Goojers with job opportunities

Any quick advice on managing multiple opportunities at once? Two interviews now this week, I'd be happy to have either position.

krev82 wrote:

Any quick advice on managing multiple opportunities at once? Two interviews now this week, I'd be happy to have either position.

First of all congratulations and good luck with them both.

My two cents - pursue each as if it is your only opportunity because you never know how things will pan out. If they ask or if one of them has already progressed further, be honest that you are being interviewed by another company. This is not to force their hand but it will apply a little pressure on them to communicate more quickly. You don't need to tell them anything else about the other possibility.

Rahmen wrote:
krev82 wrote:

Any quick advice on managing multiple opportunities at once? Two interviews now this week, I'd be happy to have either position.

First of all congratulations and good luck with them both.

My two cents - pursue each as if it is your only opportunity because you never know how things will pan out. If they ask or if one of them has already progressed further, be honest that you are being interviewed by another company. This is not to force their hand but it will apply a little pressure on them to communicate more quickly. You don't need to tell them anything else about the other possibility.

Agreed, until you have signed a contract for a job, don't assume it's yours. Nothing wrong with being honest and saying you're interviewing for another job/jobs though.

Citizen86 wrote:
Rahmen wrote:
krev82 wrote:

Any quick advice on managing multiple opportunities at once? Two interviews now this week, I'd be happy to have either position.

First of all congratulations and good luck with them both.

My two cents - pursue each as if it is your only opportunity because you never know how things will pan out. If they ask or if one of them has already progressed further, be honest that you are being interviewed by another company. This is not to force their hand but it will apply a little pressure on them to communicate more quickly. You don't need to tell them anything else about the other possibility.

Agreed, until you have signed a contract for a job, don't assume it's yours. Nothing wrong with being honest and saying you're interviewing for another job/jobs though.

Piling on these answers.

Congrats on being potentially desirable to multiple companies!

So while they're not my job opportunities, Arena.net just posted on Facebook that they're hiring for a bunch of positions.

Stengah wrote:

So while they're not my job opportunities, Arena.net just posted on Facebook that they're hiring for a bunch of positions.

Nice list there.

Companies need to be more open to people working from home, or maybe I just need to move someplace bigger than Springfield, MO.

Kamakazi010654 wrote:
Stengah wrote:

So while they're not my job opportunities, Arena.net just posted on Facebook that they're hiring for a bunch of positions.

Nice list there.

Companies need to be more open to people working from home, or maybe I just need to move someplace bigger than Springfield, MO.

I agree, I work from home and I love it. I think I'm just as productive at home as I am in an office. Maybe moreso because some days I'll work more than 8 hours.

The way I figure, if someone isn't a good worker, doesn't matter if they're at home or not, they're not going to get much done whether they're at their desk at home or at the office.

Yeah people can find a way to be lazy no matter where they are.

Heck the post count and activity on this site goes way way up between the 9-5 working hours M-F.

Citizen86 wrote:
Kamakazi010654 wrote:
Stengah wrote:

So while they're not my job opportunities, Arena.net just posted on Facebook that they're hiring for a bunch of positions.

Nice list there.

Companies need to be more open to people working from home, or maybe I just need to move someplace bigger than Springfield, MO.

I agree, I work from home and I love it. I think I'm just as productive at home as I am in an office. Maybe moreso because some days I'll work more than 8 hours.

The way I figure, if someone isn't a good worker, doesn't matter if they're at home or not, they're not going to get much done whether they're at their desk at home or at the office.

I think that's something employers would be more comfortable with after they already know whether or not a person is a good worker. Some people are good workers but need more oversight (or fewer distractions) than a work-at-home position allows for. It'd also make team cohesion a bit harder to build (not impossible, just harder).

Depends on how much you enjoy your job too. I could probably work from home more often (and do when weather prevents commuting), but if I'm at home I'd much rather be working on my own projects or not working at all. Work, for me, is equated with a certain level of stress and frustration that can be easily avoided (perhaps too easily) when I'm at home, and I'd rather maintain that separation as much as possible.

However, were I working for Arena.net/NCSoft, I probably wouldn't have too much to complain about.

I worked from home for 3 years and I eventually started going nuts. I had moved to a new city where I didn't really know anyone except my wife and kept my job in our previous hometown. Eventually I wouldn't leave the house for days at a time and only had one or two outfits that I could wear outside the house.

