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Resume: How to say - "Can work with you on getting work visa" (in Fiji)

DaftMythic — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:05:48 -0800

How do I express to potential employers in Fiji , "YES, I am American, YES I only have a Visitor Visa right now... but I have the resources to do whatever hoops and get the Work Visa, just tell me what is best for you"? I am in Fiji. I need a job to stay here with my Fiancee (who for other reasons I should not legally marry until we are both in the USA). I am currently under Visitor Visa until August.

I am applying for jobs and from what I understand I would technically need to leave the country and then apply for work visa and then re-enter*. I am cool with that. Or maybe the company has another procedure they want me to use (or they have a friend somewhere in the government who can work some magic). I am cool with that too.

I even have an Australian Work and Holiday Visa in the bag so I can go back and forth between Fiji and Australia as needed.

How do I put that in a simple form on my resume that:
1) Does not make them automatically reject me because I am only a Visitor Visa
2) But that lets them know I am only interested in the job if they can get me a Work Visa
3) And I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve #2

Thanks!

* Referencing This Fiji Embassy Document: Which says "anyone intending to apply for a temporary, short or long term work permit should do so from outside Fiji;"

How do I go from one kind of nerd to another?

vernondalhart — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:08:39 -0800

What steps should I take to switch to the aerospace industry from the academic world? I am currently a post-doc in pure mathematics (in Canada), with a background in mathematical physics; that said, even the physics I did was theoretical, so I don't really know any practical skills from that.

I've been thinking more and more that I might like to do a drastic shift in careers and move into the aerospace industry, but I honestly don't have the foggiest clue how to do that.

My naive guess would be that I need to go back to school into either an engineering program or into a heavy-on-applications-to-space physics/computer science program, but I don't know if this is the best way or not. If it is, how does ? It seems that going back for an undergraduate degree wouldn't make sense (it'd be a little funny to have to take an engineering calculus class, for instance, since I've taught those...), but having glanced around a little bit I'm not sure what graduate programs to look into either. I'm also worried that regarding graduate programs, that I don't have sufficient background in practical applications.

I guess my main questions are the following:

If I need to go back to school, where should I go? What universities within North America (or even Europe, I guess) have good programs that would move job in the space industry?

What other advice can you suggest for someto make this leap?

Applying for home equity loan while changing jobs

chickenmagazine — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:47:33 -0800

We are about to apply for a home equity line of credit. The guy at the bank already ran our credit and verified rates and eligibility. I'm also about to change jobs. What should I do about the loan? To be clear, I haven't applied for the loan yet, and I haven't given notice at work. I'm subject to a background check at the new job that takes a while to clear, but my plan is to be at my current job through June 21, take the following two weeks off, and start the new job on July 8. The bank guy said the closing would probably take place the third or fourth week of June. I don't mind delaying the closing for a few weeks. I would rather not change my work and vacation plans.

The new job involves a steep (nearly 30%) drop in our household income. However, our income should still be plenty to qualify for the loan. Should I tell the bank guy about the upcoming job change now, before applying? Should I try to just schedule the closing right before I leave work? Assuming I've already given notice when the bank calls to verify my employment, will my employer tell them that? Do you think the bank will give us a hard time due to the job change?

Asking for a Raise?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:14:39 -0800

From some minor checking on a new employee, I have seen a large discrepancy in pay - which is not surprising. Can I ask for a raise? How do I ask for a raise? Will I get fired? Should I just look for new work like I'm already doing? I am currently looking for a new job, as my job really doesn't pay me at all what I should get paid. I am also not full time, and a w-9 employee. I have been at my job for over a year and a half. I have a large title and most of the responsibility as it is a very small company. (Me, my boss, a few online workers.)

I am very, completely, extremely underpaid, however I need the money. I get $XX.50 per hour, which is about a third of what I should get paid, if not less. I am to work up to 25 hours a week.

My boss just hired an online helper, in my field, for 10 hours a week. I am happy for the help as there is too much to handle and I don't get enough hours or resources for one of our large clients. I have access to this online work staff, as I manage most of them, and through curiosity I clicked on the terms of their agreement, which is nearly double what I get paid.

I knew she would be getting paid more, as I started this job while in college, however now I have my degree, and the jobs I am qualified for are anywhere from $30k to $50+K a year. (I make.. well.. much much much less than that.)

Therefore, with her working 10 hours a week, and me working 20-25 hours a week, at the end of the month she will make only a few hundred dollars less than I do for the entire month, with me doing over twice the amount of work.

