Will accepting this part-time job ruin my chances for full-time job?
December 10, 2015 8:58 PM Subscribe
I just received a job offer for a very part-time position--only 16 hours a week--at an amazing organization. I need full-time, but **maybe** can cobble together full-time equivalent if I can find another part-time job. But accepting the job offer presents a conflict of interest with the really great full-time job I've applied for.
I was just laid off from a nightmare job I had for 10 months. This is OK in a way, because I was sick from the stress of the awful job, and the job was in an industry I hated; but it's also bad because now I don't have a job. I don't have a great job history (depression, lack of education preventing interesting and challenging opportunities, followed by dropping out of job market for several years to raise family, followed by a few years of spotty temp jobs and more depression, followed by finally completing bachelors late in life), so finding work is very hard, especially getting an interview. And I'm now trying to find program/project cooridnator work in the nonprofit sector, which is a change from the work I've been doing for the last several years (accounting/bookkeeping), and which may be difficult for me to break into. So a job offer is a very valuable thing for me. I'm struggling with serious confidence problems and forcing myself to send out applications for jobs is very difficult. Networking is torture for me. The idea of turning down a job offer is terrifying because I'm afraid there won't be another one.
But just tonight I got an email offering me the position of bookkeeper/office manager I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago. They contacted me after getting my name from their board member, my former professor and the Chair of my major department from which I graduated a year ago. It's an amazing nonprofit organization that does very admirable work, run by an inspiring, exciting Executive Director I'd love to work with. I would definitely have an opportunity to learn lots of new stuff that would be very valuable to me in my career, including nonprofit development and program management. Because it's a very small organization they can be flexible with exposure to all different parts of the organization, a flexibility which would be hard to find at many organizations. But it's only 16 hours a week at roughly the same hourly rate I was making before in my full-time job. I can't afford to work only part-time; I have a kid on the autism spectrum who'll be going to college and living with me for a few more years, and I live in a very expensive region. But I've been mulling it over since my interview, and I've been thinking that it might be worth it to take the job. I might be able to find another part-time job and cobble together roughly the equivalent of full-time work. This is risky as it might take a long time to find another suitable part-time job. Not to mention the fact that I won't get benefits (insurances or PTO) at the first job, and almost certainly not at a second job either, which is pretty lousy. This is not great, but it might be worth it for an opportunity I might not find otherwise.
Here's where it gets tricky. Right around the time this job came around, I had applied for my dream job: a coordinator position in my major department at the state university from which I just graduated and whose Chair had just recommended me for the part-time nonprofit job! It's full-time and working for the state, so it has great benefits. My bachelors degree is in a highly academic field, so I've never even imagined being able to work in the field without an advanced degree. When I applied for the job I sent the Chair a note telling him of my application, and he replied that he was glad I applied. I know this is not his endorsement, but just some nice encouragement. I think it will be a stretch for me to be considered for this job; I don't think I have a very strong shot. But I do think I will at get at least a courtesy interview because of my status as a recent alum and my relationship with the department Chair.
But it's the same department Chair who gave my name to the nonprofit who offered me the part-time job tonight and led them to call me in the first place. And he's on their Board. And he's good friends with the ED who made the offer (I see evidence of their friendship and time working together on facebook). In fact, he might have been involved in their decision to make the offer. And, now that I think of it, the ED probably knows about my application to the academic department. In her email tonight she made the following request: "An important part of our offer is that I would need from you a commitment to give me some advance notice or even helping us to train someone as [current bookkeeper] is doing now, if you decide to leave." This could be an allusion to my application to the university.
I understand that hiring for state jobs can take a very long time; I sent in my app about 4 weeks ago, and they just closed the application period this past Monday. I don't know if they'll contact me or, if so, when. The nonprofit would like me to start ASAP because my predecessor is leaving in mid-January and they want as long a training period as possible. If I took this job, the Chair would know about it, and I assume this would be a conflict of interest for him and he would disqualify me from consideration for the coordinator job as it would take me away from the organization on whose board he sits and with whose Exec. Dir. he is friends. If I turn down the part-time non-profit job, it might also look bad to him. They are a very small, very, very busy organization who haven't really interviewed anyone else; their time is at a huge premium. It would feel like a dick move to make this great connection with them, express my strong interest, and then turn them down just for a chance at another job that I might not even get an interview for, let alone an offer. Not to mention that, apart from the problem of the part-time nature, it could be a great learning opportunity where I could gain very valuable skills for the future. And of course, I'm really scared of turning down any offer, because there might not be another one!
