work time for most of the classes so I would have to burn several days of vacation time a year to do this. These are expensive and it's a big issue for me. Additionally, a portion of my raise will be eaten by parking costs because it is in downtown area. Now this new place has its benefits. It probably has more room for advancement and the job content is slightly more interesting that what i do now. However, I really don't see myself at either place long term so I don't know if I should completely switch everything up for more money. I also don't want to burn any bridges should I turn this down. Thoughts?

I think you've answered the question for yourself. You've given a bunch of reasons NOT to take the new job. You seem to have a good situation - and the new one isn't your dream gig.

 

Embrace what you have - at least for now.

 

Ultimately, I would say, what do you want to do in the future? Don't go down a path on a job just because it is there. Find what you want to do - and plot out that path. Maybe it doesn't work out. Maybe you make some mistakes. Maybe it's a fool's errand. So be it - at least you tried to do what you wanted.

 

The last thing I will say is if the new job truly is better for you - don't be afraid. I know this contradicts much of what I just said. But too many times in life we find reasons NOT to do something. There are so many adventures ahead - we just have to embrace them. But don't take the gig just for a few more dollars - unless that really means a ton to you. You said you don't really see yourself in either place long term - so I'd say stick with where you are at - and instead plot out the future you really want.

 

My 2 cents.

[burnzy24]

The new job really doesn't pay anymore money with your added expenses,so pay can be taken out of the equation. What is the difference in health insurance and 401k benefits?

 

They would still be the same. I would still be making more money at this new job, i think roughly 1/4 of the raise would be eaten up by those added expenses.

[burnzy24]

 

That comment really stuck out to me. I don't know how many people could really say that about their job.

 

When you talked about your current job you went right into what you like about it and didn't really mention any negatives. When you started talking about the new job the first things you listed were the negatives.

 

I get it if the pay raise represents a significant boost to your lifestyle, but if it's not enough to make for any real change, I doubt you'll be factoring that into your "Did I make the right choice" decision later on.

 

You mentioned neither job is in your long-term future. Do the new and additional duties of the new job make you more marketable for your future career? SuperCollector makes a good point about the money, which would make the decision come down to additional job responsibilities and how much those are worth vs. a job you already enjoy. And if neither company is permanent, how much can those new duties really be worth?

 

The other option, though not always wise to do, is if you really start to lean toward the new position, present the option to your current boss and use it as leverage to get another benefit. Maybe it's a slight raise, or maybe you can ask them for more tuition help to cover (in some part) classes which would benefit you in your next career.

 

Part of my struggle over this is because it is easy to come up with good things with something that is known and bad things about the unknown but I also don't want to miss out on an opportunity. The new job is similar in nature to my current job but with more a more specific focus. I can potentially work on some of the same stuff in my current position but it won't be as narrowly focused. It is also working in a different field which would in theory make me more marketable. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely frustrations to my current job. Plus there is always the pressure that I put on myself to make more. Money isn't really an issue where with us but extra cushion would always be nice especially if kids are ever in our future. There is also a possibility for a raise and my current job because of this offer but it isn't guaranteed. What I also don't want to do either is to stick with something just because it is comfortable or to become complacent. My current job definitely has it's frustrations as I am sure all jobs do. When I told my supervisors at my current work about this offer they weren't surprised because they always knew I would move on at some point with my background and training. My dream has always been to go into business of my own and I don't think either position gets me there any sooner. While the extra money could be used to put toward that goal, I worry that any added stress could keep me from focusing on my dream.

[burnzy24]

 

The last thing I will say is if the new job truly is better for you - don't be afraid. I know this contradicts much of what I just said. But too many times in life we find reasons NOT to do something. There are so many adventures ahead - we just have to embrace them. But don't take the gig just for a few more dollars - unless that really means a ton to you.

 

My 2 cents.

 

My biggest issue has always been recognizing if something is truly better for me. There is a chance I could really like this new job and I know there will always be anxiety about career moves. My biggest issue is always thinking things I have to be perfect in every move I make in my career which I know is unrealistic but difficult to put into practice.

[nodakfan17]

I know this will vary largely by industry, but what’s the long-term outlook for both employers? Is one employer at a greater risk of being purchased by a larger competitor? I tend to value stability, all else equal.

[burnzy24]

I know this will vary largely by industry, but what’s the long-term outlook for both employers? Is one employer at a greater risk of being purchased by a larger competitor? I tend to value stability, all else equal.