So here's the scoop:

1) She may be more qualified than I am, however I couldn't find specifics as far is her resume. I also didn't see education, whereas I have my bachelor's degree.

2) I kind of snooped - barely - to see her pay, but I also manage other employees and discuss their pay on the same website. It's not a stretch to let my boss know I saw it or looked, I can easily say I was looking through her experience or what they discussed for her work.

3) She may be more specialized in certain areas, whereas I have a broad experience, along with the fact that I personally handle all clients and manage all workers. I will also be managing this new worker - who gets paid more than me.

I am sure that other specialized workers like our graphic designer get paid much more than I do, but that is pretty standard and they also don't have regular work. This employee will have a maximum of 10 hours a week, and will most likely have enough work to fill that time.

Again I am completely not surprised that she gets paid more, as I get paid nothing for my position. So my questions:

1) Can I ask for a raised based on her pay? Or should I ask based on the market value of my job?
-The market value of my job is most likely more money than she is getting paid per hour.

2) Is there a way to ask without the possibility of being fired or having to quit? Should I bring it up at all or just continue to look for a new job?

-I will look for a new job no matter what I'm getting paid at this one, but more money is always helpful and can help me find a new job faster.

-I am unsure if I can walk away from this job. I will have to discuss our budget with my husbad, however some money is better than no money while I am looking for a new job. Therefore I am unsure if I can even ask for fear of getting canned and completely losing my income, which again, I need.

3) Would asking for a small raise increase my chances of staying there and getting the raise? (I would be okay with a few dollars, even though it's clearly still completely unfair - but again I need the money.)

-New job prospects are a little thin at the moment as I am currently looking for places to carpool with my husband, or we may get a rental car if I get hired somewhere further from his job. My husband is also looking for a job with higher pay, if he finds one before I find work, I could easily threaten to leave this job for higher pay. Otherwise we may not have enough money to pay the bills each month with our current situation.

I don't have a contract. I never ended up signing a non-compete, non-disclosure somehow. My payment terms aren't on paper other than something I asked for to apply for my apartment. I will monitor this and if try to answer followups if I missed something. I think I got it covered though.

I think I'd be awesome at it, regardless...

christinetheslp — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:38:10 -0800

I applied for a position and I don't fit the qualifications. Was that bad? I applied for a transfer to a new position within my organization. This would not be a promotion - it's a lateral move. However, some people think it's more of a big deal than my current position because the people that fill this position are typically very knowledgeable and good at what they do. I spoke to someone who currently holds the position and she felt that I'd be a good fit for the job.

A few weeks ago they asked anyone who is considering the position to submit their name to our supervisor, so I did. After that deadline passed they released the qualifications for the position, and said that anyone who is still interested could submit a formal transfer request. The qualifications would be used together with seniority as two guidelines when deciding who to hire. I don't have a lot of seniority. I also don't fully meet all of the qualifications - I partially meet them. However, the qualifications were written ten years ago and I feel a lot has changed in that time, and I'd still be good at the job. I figured, "What the hell, it couldn't hurt," and submitted my request. I figured that if I really wasn't the person for the job that I just wouldn't get it.

Now I've come to hear rumors that the process for hiring for this position has favoritism heavily in play, and I've even had someone come straight out and tell me that if I was hired for the position that there would be a lot of hatred coming my way.

So my question is this:

Was it wrong of me to apply for a position when I knew I didn't meet all of the qualifications? I fully intended to be 100% honest about where I did and did not meet the things they laid out.

How common is it to apply for a job within your organization when you don't meet all of the qualifications?

How to transition from international development to the private sector?

msk1985 — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:54:49 -0800

Are there companies, online resources, or in-person services that can help me figure out how to enter into the private sector after years of being in international development? For the past six years, I have been engaged in international development to varying degrees. I am currently a full-time Programme Officer for a project at the UN. After June, I will need to transition to another job if I want to stay in my current location (NYC). I know exactly what I want to do in international development (ICT4D), but if my leads don't pan out, I'm entertaining the thought of entering into the private sector; the problem is that I don't know what to search for title-wise or responsibility-wise. I've got a strong practical skill set, including writing, editing, qualitative research, web design, basic statistical methods, and professional proficiency in French. I have worked in a number of subjects within international development, including disaster risk management, public health, inclusive technology and education.