I was productive at work but I was definitely in a rut in my social life.

Suffice it to say I jumped at changing jobs. I'm back amongst other humans in my current job and and much, much happier.

billybob476 wrote:

I worked from home for 3 years and I eventually started going nuts. I had moved to a new city where I didn't really know anyone except my wife and kept my job in our previous hometown. Eventually I wouldn't leave the house for days at a time and only had one or two outfits that I could wear outside the house.

I was productive at work but I was definitely in a rut in my social life.

Suffice it to say I jumped at changing jobs. I'm back amongst other humans in my current job and and much, much happier.

Yeah, you definitely need to be careful about not becoming isolated at home. I do tend to go a few days some weeks without leaving the house, but at least my desk is right next to a big sliding glass door, so I do get to see the sun. And after a few days, I do try to get out, even if it's just to the bank or Starbucks or something.

And yeah, unless my wife and I are both dead tired on Saturday or Sunday, we try to do something outside, beach, dinner with friends, etc.

Citizen86 wrote:
Kamakazi010654 wrote:

Companies need to be more open to people working from home, or maybe I just need to move someplace bigger than Springfield, MO.

I agree, I work from home and I love it. I think I'm just as productive at home as I am in an office. Maybe moreso because some days I'll work more than 8 hours.

I also work from home for a company whose main office is 2,000 miles away. They've flown me out to the office several times over the years to work with them for a week at a time, and I can definitely say that I am more productive by working at home.

Not because I work more than 8 hours a day (I don't), but because here at home, I have no distractions (unless I want them, on a slow day). The office does not have cubicles. It's a fairly small company, so the office is split up into a several "nodes" of joined tables, with each person being assigned to a certain seat on a certain node. Therefore, it's easy to get distracted, either by someone talking to you, or people nearby talking to each other. At home I have a home office, so when needed, I can be laser-focused with zero distractions.

krev82 wrote:

Went through a free resume workshop which much more helpful than I was expecting, now to master the cover letter and with any luck I'll finally get some interviews so I can practice those :/

On the plus side I'm now getting letters to let me know they've found someone/the position is closed which is a nice change from waiting and wondering. The downside is having a small pile of them in the inbox each morning can be a bit discouraging but that's the way these things go.

Question; when applying to non-local opportunities is there any need to state willingness to relocate? I would think it's implied by the fact that you applied.

I see from the next post that you are making interview inroads so congrats and good luck.
When I was last looking I put "I am seeking new opportunities internationally" in my cover letter. Be prepared for many questions on how and why you will move and what is tying you to your current location and what would keep you in your new location.

The first interview this week (and my first real interview ever) felt like it went really great, it was one on one and we really clicked, he seemed very pleased to have met me afterwards.

The second one (for a different position) was a panel interview and also went well but I didn't feel quite as strong coming out of it, if nothing else I don't expect to get it due to not having a vehicle (which they hadn't mentioned in the posting) but such is life.

I should find out next week if either is moving forward to the next stage of their respective processes which works out well because there are some other great postings that close next Friday and I'll know before then if I should be submitting my application.

A panel? I was about to say I've never been interviewed by a panel... but then I realized I just was about 2 weeks ago. Doing freelance projects with a local creative group (a big one), I met with my contact I had been emailing, but then their creative director and President were in on the meeting. Luckily they were all nice guys.

Hope you get that job Krev!

This is my semi-regular post to say that we're hiring in Austin for data science (both operations research and machine learning experts needed), and software development.

http://blacklocus.com/#careers

Strekos wrote:

This is my semi-regular post to say that we're hiring in Austin for data science (both operations research and machine learning experts needed), and software development.

http://blacklocus.com/#careers

I'm not qualified for either of those jobs, but the company seems cool.

Some new positions have opened up.

Global Sales Training Manager; WA
Regional Service Lead, WA
Lead Web Developer, WA
Front-End Web Developer, WA
Search Engine Marketing Specialist, WA
Business Analyst – NetFit, WA
Environmental Health & Safety Manager, WA
Senior Toolmaker, WA
Facilities & Janitorial Assistants, WA
Supply Planner, WA
Category Lead – Purchasing, WA
Senior Executive Assistant, WA
Claims Business Analyst, WA
Field Service Technician – Seattle, WA
Field Service Technician - Oakland, CA
Field Service Technician – L.A., CA
Mechanical Design Engineer, NC
Solidworks Drafter, NC
Manufacturing Engineer, NC

http://precor.pereless.com/

Let me know if any of these positions interest you and I can either apply you for it or let me know if you apply for one.