 

As far as stability goes my current employer had more stability but I think both positions are relatively safe if that makes any sense.

[zurch1818]

The grass isn't always greener... especially if you like the people you work with. Does it seem to you that the culture and the hours required to work are similar to what you have now? Obviously a pay raise is nice, but if you have to work more and will be more stressed and you can't have time to spend the extra money you are bringing in, what's the point?

 

As someone that interviews engineers for a small engineering firm, I always question people that have bounced from job to job. Maybe I'm just old school and value loyalty and longevity. Unless it absolutely feels like the right decision to you, it sounds like you have a lot of negatives about the new job.

[burnzy24]

The grass isn't always greener... especially if you like the people you work with. Does it seem to you that the culture and the hours required to work are similar to what you have now? Obviously a pay raise is nice, but if you have to work more and will be more stressed and you can't have time to spend the extra money you are bringing in, what's the point?

 

As someone that interviews engineers for a small engineering firm, I always question people that have bounced from job to job. Maybe I'm just old school and value loyalty and longevity. Unless it absolutely feels like the right decision to you, it sounds like you have a lot of negatives about the new job.

 

The hours are the same roughly but the culture will be different. From your experience hiring, do you think I would get a negative reputation if I turned down the job? Is that even a thing in the hiring world?

[zurch1818]

I would say that turning down the job would definitely not give you a negative reputation. In my opinion it actually could strengthens you as a future candidate. We really value people that are dedicated, loyal, and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. It is what we try to gauge when we interview...which is definitely not easy to do.

 

If I get a resume that I can see you have worked 3 different jobs in the last 5-10 years, I probably wouldn't even give a first interview. My first impression is that this is someone not worth hiring. By time they would get trained and understand how we operate, they would already be looking for another job and then we would have to go through the whole process again. Training employees is very expensive and negatively affects productivity.

 

Here is something that happened to us 2 years ago. We hired a great engineer that was with us for 2.5 years. He got frustrated with the type of projects we were doing and he ended up taking a different job for more money and also did projects that interested him more. After 6 months, he got burned out because it was not what he signed up for. He was working occasional 70 hour weeks and he ended up doing more babysitting than engineering. He sent me a text asking to see if I could pull some strings with the owners to get his old job back. We already filled his old role and the owners weren't very keen on bringing him back, so we had to turn him down. I believe shortly after he sent that text to me, that firm got bought out and the situation got worse. The last I heard from him, he quit that job and now works for the firm he was at before we hired him.

 

This story is why I said the grass isn't always greener. However, sometimes it can be. I would highly recommend to you to make a list of all of the positives and negatives and make the decision for yourself. If you don't see yourself at either place long-term, it might be best to stay at what you are doing now and wait for a better offer. Maybe your next job will actually be your dream of being your own boss.

[nate82]

 

As someone that interviews engineers for a small engineering firm, I always question people that have bounced from job to job. Maybe I'm just old school and value loyalty and longevity. Unless it absolutely feels like the right decision to you, it sounds like you have a lot of negatives about the new job.

 

Loyalty is for fools especially in the corporate world. It is very common for people to jump from job to job in the corporate world especially for people under the senior level management.

 

For the banking industry if you want to get paid but don't want to climb the corporate ladder jumping from one bank to the next is actually a very good move financially. For example the current company I work for if I want a real raise I will need to leave and then come back otherwise just moving up is a "lateral move" according to HR. So no pay increase and if you do get a pay increase it is less than what they would pay someone outside of the bank.

 

So where does loyalty get you in corporate America? The answer is absolutely no where.

[GAME05]

I have a lot of job-bouncing on my resume, too. At one interview the guy looked at it and said "You sure have a lot of jobs here, but I can see they're all working toward something and you're advancing." I think that's appropriate if you've got a lot of jobs and the direction I'd take with explaining. You've bounced around because you're working toward something, every new job was some kind of advancement toward that goal, and it just so happens that this job I'm interviewing for is my end-goal. So you'd still be able to talk about sticking around even though your history doesn't show it.

 

But I totally agree with nate82, loyalty isn't a factor anymore. Companies no longer see layoffs as a last resort and won't hesitate letting someone go, so employees coming and going is only fair. Like telling your wife you really enjoy going clothes-shopping with her, "I could see myself retiring here" is just one of those things you're expected to say but everyone involved knows it's a lie.