In the interest of keeping this vague, are there services, companies, or websites that might be able to steer me in the right direction to figure out how to transition into the private sector, supposing I have no other requirements besides wanting to be based in New York? Equally, are there recommendations on companies (consulting, banking, etc.) that are known to be friendly in granting informational interviews? I know from past experience that the career services of my alma maters (undergrad and grad) don't staff people that could give me any practical advice. I plan on reaching out to friends who are currently employed in the private sector in NYC to see if they can set me up to talk with someone. Any other direction beyond that would be welcome!

Apply first and then approach, or approach and then apply?

Atticus Swanson — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:36:46 -0800

Help me time and properly approach a senior member of our staff to become their full time assistant. I'm an intern with an organization in DC. I've been there for about three months part time, and was just given the nod to stay on through the summer full time or until I find a job (They know I'm searching.)

Over the last week, half of my duties have been with a specific individual in a different wing helping her manage the visits of foreign government officials. Today, A job posting went up to work below her as the assistant to her office.

I think it's pretty clear what they were doing sending me over to her for a trial run. I'm afraid that due to finals week, my transition from part time to full time, and the influx of work I've had put on my shoulders I haven't been my best, even if I was getting all of my work done.

I'm not perfectly qualified for the position, but I do fit a lot of the criteria. I want to apply.

That all said, My question - Do I just approach her and say "I saw the job posting, would you be willing to consider me during this time as a potential applicant and I will be submitting my resume soon" or, do I submit my resume and then approach her and say "I submitted my resume for this position, would you be willing to use our time working together now as a consideration?" OR - do I wait until after this event we're setting up, if everything goes well, and then apply?

Is it legal for a job to not allow employees to take breaks?

TwilightKid — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:08:18 -0800

I work in a house that has been designated as a group home for 5 disabled adults. The program/company is funded for by the state. I am an hourly employee who works a full 40 hours (plus up to 10-15 hours of overtime @ time and a half many weeks). My checks include deductions in all the proper taxes and stuff that any job would withdraw from. It's a full on legit job. My responsibilities include: preparing meals, helping with laundry, play games with, proper care for the 5 residents, organizing outings into the community, etc....In a sense, it can be looked at as a glorified babysitting job. There is a lot of downtime where when, the work around the house is done and all odd jobs are complete, we sit around and watch TV or movies, read a magazine, and basically chill. I'd guess that in a 40 hour work week, at least half that time is down time.

There are rules in place though where we are not allowed to leave the home, unless we bring one of the residents with us. We often take them grocery shopping, to the park, to the mall or movies; just basically helping them interact with society. All part of the job. While it isn't addressed in the employee handbook, it was kind of explained to me (under the table), that as long as you bring a resident with you and perform an activity that benefits them, this is the time where you can kind of run quick errands (the bank, the post office, etc...)

In our 40 hour work week, it was explained to me that this is considered our breaks. Most shifts have 2 people working them, so if one person goes out with a resident or two, there is another person at the house watching the other residents. In a nutshell, I am not entitled to a one hour break if I work an 8-12 hour day, nor am I allowed to leave for a 15 minute break (on my own) for a shorter day I may be working (4-5 hours)....

I was brought into the job by a close friend who manages the home. i read the employee handbook where this isn't addressed.....I asked him (the manager) about it and he explained that since the job has so much downtime (which I get paid hourly for), that counts as our breaks, and therefore why they company does not need to legally allows us to have our own free time over a course of a shift....It is frowned upon severely to run any personal errands (with a resident) while out, and can result in and up to termination, I was told that , that un-officially is our time to ourselves, and to proceed with our personal errands with caution...I am not a smoker, but smoke breaks are allowed outside of the home on the patio or deck, where access to the residents are still close by and issues can be dealt with...

My issue is, is this legal? How can I work an official 40 hour full time state funded, tax taken job, and not be entitled to breaks....I am in NJ....I don't know the specifics of the law, but in an 8 hour shift, shouldnt I legally be entitled to a one hour break and several 15 minute breaks, where I can leave the property at will? If I work a 4 hour shift, aren't i entitled to a 15 minute break or something? I was told that since, I am sitting around watching tv, or playing on my phone, or reading a book half my shift, that they do not need to provide me with a lunch or dinner hour, etc...

There is a shady management staff (IMO) in place and from the 7 months I have been with this company, I have heard stories of other employees being 'pushed out' of the job if you question or cause any ruffles in the feathers. Most employees in the 12-15 group homes spread out across NJ speak with each other, and share stories of someone who 'pissed off' the wrong member of management, and eventually was either let go for a totally 'random' reason....

