Life Decision

Imagine this scenario:

You've been out of work for 2 years.

A friend recommends you to his employer to redo the company's website, which is something you're capable of and excited to do.

The employer instead interviews you and offers a permanent job.

The company is big in the networking industry, but you have no experience or passion there and would never have applied to this company yourself.

They will train you and make you get certified in things in which you have no interest.

They will (attempt to) mold your quiet personality into a go-getter business professional, and that scares you.

They tell you that a decision to join the company is a permanent one, and all their current employees are there for life.

They are considering other candidates who had better resumés, interviewed better and tested better than you.

They say their gut tells them they've got something with you, but their brain says no.

They eventually decide to make an offer, and it's $20k, but with growth limited only by your own performance.

They want an answer in 24 hours.

Poll #240081

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 13

1 being "leave it" and 7 being "take it", how would you feel about this offer?

View Answers

Mean: 5.23 Median: 6 Std. Dev 1.85

1(7.7%)

0(0.0%)

1(7.7%)

3(23.1%)

4(30.8%)

9 comments — :

( 9 comments — Leave a comment )

sajego

2004-01-28 02:33 pm (UTC)

What does "for life" mean? I don't know what they can do to you (legally) if you don't want to stay there. I'd never take a job that made me say I'd never leave. Not even if it was perfect beyond perfect.

But since I'm not sure they can do that, what have you got lose?

thwack

2004-01-28 03:04 pm (UTC)

Right, of course if something major happens and someone has to leave, that's different. But the point is that you can't go into it with the attitude of "I'll just hang out here for a few years and then move on to something else when the market pick up." Instead, they want to hire someone who has the attitude of "I love this company so much, and even though I'm entering at a low rank, I'll have a great opportunity to advance within the company continuously and this is the last job I'll ever need." I don't have that attitude because I don't love the company and I have no interest in what it does. I wouldn't hire myself there.

The only thing holding me up on the fence from the "yes" side is that they obviously see something in me, enough that they would offer a job, and I shouldn't take that for granted. What they see, I don't know, because I don't see anything in that company that I'm currently capable of doing. They might be counting on my degree as proof that I can be trained. But what good is that if they want to train me in stuff I have no interest in? If I'm going to keep a job for the rest of my career, I don't want it to be in something I hate doing.

2004-01-28 03:11 pm (UTC)

Oh, and as for what I've got to lose... Basically, respect for myself. I don't approve of dishonesty like buying a dress, wearing it once, then returning it. I see this as the same type of thing, and I couldn't respsect myself if I took advantage of them like that.

Also, if I end up being fired, that certainly won't help my already pathetic resumé.