Turns out I did do well in the first interview in that they forwarded my resume to their client (who picks the hires from the provided candidates). Unfortunately the client did not select me for the second stage of the process.

The job hunt roller coaster is a strange beast. At least I made it that far though, now I just need to get some more interviews.

Strekos wrote:

This is my semi-regular post to say that we're hiring in Austin for data science (both operations research and machine learning experts needed), and software development.

http://blacklocus.com/#careers

Someone I know says you guys are cool, but I'll never call myself an "expert" in any language. I'm pretty good in C# and passably competent in Python and others but I'd still be lost without Stack Overflow. I really need to find myself a cozy start-up that needs me to do a little bit of everything but is well-funded enough to continue to overpay me like a public company.

Removing my tongue from my cheek, after 5.5 years with my current company, I'm thinking it my be time for a change of scenery this fall. I'm not in any hurry but the plan is: this month, I'll tweak my resume; next month, I'll do some interviews; and October, I'll start the new gig. Of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans, and this one isn't even well laid.

Grumpicus wrote:

Removing my tongue from my cheek, after 5.5 years with my current company, I'm thinking it my be time for a change of scenery this fall. I'm not in any hurry but the plan is: this month, I'll tweak my resume; next month, I'll do some interviews; and October, I'll start the new gig. Of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans, and this one isn't even well laid.

I'm starting to poke around here and there as well. Put in a few applications.

Stupid geography issues are killing me, all the jobs I want are either on the coasts or in big cities well away from here.

Need to move I guess.

Kamakazi010654 wrote:
Grumpicus wrote:

Removing my tongue from my cheek, after 5.5 years with my current company, I'm thinking it my be time for a change of scenery this fall. I'm not in any hurry but the plan is: this month, I'll tweak my resume; next month, I'll do some interviews; and October, I'll start the new gig. Of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans, and this one isn't even well laid.

I'm starting to poke around here and there as well. Put in a few applications.

Stupid geography issues are killing me, all the jobs I want are either on the coasts or in big cities well away from here.

Need to move I guess.

I get this issue. I'm in an engineering mecca here in Northern Alabama, but it's all aerospace and computer engineering. Not chemical or polymer like I need.

manta173 wrote:
Kamakazi010654 wrote:
Grumpicus wrote:

Removing my tongue from my cheek, after 5.5 years with my current company, I'm thinking it my be time for a change of scenery this fall. I'm not in any hurry but the plan is: this month, I'll tweak my resume; next month, I'll do some interviews; and October, I'll start the new gig. Of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans, and this one isn't even well laid.

I'm starting to poke around here and there as well. Put in a few applications.

Stupid geography issues are killing me, all the jobs I want are either on the coasts or in big cities well away from here.

Need to move I guess.

I get this issue. I'm in an engineering mecca here in Northern Alabama, but it's all aerospace and computer engineering. Not chemical or polymer like I need.

Yeah, due to opportunities at my current job I've kind of ended up being a bit specialized as a Release/Build Engineer at my current company. There are zero opportunities for something like that here in Springfield. I don't really have the experience to do anything else at this point.

Kamakazi010654 wrote:
manta173 wrote:
Kamakazi010654 wrote:
Grumpicus wrote:

Removing my tongue from my cheek, after 5.5 years with my current company, I'm thinking it my be time for a change of scenery this fall. I'm not in any hurry but the plan is: this month, I'll tweak my resume; next month, I'll do some interviews; and October, I'll start the new gig. Of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans, and this one isn't even well laid.

I'm starting to poke around here and there as well. Put in a few applications.

Stupid geography issues are killing me, all the jobs I want are either on the coasts or in big cities well away from here.

Need to move I guess.

I get this issue. I'm in an engineering mecca here in Northern Alabama, but it's all aerospace and computer engineering. Not chemical or polymer like I need.

Yeah, due to opportunities at my current job I've kind of ended up being a bit specialized as a Release/Build Engineer at my current company. There are zero opportunities for something like that here in Springfield. I don't really have the experience to do anything else at this point.