This job is not a long term gig for me. I was in a lurch and took the job. I do it well, but I am on the search for a better career option. i am not looking to cause waves, but upon my leaving this job, I want to find out my legal rights about this.....If I am entitled to these breaks over a 40-50 hour work week, then do I have any recourse to sue the company for back pay....I'll have pay stubs showing the exact amount of time I have put in....Could this turn into a class action suit with every current and former employee for back pay?

Or , is there a legal loophole in this job field that supersedes the law and they can legally run the operation like this? I don't think because of the abundance of downtime on the job which I am being paid for supersedes my legal rights either.

This is about my legal rights..Trust me, I feel lucky in some slight manner that I am not having to do heavy physical exhausting work. It is a somewhat enticing proposition to get paid to basically hang out.....I understand that, however.......

Thanks!

I didn't used to be bad at this.

thereemix — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:41:15 -0800

Follow up to this question I asked a while back. Yes, another email verbiage question. There was a time when I was really good at crafting emails/memos/correspondence/etc. However, now that I've been unemployed for eight months, my brain is apparently atrophying.

Backstory: To summarize the question I linked to above the fold...back in December I got some intel about a job lead from an industry colleague. I emailed the contact at the company (with the help of many of you lovely folks) regarding the potential opportunity with my resume. The contact responded by saying that they weren't hiring at the moment, but did plan on bringing in someone new midway through the next year.

Seeing as it's coming upon midway through the next year, I sent her a follow-up email reiterating my interest in the company with an updated resume (I've been doing some freelancing). She replied saying that unfortunately they haven't been able to drum up as many projects as they would like so they still aren't hiring, but she will definitely keep me in mind once things get rolling for them.

I'd like to respond to her email thanking her for updating me and reiterating my desire to stay in touch/be considered once they have projects on deck. I've been staring at the compose screen in gmail for the last 30 minutes and my mind is completely empty. I don't want to come off like a sycophant, but I also don't want to seem rude or abrupt.

I've come up with:

Hi [name] - thanks for the update!

And then I get stuck. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm sorry to once again solicit the hive-mind to help me write a damn email; you'd think by now I'd be a pro at this after 8 months of pounding the payment looking for full-time work but no, somehow it just gets harder and harder. This is so humiliating.

I didn't get the job, but I have been sort of offered a better job?

ad4pt — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:00:10 -0800

I didn't get the job, but I have been sort of offered a better job at the same company in the future? Is there anything I can do besides wait? I'm currently an office manager for a small marketing firm. It's a very small company, the owner and I are the only administrative staff, everyone else is a sales manager. I've been sort of applying for jobs here and there that sound appealing since I have the advantage of already having a job and I'm worried about the financial health of my company.

I applied for an executive assistant position for the president of a medium sized, successful, local company. I killed my interviews and it was between another person and me, they went with the other person.

I wrote the customary "thank you for not hiring me" letter and asked if they had any feedback. The president called me and spoke with me for about 40 minutes about how I should not feel bad at all for not getting the job, the other person's personality fit the assistant role better, but he did want to hire me for a marketing position. Yay!!

It was a very flattering phone call, but essentially he said he recognized my creativity and talent and thought my personality would be wonderful for a marketing position. He said he still very much wants me to work for the company and he will "make" a position for me. However, he said their budgeting was done at the beginning of the year and there's no position for me to fill so I might have to wait until then. After further discussion he seemed to think that maybe he could make it happen sooner.

Now, I have very little marketing experience, but I was a digital art major and am very familiar with most creative software. I currently work at marketing firm and produce a great deal of marketing material and come up with marketing ideas. I didn't study it at all, but I am very interested in it and so far I've made significant contributions to my current company.

In short: THIS COULD BE AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR A FIELD THAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN, BUT DIDN'T REALLY INTEND ON GETTING INTO. I am SOOO stoked and feel like this could really be like my "big break" into the marketing field. The company I would work for is really wonderful to their employees and seems to value innovation and out-of-the-box ideas. I REALLY REALLY want to work for them. In this phone conversation the president pretty much told me that they would be happy to pay to do everything I love to do!

My question: How do I make sure this opportunity doesn't slip away?

I didn't send a thank you note for his phone call (this was Friday), because I already sent a thank you note for not getting the job and thanked him many times over the phone and I thought it might be overkill.

When and how is it appropriate to e-mail him to follow-up? Is there anything that I could send him to help further affirm that I would be a great employee?