Should I talk about this with the ED who offered the job? Should I talk about it with the academic Chair? While I think he likes me and we had a nice teacher/student relationship, that was a year ago. I don't have a close relationship with him; it's pretty formal. It seems quite inappropriate to contact him about my job application when he may not even be directly involved with hiring and certainly not until much further along in the process; it's a large state university with a large HR department and I assume a complex hiring process. Any advice on how to handle this?
I was just laid off from a nightmare job I had for 10 months. This is OK in a way, because I was sick from the stress of the awful job, and the job was in an industry I hated; but it's also bad because now I don't have a job. I don't have a great job history (depression, lack of education preventing interesting and challenging opportunities, followed by dropping out of job market for several years to raise family, followed by a few years of spotty temp jobs and more depression, followed by finally completing bachelors late in life), so finding work is very hard, especially getting an interview. And I'm now trying to find program/project cooridnator work in the nonprofit sector, which is a change from the work I've been doing for the last several years (accounting/bookkeeping), and which may be difficult for me to break into. So a job offer is a very valuable thing for me. I'm struggling with serious confidence problems and forcing myself to send out applications for jobs is very difficult. Networking is torture for me. The idea of turning down a job offer is terrifying because I'm afraid there won't be another one.
But just tonight I got an email offering me the position of bookkeeper/office manager I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago. They contacted me after getting my name from their board member, my former professor and the Chair of my major department from which I graduated a year ago. It's an amazing nonprofit organization that does very admirable work, run by an inspiring, exciting Executive Director I'd love to work with. I would definitely have an opportunity to learn lots of new stuff that would be very valuable to me in my career, including nonprofit development and program management. Because it's a very small organization they can be flexible with exposure to all different parts of the organization, a flexibility which would be hard to find at many organizations. But it's only 16 hours a week at roughly the same hourly rate I was making before in my full-time job. I can't afford to work only part-time; I have a kid on the autism spectrum who'll be going to college and living with me for a few more years, and I live in a very expensive region. But I've been mulling it over since my interview, and I've been thinking that it might be worth it to take the job. I might be able to find another part-time job and cobble together roughly the equivalent of full-time work. This is risky as it might take a long time to find another suitable part-time job. Not to mention the fact that I won't get benefits (insurances or PTO) at the first job, and almost certainly not at a second job either, which is pretty lousy. This is not great, but it might be worth it for an opportunity I might not find otherwise.
Here's where it gets tricky. Right around the time this job came around, I had applied for my dream job: a coordinator position in my major department at the state university from which I just graduated and whose Chair had just recommended me for the part-time nonprofit job! It's full-time and working for the state, so it has great benefits. My bachelors degree is in a highly academic field, so I've never even imagined being able to work in the field without an advanced degree. When I applied for the job I sent the Chair a note telling him of my application, and he replied that he was glad I applied. I know this is not his endorsement, but just some nice encouragement. I think it will be a stretch for me to be considered for this job; I don't think I have a very strong shot. But I do think I will at get at least a courtesy interview because of my status as a recent alum and my relationship with the department Chair.
But it's the same department Chair who gave my name to the nonprofit who offered me the part-time job tonight and led them to call me in the first place. And he's on their Board. And he's good friends with the ED who made the offer (I see evidence of their friendship and time working together on facebook). In fact, he might have been involved in their decision to make the offer. And, now that I think of it, the ED probably knows about my application to the academic department. In her email tonight she made the following request: "An important part of our offer is that I would need from you a commitment to give me some advance notice or even helping us to train someone as [current bookkeeper] is doing now, if you decide to leave." This could be an allusion to my application to the university.