There are always companies looking for people that can learn the job. I work at a very specialized plastics company. I came straaight out of one of the best schools in the world for plastics with the most diversely oreinted faculty. I had no idea what the company I worked for was doing. I had to be trained up from almost ground zero. Now I'm an expert in materials no one else makes.

I still have my basic skills although they are a bit rusty... I am sure I could find another job, just maybe not in the specific field I have the experience in.

Grumpicus wrote:
Strekos wrote:

This is my semi-regular post to say that we're hiring in Austin for data science (both operations research and machine learning experts needed), and software development.

http://blacklocus.com/#careers

Someone I know says you guys are cool, but I'll never call myself an "expert" in any language. I'm pretty good in C# and passably competent in Python and others but I'd still be lost without Stack Overflow. I really need to find myself a cozy start-up that needs me to do a little bit of everything but is well-funded enough to continue to overpay me like a public company.

You really only see the major comp difference at early stage companies. Once a VC-funded startup is to B round and beyond, usually the comp is in-line with public companies. Bootstrapped startups are a different story though, and I even know of some startups that are paying over the top of the market, period, despite still being in cash burn mode.

So if the main thing keeping you out of startups is cash comp, it shouldn't be.

Strekos wrote:
Grumpicus wrote:
Strekos wrote:

This is my semi-regular post to say that we're hiring in Austin for data science (both operations research and machine learning experts needed), and software development.

http://blacklocus.com/#careers

Someone I know says you guys are cool, but I'll never call myself an "expert" in any language. I'm pretty good in C# and passably competent in Python and others but I'd still be lost without Stack Overflow. I really need to find myself a cozy start-up that needs me to do a little bit of everything but is well-funded enough to continue to overpay me like a public company.

You really only see the major comp difference at early stage companies. Once a VC-funded startup is to B round and beyond, usually the comp is in-line with public companies. Bootstrapped startups are a different story though, and I even know of some startups that are paying over the top of the market, period, despite still being in cash burn mode.

So if the main thing keeping you out of startups is cash comp, it shouldn't be.

Warning: late-night, wine + cappuccino fueled stream-of-conciousness rambling follows.

In case 3 emoticons in 2 sentences wasn't hint enough, I was being pretty flippant in the quoted paragraph. For those that didn't click though on Strekos' link, the Sr. Software Engineer position called for an "expert" in Java or Python. I'm above average or better in quite a number of things -- some technical, some not -- but I stopped claiming to be an "expert" in anything years ago. Occasionally, I lament this fact but most times, I'm an unapologetic generalist.

If you buy into the difference between programmers and developers, I consider myself the latter. Of course, if you read the post in the last sentence, theoretically, I should evolve into a product manager (where mediocre programmers go to die ), but I'm unwilling to give up the technical side so completely. (I recognize that the PM title covers different duties at different companies; I'm mostly talking about why I don't transition to PM at my current company (speaking of which, we have openings, too #onthreadtopic)).

Of course, this is somewhat ironic since what (I think) I want to be when I grow up is something akin to a General Manager or a COO (I get a kick out of spreadsheets and all things money) of a technology-focused company, or maybe a CIO/CTO (depending on the specific duties of the role). I even switched from Engineering (EE, then CS) to the business school (MIS) back in college... but that's a different discussion for a different thread (not to mention ancient history at this point).

And so we meander back around to the post above. Admittedly, the few start-ups to which I have personal connections are all either bootstrapped or Angel-funded and I simply broadened that knowledge into an over-generalization. Responding directly to your comment, in addition to comp, stability and benefits are also significant considerations in my situation and many start-ups (I'm generalizing again, I know) will lack in those categories if not in cash. Of course, the trade-off is theoretically the "opportunity" provided by "getting in early". Also, theoretically, generalists' flexibility and adaptability can be greater leveraged in that environment. Theoretically.

Ultimately, I find myself in this weird place where I'm comfortable and (apparently) appreciated but I'm definitely not energized by my job. Am I satisfied? Or just in a cozy, "cushy", rut? I don't know.

#firstworldproblems amirite?

