[Gyro]

Hey,

So i'm a 21 year old college student in a solid major set to graduate at the end of spring. Everyone and their mom was barraging me with horror stories of not being able to find a job, so I got scared and jumped the gun on job applications.

I cold-called hundreds of companies, leveraged my own family/friend connections, and emailed almost everyone I knew on linkedin, and finding a job turned out to be a lot easier than I expected.

I ended up taking a smaller (shittier) offers since they were quicker to respond/offer, and then today I got a better offer from a different company.

So basically I'm in a situation where I made a lot of promises to a lot of different people...this is going to make for some awkward "let downs" and I honestly feel like a scumbag for doing so.

How do I avoid this situation in the future, what's the best way to screen your job options? How do I know how to hold off on a shitty offer and when to accept a good offer? Is it just experience? or is the same deal, to commit to one company, and then jump ship as soon as a better opportunity presents itself.

Also what's a good way of letting commitments down without burning bridges? I kind of want to jump ship from my offer already, but I haven't even graduated/started yet....

[GlobalMan]

They way to do it in the future, to avoid having to decide if you if should take a shitty job, is to first only apply/engage to the places you really want to be and see if you get any interest. If you don't get any interest from those after a bit of time, then and only then cast a wider net to include the less desirables. That will minimize getting shitty offers first and wondering if you should wait for better.

Of course, in order to do that you'll have to generally know what you want- where you want to be, and what a good offer is or isn't. If you don't right now, that will come with time and experience.

People turn down offers all the time, as long as you handle it in a professional manner no one takes offense and you won't be burning bridges.

[Easy_C]

Doesn't always work that way with university recruiting. A lot of smaller firms will attempt to frontrun the bigger companies. Them putting you in the position of having to accept their offer or risk nothing is deliberate.

[GlobalMan]

As I understood it from the OP he was cold calling any and everything and sending out resumes to everyone, and that's how he ended up with bottom feeders throwing out offers.

Either way, since he now knows that there is little-to-no actual risk of ending up with nothing he can now dismiss that nonsense.

[philosophical_recovery]

1 - No job is permanent. Never treat it as such. Never get caught with zero savings and lots of debt. Always have enough money to bail out.
2 - Go for the job that seems interesting to YOU. Higher earning potential in the future or the potential to leverage the skills that you will learn there.
3 - You will make mistakes. This is okay. By taking care of #1, you can easily unfuck whatever is fucked.
4 - Dream jobs aren't
5 - When you're young, spend your free time learning another skill. Sales, programming, or something with earning potential. Read wallstreetplayboys (google them and read everything they have written). I wish I had that opportunity.

[Peregrine]

Quote:

Everyone and their mom was barraging me with horror stories of not being able to find a job, so I got scared and jumped the gun on job applications.

LPT: This is only true for average and below average people. If you're excellent, people will always want you to work for or with them, and eventually work for you.

[Oilrig]

Do what's best for you. If the other job offers more money and is a better fit for you, take it. Your current offer/company would let you go in a heart beat if it meant saving money, so always look out for yourself first. Managers/companies will understand if you leave for a better opportunity, most managers would do the same thing!

You will likely switch jobs many times in your career, so might as well get used to it now.

I've left a job after a month because it wasn't the right fit. Awkward conversation with my boss but she ultimately understood and let me work there til I found something else.

[polymath]

Let me give you some advice that I wish I had taken:

Do what's best for you. If you don't make the decision that's in your best interest now, then you will regret it later. Your prospective employers are going to get a lot out of you. Make sure you get something out of them, too.

Don't let anyone tell you that it's dishonorable to turn down a mediocre job offer in order to accept a great one. Try to be honest and straightforward, but don't let self-righteousness prevent you from making smart career moves. Also, protect yourself from bad advice from holier-than-thou people. Your goal in your career is to advance and make a big pile of money, not to put smiles on everyone's faces.

