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need advice on possible job situations

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sam74

Civil/Environmental
Dec 3, 2004
310
Well I have been laid off since early Feb. I managed to get a job about three weeks ago outside of my field. Just got through working a 4:30 am to 4:30 pm shift. Sorry this is going to be long winded but please comment as I could use some advice.

My background is 12 years general civil/site with some survey and construction insepection experience. I do no structural. Generally just get new developments or expansions up to code for municipalities, utilities, or state departments by developing the drawings, calculations, and reports they require.

But on to the real issues. The week I start this job a begin getting some hits. First a contractor is doing a major demolishing job at a government facility and requests a phone interview.

I speak with three different guys over conference call. They are looking for a mid-level civil engineer and an engineering coordinator II. They phrase it as a jack of all trades type position. We speak for about 15 or 20 minutes over the phone about my experience in the consulting world. Phone call seems to go well but they have some other candidates to contact.

The next week I receive a call at work from them during the day which I cannot answer on my current job. They leave no voice mail. I don't bother returning the call.

The next week (this week) I'm contacted by their HR while I am at work and she leaves a voice mail requesting a return call. I call her and she has a job offer in hand with a 30+% increase over my last previous engineering job. The company is world wide and this contract will last until mid 2012 with the possibility if the client is happy 10 years worth of work in this area.

No face to face interview seems weird. I call the local contact I'll be working for and the job is four 10 hour days and most everyone wears a lot of hats I'm told.

At about the same time I have a phone interview with a local consulting company looking for a mid-level civil engineer to do design work like I am used to doing. Apparently they are growing in these hard times when hardly anything is being built in East Tennessee.

Phone interview goes well so I get a face to face interview sometime later this week.

I explained to the contractor that prior to his offer I was contacted by a local consulting firm and had scheduled an interview for this week prior to his offer. He had no problems with that.

What is your advice on this situation? Embrace a large pay raise and learn some new skills for at least 1.5 years maybe more if I excel? Or (if I get offered the consulting job) stick with what I know and probably have a secure job for alot longer? Should I bring this up in my consulting interview and ask for his input? Pursue both full throtle just to get a job in my field and potentially irk someone it they get jilted?

Any advice is welcome. Similar situations and what happened appreciated. I figure I've got till Friday afternoon maybe Monday to make some major decsions.
 
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In today's economy, the more marketable the better, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to take job 1 and learn some new skills. You'd be getting a nice raise and could probably bank some money in case things went sour. If you're single, and dependent free, this is the route I'd take.
However, if you do have dependents, opting for job 2 would be the safe route...assuming you get it.

Remember, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog
 
Sam...I agree with JM. Doing site/civil design is limiting. The government experience will open a lot of doors. It will look better on your resume than just another civil design job.

Unless you have an opportunity at partnership/ownership in the future with the civil firm, I'd go with No. 1.
 
It depends on if you want to be a contractor or consultant.

I would go to the interview, let them know you have another offer on the table, so you would appreciate prompt feedback so you will not create issues for the other firm.

My guess is the contractor will likely pay more, but there is probably a trade-off somewhere. That may just be the limited contract duration, or there could be a difference in values.
 
relax . . .

listen and follow your first instincts . . . they generally do not fail you . . . i remember having a discussion with a friend about international employment (initially accepting, then finally rejecting upon reading the contract) and he told me the same . . . i remember feeling relieved and very good after writing the rejection.

so, "No face to face interview seems weird" seems to raise the hair on your neck a little . . . go have the interview and the evaluate yourself and both situations . . .

trust your instincts and only you know all the details . . . you will feel good about yourself and your decision . . .

good luck!
-pmover
 
Making an offer after a 20 minute phone interview sounds weird.

Of course, just because they don't want to interview you face-to-face doesn't mean that you can't ask to interview them face-to-face.
 
Thanks for the input. The more I think about it the contractor sounds unpassable. The local contact made it a point to say he had worked for the company for about 20 years off and on and they are world wide with plenty of options. It would be a feild engineering position. 100% outside is my understanding which personally I like the great outdoors over a desk. But a 50/50 mix or something similiar would be okay.

JMirisola,
single and free and easy as I go. I do like money and if I can succeed that could be a life long deal. I do however like my area and would kind of hate to leave if things for them went south.

I kind of think and have met some management in the past that took the construction management route only to get back into the consulting management arena.

Ron,
That is what I was thinking as well. I told the local contractor guy about the upcoming interview but said I was leaning his way because of the additional experience I feel I could gain. It seems like you have to be an arse kisser or a brother in law to get ahead in the good ole boy civil/site consulting world in my area.

TDAA,
I was thinking of being honest in the interview but that usually is not the situation. I honestly would like to get the interviewers position of his perception of my outlooks but have never met him other than the phone interview. But I am a fair read of individuals. I've got seven days to respond to the contractor. I might contact a few of my past mentors for their opinions of my situation.

I still feel weird about no face to face. I questioned again about the contract length and it had grown because they had already (allegedly) gotten a second contract. He said they can usually tell who the go getters are.

Oh well time to go to bed and get up at 3 in the morn.

thanks for the input guys, ain't life grand!
 
MintJuelp,

Sorry, I meant to say guys/gals earlier but forgot to edit. Assuming you are of the fairer gender. I do agree about the weirdness of the offer with no face to face. I was taken way aback. It is on a federal government facility so maybe the increase is scale related. Maybe I pulled the shock and awe on them but I doubt it.

My tentative interview Friday (lacking conformation today) is in the same city so I was thinking of calling the contractor up after the interview for a site visit. We will see if that happens or not.

Any input appreciated.
 
Get their offer in writing before you quit your current job.
Unless you feel your current job is not up your alley and badly want the new one.
You can request a physical interview. Tell them you like working with people and would like to see who you are talking to.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion
 
They emailed the offer to me in writing yesterday and FedEx came with a hard copy today. I've got seven days to respond.

The interview with the consulting company tomorrow is now scheduled.

I'm definitely leaning towards the contractor to gain new experience but will have to decided after meeting with the consulting company.
 
Oh, that I had your "problem".

Good luck...

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
 
Job 1 sounds like a dream. If you don't take it, forward them to me. :)

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -
 
The interview with the consultant went well. When asked about pay expectations I said this is the range I had expected but here is where it gets interesting. I had two phone calls to return on Wed. The first I made was to set up this interview. The second turned out to be a job offer with which I was pleasently suprised. So I'm supposed to get a FedEx offer on Monday. Hope I make the right decision.
 
Good luck, Sam. You're early in your career. Get as much and as varied experience as you can....it will serve you well later on.

Ron
 
Contractor job seems almost too good to be true. I set up a face to face for Wednesday afternoon. I'll try and find out what a typical and non-typical day will be like. Both the local rep and the HR in Washington State seem exited or maybe my excitement is too obvious to them and is amusing them.

Consultant did not get an offer to me today. I left a voice mail requesting a return call.

Offering resignation for current job tomorrow, Thursday will be my last day.
 
Good luck with the final decision.

As a side not, any interview I have been on has been for them to see if I was normal, not to have much discussion about my skills.

You may have your resume put together well enough that they feel comfortable with you, or they may not be to concerned about that, figuring the true test is when you are on the job.
 
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