Grumpicus wrote:

And so we meander back around to the post above. Admittedly, the few start-ups to which I have personal connections are all either bootstrapped or Angel-funded and I simply broadened that knowledge into an over-generalization. Responding directly to your comment, in addition to comp, stability and benefits are also significant considerations in my situation and many start-ups (I'm generalizing again, I know) will lack in those categories if not in cash. Of course, the trade-off is theoretically the "opportunity" provided by "getting in early". Also, theoretically, generalists' flexibility and adaptability can be greater leveraged in that environment. Theoretically.

Ultimately, I find myself in this weird place where I'm comfortable and (apparently) appreciated but I'm definitely not energized by my job. Am I satisfied? Or just in a cozy, "cushy", rut? I don't know.

#firstworldproblems amirite?

Well, the supposed stability and comfort you get from staying a long time at a public company is a trap. You can and eventually will be laid off for reasons completely out of your control, and if you've been safely ensconced at BigCo for 10+ years, you are likely in for a rude shock when you hit the job market. Peace is a lie

If you instead spend those years moving from startup to startup, leaving when the company dies or exits or when you're fully vested, your network won't be almost entirely full of people who've been sitting at the same company for years and years, but will be spread across any number of interesting places. So when you inevitably pick a loser startup, and you are laid off for reasons completely out of your control, you'll be picking which place you want to go next from your friends' and friends' friends' companies instead of sweating whether you can land anything. Not to mention your tech skills are probably more current and sharper, your interview skills not as dusty, and you'll be getting better about what to look for in your next gig.

The "opportunity" from equity you get by "getting in early" is not the reason to join startups. If you're an individual contributor going to a company at the stage where they're paying market or above salary and have good benefits, any payout from an exit is just going to be in the "nice bonus" range, with rare exceptions. Hell, any successful exit that makes that equity valuable at all is an exception to begin with.

Of course this is all a terrible side of the argument for me to be taking when I'm hiring for a company that is clearly no longer a startup But we have an unusual and important independence from our parent BigCo that allows me to advocate this without feeling like a hypocrite.

Software development, or engineering, or programming, or whatever you want to label it, is one of the few disciplines that isn't getting hammered by the brutal economy right now, so take advantage of it.

First of all, thanks for your insight, Strekos. Also, apologies to anyone who wishes this tangent was taking place elsewhere.

One final preface: If it looks like...

Grumpicus on Tuesday wrote:

...after 5.5 years with my current company, I'm thinking it my be time for a change of scenery this fall...

Grumpicus on Wednesday wrote:

Ultimately, I find myself in this weird place where I'm comfortable and (apparently) appreciated but I'm definitely not energized by my job. Am I satisfied? Or just in a cozy, "cushy", rut?

...I've done a 180 (or at least a pivot) in 24 hours, it's because there have been some moderately significant changes at work that are likely for the better in the last 48 hours. I still have the quandry above but where previously I thought things might be getting stagnant, they could be about to get moving again.

Finally, to Strekos' point that...

Strekos wrote:

If you instead spend those years moving from startup to startup, leaving when the company dies or exits or when you're fully vested, your network won't be almost entirely full of people who've been sitting at the same company for years and years, but will be spread across any number of interesting places. So when you inevitably pick a loser startup, and you are laid off for reasons completely out of your control, you'll be picking which place you want to go next from your friends' and friends' friends' companies instead of sweating whether you can land anything. Not to mention your tech skills are probably more current and sharper, your interview skills not as dusty, and you'll be getting better about what to look for in your next gig.

...I'd say that my network has become plenty diverse over the years as those around me have moved on for whatever their reasons might be. Looking at my LinkedIn, I expect that, whenever it comes time for my own exit, I'll be able to reach out to a healthy list of individuals who hopefully remember me fondly - whether they are in a position to help or not will vary by individual and is not my point. I can, in half a second, think of a half-dozen different companies that I could theoretically reach out to just from the people who've left the company this summer. (Granted, that may not sound like a ringing endorsement for my company, but individuals' reasons vary.) As for the rest of your points (e.g. tech and interview skills), they're mostly valid - though both can be practiced (the former with training and side-projects and the latter with networking events) without job-hopping.

To be clear, I'm not actually disagreeing with you so much as providing a counterpoint for the sake of discussion. Ultimately, you (that's the generic "you") should be either moving up or moving on. A shark's gotta swim, right?

That's because you've only been there 5 years. Stay there 10 and tell me how useful your network turns out to be... Also, I'm speaking in generalities and there's always exceptions.