I think I can clearly articulate specific examples of how I've boosted my current company's social marketing, e-mail campaigns, web visibility, etc. Should I at some point send that in an e-mail? Wait until I get maybe another interview for this potential job?

Help? I have no idea what I'm doing here. I know mostly I should wait, but I just want to make sure that I follow-up on this as appropriately, professionally (but persistently) as possible because I really, REALLY, REALLY want this job.

Any advice is highly appreciated.

Jobless, rudderless and miserable post-graduation.

flibbertigibbet — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:04:07 -0800

I am utterly, terrifyingly directionless after I left grad school early for financial reasons--I'm jobless and clueless. How can I redirect myself and get back on track? I've read a half-dozen career books cover-to-cover (from What Colour is Your Parachute? to Po Bronson's What Should I Do With My Life?).

My special-snowflake details:
1) Liberal arts education.
2) Blood pressure (very low) and back issues that my doctor says precludes me from any job with significant standing (so most retail is out, but I've been desperately applying to the rare retail sit-down jobs).
3) In a city undergoing a bit of a crunch as the main employer (government) just laid people off and isn't hiring.
4) My spoken French simply isn't good enough for entry-level administrative jobs here. (Yes, you need French for admin jobs; less so for retail).
5) I'm in a relationship with a great guy--who makes me smile when I'd otherwise want to cry about how hopeless my life is right now--and it would break my goddamn heart to pack up and leave for a less French-centric environment. Even so, I've been applying in other cities and gotten a grand total of 0 bites.

I don't even know where to start with getting my life back on track--the things I might want to do (write, make things) seem like pie-in-the-sky dreams that I should disabuse myself of, and the things I CAN do, I can't get a job in (retail because of health issues, editing and admin stuff [have experience in both] because the market is saturated right now).

Do you have any advice for me?

How much should I persist in getting feedback for this interview?

glache — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:43:03 -0800

I've already attempted contact twice, should I persist in getting feedback or move on? I interviewed for a job, and didn't get it. They asked me to ring them, which I did, where they then said I didn't get it, and asked if I had any questions for them. Note that when they told me, it was exactly when they promised they'd get back to everyone.

I asked for feedback, and the manager said she'd get back to me in the next few days. When a week had elapsed with no response, I sent an email to follow up, saying I was fine with written feedback if she was too busy to phone. She responded by email, saying no it'll be fine, ring me tomorrow. I did, and she said she was snowed under, could she ring me back in 45 mins. That never happened, and that was last Friday. Fridays and Mondays are generally busy, so I didn't bother following up yesterday. Now that it's Tuesday, should I, or move on?

Thanks!

I Was Just, Uh, Resting?

Anonymous — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:43:52 -0800

How do I explain the mental-health-related 2-yr gap on my resume? I have a job interview coming up VERY SOON-- and my resume has a 2 year gap in which I was basically not working, for mental-health-related reasons.

I did do some contract work during this time, but not much. This would be the first real full-time job I would have had since the mental health problems began. (They're resolved now.)

How should I handle it, if they ask about the gap?

Should I stay or should I go now?

liquorice — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:55:04 -0800

Should I stay in the job I've always wanted (at the expense of a dream) or go on the trip that I've always wanted (at the expense of stability)? I’m contemplating (well, more than contemplating, I really, really, really want to go – is that more than contemplating?) moving to Canada next year on a Working Holiday visa.

I’ve always wanted to live overseas, it’s been a bright flashing number one on my bucket list since as far back as I can remember. I wasn’t able to study on exchange while at University for a number of reasons and it’s a regret that I carry.

So, I guess it feels like this is the ideal time to do it. I’m 25, I have no real responsibilities or real assets to tie me here and I have a stash of savings if things go south.

The issue then, for me, is my current job. Everywhere I turn I feel the doom and gloom of the Economy and the unemployment rates seem to remind me that it’s a really stupid idea to give up on a decent paying job in a field I’m passionate about and within an organisation that I believe in. It’s basically my dream job so now it feels like my two dreams are warring with each other.

But if I don’t go now, then when? Things like marriage, and buying a house and all that jazz will probably come up in a few years and that’ll make things a lot more difficult to just get up and leave.

I’ll have been in my position for two and a half years by the time I head off, so while I’ll have some experience, returning back to Australia after my visa is up in an arena with not amazing job prospects (law) and relatively limited experience seems foolhardy at best.

