take a job improvement or wait for something better?

December 5, 2009 11:42 AM

I apologize in advance for complaining about job choices when so many people would love to have that problem. That said, should I take this job that is an improvement but still not what I want?

I am in my mid-to-late 20s and work as a consultant/software developer in a big city. I have been meaning to switch jobs for awhile since there are things I dislike about my position - the fact that I almost never work on a project start to finish, the disorganization of my company, the months spent at client sites where I do a lot of non-developing things (which is ok, but not, you know, great). There are still parts I enjoy which has made my need to look less urgent, but I would prefer to do more developing. Specifically I am hoping to find a job that focuses more on web development and UIs (which I do some of now, but not all the time). Also I'd probably prefer being a regular non-consultant employee somewhere and stay still for awhile.

Anyway I haven't actually gotten around to applying anywhere. And then I got contacted by a recruiter and long story short now have an offer. It's more money, but since there is no bonus and less other benefits it isn't that much more, so money isn't the issue. The job is also as a consultant but its full on-site development in a language I like, but its not web development or an area of my industry that specifically interests me, although I would probably enjoy the developing part well enough.

It would be more experience and I know I would learn a lot - on paper it seems logical - but something doesn't feel right, I'm not excited. The fact that they contacted me and not the other way around? That something rubbed me the wrong way about some of the other employees and their hiring process? It's not exactly what I want? Or that I am generally risk-adverse and may be looking for excuses for not having to change jobs?

Developer-specific question: Do places tend to hire web developers if they haven't been doing web stuff for the last year or two? I do want to work in web development eventually. Right now I do it maybe 50% of the time and this new place would be 0%, but I'd probably get better general full project lifecycle experience, does that balance out?

General question: If you don't hate your current job but still want to leave, is it worth taking a job that is currently better but not necessarily in the direction you want? Or wait around for something you are actually excited about? Should I try to do a proper search on my own, or am I being too picky?

Input from anyone with a similar experience is also appreciated.

Thanks!

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (3 answers total)

I’ve been in that situation several times (multiple job offers) and with the exception of grad school, throughout my 20s and 30s I job hopped a lot. So, I feel pretty comfortable comparing jobs and negotiating for things that I wanted.

Everyone has a set of questions that they ask when they evaluate a new job or compare jobs, here are mine:

1) Where do you want to be in 5 years (eg management? independent contractor? web developer?)? In particular, will this job get you closer to that goal? During the interview, if I was interested in a particular skill set that I wanted to acquire I asked if there were opportunities to do such projects. I asked several people to confirm that this was the case.

2) Is there something else you want out of this potential job? (eg, money, vacation time?) If this particular criterion is important, I would tell them “I am excited about this potential job, but please give me more time to decide. I am a bit concerned about the salary – since I am losing the bonus, it is now equal to what I earn now.” Now be silent. Wait those few days. Whenever it has been important to me and I’ve made that statement they offer something more. I live in a large city, too, and when I job hopped I was usually offered comparable jobs at a 20% to 25% increase (but that my a different industry, I don’t know) -- that is a big concern that I have about your current offer, though.

3) What does your quality of life look like now versus the potential new job? Do they work crazy hours at the new place? Is there a high turnover rate? Remember, you may have something good right now –if you get along with your current coworkers and boss (you don’t mention this as a problem), trust me, one bad apple can ruin the enjoyment of a job.

Did you have a chance to talk to someone who would work at your level? If you did not and need more information deciding, I would ask to schedule another interview or be given a chance to talk to a current employee or two. Try to get info describing the quality of life/opportunities to learn new skills/why they like the job or don’t like the job, etc. Please be aware that these people may not tell you the truth, but you can usually get a little more information.

4) What new skills will you learn?

From the minimal info that you provide I wouldn’t take the job. Money sounds like it is the same, you probably get along with your current coworkers, and you aren’t getting the skill set that you want. Instead, identify where you want to go and how to get there.
I especially wouldn’t take this job because it sounds like you aren’t getting what you want (web development skills) So here is what I would do instead:

1) Informational interviews. If I were you, I would find emails from different companies, join organization (is there a web developer organization), or contact your former university (they have lists of students in different careers).

I would contact a given number of web developers and email them and say, “I’m anonymous and I would like to be a web developer. Would you be willing to (give them the choice) meet with me for 30 minutes maximum, talk to me on the phone for X minutes maximum, or answer a few questions by email to tell me more about your job?” Don’t be embarrassed to do this – the people who want to help will answer, those that don’t will ignore you. They can tell you what skill sets you need or how people with your background get to those jobs – they may even tell company Y, Z, and Q has developer jobs for people with your background.

2) Start doing the things that people tell you that you need to do (revamp your CV, take a class, whatever)

3) Now apply to jobs as a developer – and only as a developer.

If you live in a large city, I would bet that there are lots of companies that do what you do. Find the email lists or phone numbers (in NYC the business public library has RefUSA – you go to the computer punch in parameters about the company [eg, size, location type of company], and it spits out the names of lots of companies and phone numbers. Or google whatever type of industry you are in plus list etc (it works for my field I don’t know if it will work for you). If you get hold of a list, write or call people in those companies. Tell them you are looking for a job as a web developer. I get freelance gigs this way – some companies have called me back and asked if I would be willing to work there fulltime so I am sure this strategy would work for you, too.
posted by Wolfster at 1:31 PM on December 5, 2009 [5 favorites]

It sounds you will be getting less and they only want you for your language skills. Consulting on-site means it is project specific and you are probably too young at this point to bring in new projects.

Stay where you are and keep your eyes out. I think you will find a job with what you want but contracting as an economic section needs to recover first.
posted by parmanparman at 1:44 PM on December 5, 2009

You could always use this offer as leverage to get your current employers to give you a better position. Although this needs to be handled carefully.

You haven't even applied for any other jobs yet, do that first, your obviously skilled enough to be employable otherwise you wouldn't have been head hunted. Why rush into anything? But if you don't feel like the position your in is the right one DO actually look for another one!
posted by munchbunch at 5:07 AM on December 6, 2009