I understand that hiring for state jobs can take a very long time; I sent in my app about 4 weeks ago, and they just closed the application period this past Monday. I don't know if they'll contact me or, if so, when. The nonprofit would like me to start ASAP because my predecessor is leaving in mid-January and they want as long a training period as possible. If I took this job, the Chair would know about it, and I assume this would be a conflict of interest for him and he would disqualify me from consideration for the coordinator job as it would take me away from the organization on whose board he sits and with whose Exec. Dir. he is friends. If I turn down the part-time non-profit job, it might also look bad to him. They are a very small, very, very busy organization who haven't really interviewed anyone else; their time is at a huge premium. It would feel like a dick move to make this great connection with them, express my strong interest, and then turn them down just for a chance at another job that I might not even get an interview for, let alone an offer. Not to mention that, apart from the problem of the part-time nature, it could be a great learning opportunity where I could gain very valuable skills for the future. And of course, I'm really scared of turning down any offer, because there might not be another one!
Should I talk about this with the ED who offered the job? Should I talk about it with the academic Chair? While I think he likes me and we had a nice teacher/student relationship, that was a year ago. I don't have a close relationship with him; it's pretty formal. It seems quite inappropriate to contact him about my job application when he may not even be directly involved with hiring and certainly not until much further along in the process; it's a large state university with a large HR department and I assume a complex hiring process. Any advice on how to handle this?
You sound like you really want this part-time job. Don't bet on an uncertain future when a certain present is in front of you.
It is totally normal for a part-time job, especially one at a small non-profit, to expect you to leave at some point and also to ask you to train your replacement, so try not to read anything more into that expectation. You can decide exactly how to handle leaving if and when another opportunity comes along.
Congrats!
posted by sockermom at 10:32 PM on December 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
It is totally normal for a part-time job, especially one at a small non-profit, to expect you to leave at some point and also to ask you to train your replacement, so try not to read anything more into that expectation. You can decide exactly how to handle leaving if and when another opportunity comes along.
Congrats!
posted by sockermom at 10:32 PM on December 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I could sense your excitement about the part-time job just from reading your description of it! Take it! As you say, the wheels may move slowly with the full time position and there are no guarantees. I've worked in HR and would not be surprised at all or feel negatively about someone who left a part-time job for a full time position--it happens every day.
I'm excited for you! Good luck!
posted by bookmammal at 4:45 AM on December 11, 2015
I'm excited for you! Good luck!
posted by bookmammal at 4:45 AM on December 11, 2015
If I took this job, the Chair would know about it, and I assume this would be a conflict of interest for him and he would disqualify me from consideration for the coordinator job as it would take me away from the organization on whose board he sits and with whose Exec. Dir. he is friends.
I'm not connected to the non-profit or academic worlds, but I'd think it would work the other way. It would be a conflict of interest for the Chair to disqualify an otherwise qualified applicant at his place of employment for the benefit of another organization that he is personally and/or professionally associated with.
posted by yuwtze at 6:16 AM on December 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
I'm not connected to the non-profit or academic worlds, but I'd think it would work the other way. It would be a conflict of interest for the Chair to disqualify an otherwise qualified applicant at his place of employment for the benefit of another organization that he is personally and/or professionally associated with.
posted by yuwtze at 6:16 AM on December 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
Keep looking for a good full time job. While the job you were offered is great, it doesn't really help you and it keeps you from finding full time work.
Knowing non-profits, I'll eat my hat if you actually only work 16 hours.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:17 PM on December 11, 2015
Knowing non-profits, I'll eat my hat if you actually only work 16 hours.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:17 PM on December 11, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks for all your responses. They were reassuring. This afternoon I emailed the ED and accepted the job. I'm still ambivalent, but I think the old message of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" applies here. I'll look for a 2nd part-time job to supplement this one, and I'll continue to look for full-time work as well. Again, thanks for your help.
posted by primate moon at 4:00 PM on December 11, 2015
posted by primate moon at 4:00 PM on December 11, 2015
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The requirement that you train a replacement should you decide to leave probably just reflects that people expect talented folks to leave their PT jobs when a FT job comes along -- most people can't afford to work PT/without benefits in the long run. I cannot imagine anyone resenting someone else for taking a FT job with benefits over a PT job without. Including this dept chair of yours.
Should the need to leave actually materialize and there is a time crunch, you could train the person during two weeks with more hours, or in the evenings, or on Saturdays, or something. A very small nonprofit is likely to be very flexible on this.
I wouldn't contact the dept chair unless they're actually part of the hiring process. Like you said, the hiring process is probably incredibly lengthy and bureaucratic, and he would probably only be marginally involved (and only in a couple of months from now).
posted by yonglin at 9:52 PM on December 10, 2015 [5 favorites]