At any given time in a business relationship, there is someone getting f*cked and someone doing the f*cking. At the very least, you should get a better offer and show it to your initial prospect. "XYZ Industries has offered to pay me far more money for a similar role; I'm tempted by it and I want to make sure that I'm getting paid a fair salary. Can you match their number?"

In the future, try not to make promises you can't keep. Your relationships are important, and you damage them by breaking your word.

Still, it's better to break your word than to take a sub-optimal career option.

Last and most importantly, managers in business are not like educators in academics. In academics, your teachers and professors want to see you learn and grow. In business, your managers and bosses want to see you work hard, for as little money as possible, while being subordinate to them. Don't let an employer fool you into believing that he has your best interests at heart. If he could get you to work for free, he would.

[They Call Me Mister Tony]

Preferably go for something that you want to do as a career.

Don't go for any low level "entry-level marketing" pyramid schemes. I made the mistake of quitting my old job without giving a two-week notice to do something I thought was legitimate, only to find out it was a complete sham. Those "opportunities" always appear whenever I search for jobs, even on legitimate job-hunting websites.

Always give a two-week notice before you leave a job.

[Brodiaga]

(10-15-2016 07:24 PM)They Call Me Mister Tony Wrote:  

Always give a two-week notice before you leave a job.

Only if you work for decent people. If you work for assholes, they'll fuck you over by firing you on the spot if you give a 2 week notice. It's more common these days than you would think. If you work for assholes who are known for fucking their employees over, give them a 5 minute notice. Do it on the day when your paycheck hits the bank account. Make sure they don't owe you anything else, such as vacation days, either.

Always watch your back in the corporate environment, too many backstabbing cunts out there these days.

Edit: related to this. While references from former bosses may be important, don't worry too much about them, particularly at big corporations. Many companies have a policy that prohibits managers from giving references on behalf of the company. All references at these companies are given by HR who will only confirm the job title and start/end dates. This is to avoid getting sued by former employer for damaging their reputation. The same big companies don't ask for managers' references when they hire people and do background checks instead. The background check involves contacting HR, not your former boss. However, always make at least one or two friends at work and keep in touch with them. They are the ones you can ask to be your references if you need them in the future. They don't have to be above you, can be your peers. If worst comes to worst and there is nobody who can give you a reference, ask your good friend to pretend to be your former boss or business partner. Don't feel bad about it, because references are one of the ways for the rich and powerful to keep you and me in line. If they can judge you and give you references and you can't do the same to them, they have power over you. Fuck them and fuck their power.

[polymath]

(10-15-2016 08:44 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  

Always watch your back in the corporate environment, too many backstabbing cunts out there these days.

Amen. If you want to make it in the corporate world as someone who doesn't screw people over, you have to be doubly aware that there are snakes in the grass. Habitual backstabbers who notice that you aren't playing dirty may read your virtue as a weakness.

[Edmund Ironside]

(10-13-2016 08:40 PM)philosophical_recovery Wrote:  

1 - No job is permanent. Never treat it as such. Never get caught with zero savings and lots of debt. Always have enough money to bail out.

That can't be emphasized enough. You need to build 2 things, (1) savings and (2) a marketable skill set. Both make you less fragile, and that allows you to be more selective next time you are looking for a job.

In a new position you may have to "pay dues", but don't fall into the trap of seeing your time in at some organization as an investment. Over any significant amount of time, be getting enough from the combination of pay and experience so if you were laid off tomorrow you will still have gained enough to justify the time at that position. Don't be a donkey chasing a carrot that you will never reach. Salary isn't the most important thing when you are young, but you at least want to be able to live within your means and build savings while you also build a resume.

[Edmund Ironside]

Debt makes you a slave. Having a skill set that isn't useful anywhere outside of your current organization makes you a slave. (Many long time employees at big companies have that problem. If they didn't have their current job, they couldn't get another one at nearly the same pay grade and they need the paycheck to pay the mortgage ... so they are completely stuck.)