There’s no guarantee that this same job opportunity will be available to me when I get back, so I could potentially be unemployed for who knows how long given the state of things. Worst case scenario, I won’t be homeless and my family will support me for as long as necessary. But, taking the long term view, giving up on my current job prospects which offers continuing stability, I’m starting to doubt if this is the right thing to do.

It’s not just that I want to live overseas, there’s a very big part of me that feels like I need to do this. In terms of priority - travelling, experiencing different places, getting immersed in another culture are basically the dreams I’ve been working towards since I was 16. But at the same time, I’m trying to be sensible about how I approach this.

I get that no one else can tell me what the ‘right’ thing do to is, but any guidance, advice or direction as to what to take into consideration, how to evaluate this and what you would do in my shoes, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Let go of job after 12 yrs

jassi — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:07:15 -0800

I was let go of my job of 12 yrs recently, due to a personal situation. This situation coincided with our annual appraisals and hence the boss decided that it was time to part ways, and I was given the option to submit my resignation with three months notice period. The personal situation is due to differences with my wife , with whom I am in a legal rift of dowry. This is India, Delhi. She apparently sent an email to HR, which was escalated to my seniors. The HR did not discuss anything with me, and I was surprised and taken aback when my boss brought it up.

Now I have resigned and it is painful to serve the notice period , considering I was let go. I was the oldest employee in the firm. My question is should I consider speaking to HR if some other arrangements can be made, meaning they can give me the option of severance for this time I have to serve notice, so I can better use this time to search job , or think of something else. How do I explain the situation to my future employers, with any possible gap? Should I continue in this situation, and try to find another job?

Sorry for the long question.

Resume tracking for the job hunter

Xhris — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:46:19 -0800

My oldest cousin is job-seeking and solicited my help to find an app or website that will help her track and manage the versions of resumes and cover letters she sends out to employers. The best advice seems to be that you do a customized resume (and obliviously a custom cover letter) for each job applied for - so how to track those? She tells me that it's important to be able to match the resume version to the job ad when the recruiter does make contact (I guess so you can get the various little white lies straight!). And also to know what version you sent to the same company previously when they have new or a multitude of vacancies. I can't find anything out there. Any advice please? Any apps or websites that do this? What do other job seekers do to manage this problem? (spreadsheet? or something better?) Thanks

Did I box myself in with a low salary?

Two Stranger — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:00:12 -0800

I just had my first phone interview for a prospective software engineering job, which was a ten minute phone call with an in-house recruiter. I wasn't expecting the topic of salary to come up this early in the process, which I grant was maybe naïve, but they asked me and I gave a lowball offer. Now I'm wondering whether I've screwed myself here. Basically, I wasn't entirely prepared and gave an offer that, now that I've done the research, I see is a good 20% lower than the salary range that Glassdoor reports for that company and that position. Am I going to be able to negotiate upwards later? This feels very early in the game, but I don't have that much interviewing experience.

Possibly relevant background:
1. I'm currently employed.
2. I would be relocating for this job.
3. It's at a mid-stage startup.
4. This short call went well, so I've got a phone interview coming up with the actual department lead tomorrow.
5. I'm just beginning the process of looking for new jobs in the last few weeks, with the hope that I'll have something in hand by August, and, while you never know with these things, I'm fairly confident that I'll get an offer at some point in the next few months, not to mention that if worst comes to worst I don't need to leave my current position. All that is to say that I don't have much to lose in negotiations.
6. I live in an area with a really low cost of living, and this job is in an area with a really high cost of living. As a consequence, that salary range from Glassdoor that I mentioned above is twice what I make in my current position. I told the recruiter my current salary, rounded up to the next thousands place.

So, what do you think? Am I locked in, or can I still negotiate freely without harming my chances of getting the job?

I don't want these bridges to burn...

DRoll — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:09:12 -0800

I just learned that I have been fired from my resident assistant position. How do I handle my final two weeks and move on? I was hired to be a resident assistant at my university this fall after living on campus for two years. I had had a decent experience living in the residence halls, and I wanted to continue to have that experience while being a student leader. I was very excited to start, but also a little nervous. My excitement disappeared, however, when I learned that I had been assigned to a building that had a bad reputation and was known as the "party dorm" instead of returning to the dorm where I had previously been a resident. This assignment was not a good fit for me at all. I was very disappointed, and I came in with a bit of a chip on my shoulder.

The year was not a great one. Half of my building's original staff had been fired by the end of the semester, and we had a fairly large number of problems with residents. My floor was relatively well-behaved, but it was a struggle to build a community. The entire experience was a HUGE adjustment after living in the (relatively quiet) Honors hall on the other side of campus. I am an introvert, so I had to quickly break out of my shell. I tried the best I could to handle my responsibilities, but it was a huge struggle and very stressful. When combined with other personal issues, I was not always in a positive mindset.

Now, we have come to the end of the year evaluations. I just learned this evening that I have not been rehired, primarily because of my attitude towards the job. This was not entirely surprising to me, but I am still disappointed. I don't know if this job is a good fit for me, but I was really hoping for a fresh start this fall in a different building with (hopefully) a more mature group of students. I had already told several people that I was really looking forward to starting over, and now, that's not happening. My firing is somewhat of a stress release, but at the same time, it is also a huge personal failure to me. I have never been fired from anything before.

I also have a younger brother who has just been hired as an RA, so I'm hoping that I am not negatively reflected onto him. He is a great fit for the position, and I know that he will succeed.

We still have two weeks to go, and I am not really looking forward to everything that is still going on in our building, including several building-wide programs and resident check-outs. I have a decent relationship with everyone on my staff, but I'm really not looking forward to dealing with them once they found out I'm not coming back. How can I best handle these next two weeks and make a graceful exit? Is this a blessing in disguise?

Quitting a new job...

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:57:17 -0800

How best to dump my new job for my newer job? Several months ago I decided to stop freelancing and went on a serious job search. After a couple months of resume-mailing & interviewing, I was offered a decent job with good pay that is marginally in my field. I didn't see it as a great career move but a man's gotta eat.

The day after I accepted this job (let's call it Meh Job) I heard back from another position I'd applied for (let's call it Great Job!), asking me for an interview, which I went to. A few days ago Great Job offered me the position.

Problem is, I've been working at Meh Job for a month. I don't love it here, and I'll be happy to leave. Great Job is better than Meh Job in every way — type of work, organization, co-workers, commute, salary, benefits. But I don't want to burn bridges and I don't want to screw Meh over, and I do feel grateful to Meh for hiring me for a position I wasn't exactly qualified for in such a bad economy. Other relevant details: though I'm not deep in any major projects with them right now, I am in the middle of a very small project for them that only I am working on.

What's my best course of action in quitting Meh Job? Have you been in this situation as either the abandoning employee or the abandoned employer? What's the classiest/least disruptive way out?

Help me write my start up contract

burlsube — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:50:33 -0800

A local web start up asked me to help start their web based business. I would be employee number 1. The venture is being funded by the founder who is a successful entrepreneur. I have only ever worked for very large Fortune 500 companies so this is uncharted territory for me. My general work experience involved very structure contracts with incentive plans laid out front.

The job offer gives me a sizeable pay raise, about 15%. The rest of the contract is up for me to determine.

So far I have requested:
18 days vacation
unlimited sick days
9 holidays
4 personal days

In terms of an equity plan or bonus, the founder said he is up to either. I am leaning towards a bonus in case I dont stay long enough to become vested. I am thinking of a 12-15% yearly bonus that would be paid out twice a yr. So 6-7.5% paid out every six months. A small equity option would be offered after the first yr of service.

Does this sound inline with a start up contract? I live in the northeast if that is helps.

Am I missing anything ?

What do you think of these work benefits? And tips for negotiation?

bluelight — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:44:32 -0800

Fresh architecture grad getting into the job market. Want to know if you can help break down these job benefits so I can better wrap my head around them and tips you might have for negotiation. I have undergraduate degree in architecture and am residing in Maryland.

The salary is ranging in the mid 30k to low 40k.

Benefits:

- Health Insurance: Arch. firm will pay 75% of the basic plan premium plan (for individual emp. only) and the rest is deducted pre-tax on a semi-monthly basis.

- Dental: $2.53 per pay deducted from employee, pre-tax and the firm also pays the balance or 75% of premium. There is a $50.00 annual deductible for basic and major services.

- Long Term Disability and Life Insurance premiums are paid by firm

- Leave with Pay: Employees accrue 5.666 hours per pay (136 hours per year)

- Paid holidays (2013): 8

- IRA Simple Plan: Firm contributes 2% of employee’s salary. Employee has a contribution limit of $11,500 pretax dollars.

- Flexible Spending Account (optional): Premium, determined by employee, is deducted from employee’s pay, pre-tax for various out of pocket medical expenses

So far, I know I'll want to ask which types of health care plans I can choose from as well as more information on the dental plan. But does anything else stick out that I should ask about? And how does everything sound to you? I'd appreciate help breaking this down since I don't really have anyone in my family to turn to to ask about this.

Also, are there any benefits that you suggest trying to negotiate for? Should I even negotiate? And do you have any tips or suggestions on how to negotiate successfully, whether it be for salary or benefits?

Additional Information: Single female in mid 20s. No kids. Renting an apartment in MD. No car (will likely walk to work, approx. 35 min) and will take the bus when the weather is bad out. I'm entry level so I know I won't have much bargaining power, but I figure as long as I'm not aggressive about it it shouldn't hurt to try!

Thanks!

How can I interview for the open-term job, not the fixed-term job?

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:59:00 -0800

So I applied for an academic position in the UK and I've been invited to interview (yay!). Only just now I realized that they were advertising for two positions, one of which is fixed-term. The two positions were listed consecutively with the same title, so I applied for the fixed-term position instead of the open-term one. They will be interviewing all of the candidates over a few days, (3 candidates for one position and 3 for the other) and I think they are doing that so they have a bigger pool for both positions. My problem is that I am not at all interested in a fixed term position. I have a permanent US federal job that I enjoy but I would leave to take a teaching job elsewhere.

So my question is when to say that I want to be considered for the open-term position (but not for the fixed term one)? I could say so now and find out that they weren't interested in me for the open-term job and save us all some trouble. (I kind of want to do this to avoid the hassle of international travel during a busy time for me but it seems gauche.) I could just ask whether the candidates for the fixed term position might also be considered for the open term position, without explicitly saying that I would not take the fixed term position. I could say so when I'm there and hope that they'll consider me for the open-term position.

It would be nice if I had a steady job by the end of the week

GleepGlop — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:45:49 -0800

What are my options in Toronto for a steady entry-level job that I could start within a week? A line of work where they are always looking for new people and are willing to try you out without a lengthy application and interview process.

I can do the job, mostly, really

Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:20:37 -0800

I have a tricky job-application scenario: basically, I can do all the requirements that were advertised, but I have excellent reason to believe they expect the person in the position to semi-regularly do something my health prevents me from doing at all. How do I handle this in the application/resume process? The job description and situation, as advertised, is basically perfect for my skills, interests, and everything else.

The thing is, I know the person who had the job before was on-call 24/7, and sometimes had to drop everything (including sleep) and run off to take care of something (the something - it varied - could happen anywhere in a ~450 mile radius.) This only happened a few times a month at most, and I have no philosophical problem with it at all; in my younger and more foolish years, this would have been a plus, honestly.

Unfortunately, health reasons prevent this from being even a remote possibility for me - this is well inside in "my doctor will make me go see someone else if I sign up for this, because it really is that irresponsible" land.

So! I'm in a pickle. Two questions:

1. Do I bother applying?
2. At what stage do I let them know about my problem?

I don't want to waste anyone's time, but I would love the job as advertised. I'm reasonably confident they will let me interview if I send in a resume & application but do not disclose my issue. I also don't want to burn bridges with these people, because I would really love to do several of the jobs they may eventually have open (it depends largely on folks retiring.) Oh, and I'd really rather not my boss knowing I'm looking for outside work unless there's at least some shot I can get the job (and she will know if I apply - she knows all these people much better than I do, and they will call her, quite possibly before the interview stage.)

There are, as far as I can see, three options other than not applying at all:

1. Disclose in the cover letter,
2. Disclose in the interview, or
3. Disclose the first time they say "oh and by the way, here's the pager" (which might be during the interview.)

What are the pros and cons? As a hiring manager or HR person or other employer type, what would you recommend? Is it foolish to even try this?

I have talked with someone I know in the office (not the hiring manager, but someone who helped advertise it,) and she's pretty sure the position will still include the on-call stuff.

How do I respond to resume rejection because of high salary expectations

Snackpants — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:24:25 -0800

I sent my resume for a job that I am very qualified for but just received a message that my expectations are above the scope. They did not provide a range, just a requirement to include expected salary in the cover letter. I stated my salary and said that it is negotiable. I have plenty of wiggle room, I am in a new market that is a bit lower than others I've been in (I did lower it from past compensation, but not enough apparently). What can I say to convey I still want to be considered & am willing to take up to $15k less without sounding desperate? I am worth every penny that I asked for, and that is not just my opinion. I am very very good at what I do but again, I realize it is a new, different market so I am ok with lower...