offer on a possibly very bad job

[langleymass]

Hi, there.

After some six months or so of watching my talent and brains go to waste, I may have the opportunity to earn a paycheck again. I have a feeling that I am going to get a job offer that I am not sure I want to take.

The main problem is that I can't find out anything about this corporation or anyone who already works there or has worked there. I interviewed with them last Wednesday, and it's a group with about 50-60 employees. I interviewed with the IT manager, who is also the brother of the founder and owner.

This guy seems okay, but it is obvious that this company is extremely backward. He actually told me that they were using a Win2000 and Win98 workstations as file servers. I'm not even sure if they have an Internet connection. He seemed to think that having the Internet can cause problems.

My hope is that this company has finally realized that they need to hire a technical professional who knows what he is doing. I also hope that I will actually be listened to when I make productive suggestions. It's pretty obvious that they don't seem to value technology much.

I would love to talk to other employees of the company or past employees, but have not been able to find anyone. If offered, should I take it? Or should I just hope to find something else?

If I do take it, I will probably try to make sure that I have some type of easy exit strategy.

 

[CajunCenturion]

Conventional wisdom, for whatever it's worth, states that it's easier to get a job when you have a job. Even if this job is not that pleasant, it is still a job, a paycheck, and resume experience. Nor does it necessarily have to be long-term.

What is your alternative? How long are you willing, can you afford, to wait?

Good Luck
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[Stella740pl]

So you have been out of work for about six months? And this seems to be the only job about to make an offer? Of course take it. It will be much harder to explain to your prospective employers later down the road why you have been out of work for so long.


So what if it turns out to be not what you dreamed of. You will make some money to pay your bills, gain some extra experience, exercise your "talent and brains" that might "go to waste" otherwise, and close the gap in your resume. In some 6-12 month you can start sending your resume again.

But you can end up liking the job, and since the company is small, you might really feel like a big fish in a small pond that can make the difference.

 

[Onyxpurr]

Agree.

See this as a perfect opportunity to get your feet wet again. And who knows, you may actually like it!

This is the also the perfect opportunity to help this organization start getting their IT together. And if you don't like it, it'll still be good on your resume.

 

[kHz]

Random thoughts:

Isn't a job better than no job?

It doesn't mean you have to stay there 20 years.

Have you been unemployed for six months? Are you wealthy?

So they run Windows 98. Some places still use OS/2 and DOS.

If it has been six months, and this is the first offer, what else are you going to find?

Easy exit strategy? "I quit." won't work?

 

[mmorancbt]

Langleymass,

Question about job seeking method and the size of your metropolitan area (closest major city you would commute to):

What does a daily job search look like for you?

Where do you find out about opportunities?

What is the size of your city?

To what do you attribute the difficulty with your job search?

An axiom I convey to job seekers/opportunity seekers is:

Middle of the alphabet (LMNO):
Lucid Message + Need = Opportunity

You must have a clearly defined value message for your prospective client/employer. They must have a need for those values identified. That is where opportunity is found.

Matthew Moran
Read my career blog at:

http://www.cbtoolkit.com

Musings:

http://matthewmoran.blogspot.com

Todo esta bien.. Todo esta divertido (it's all good, it's all fun)

 

[langleymass]

Those are good questions, Matthew. I am in an area with a little less than one million. I have averaged about one interview PER WEEK during this time. Thus, I attribute just about all difficulty to the interview. I think just about everything else in my game is pretty solid.

 

[svanels]

A corporation with 50-60 people, IT is not their core bussiness. They use win98 and win2000, but it keep their bussiness running (we use Netware File Servers).
I am not that impressed with XP Pro with service pack 2.
My professional dictionary (1998) survived win95, win98, Me, NT, Win2000, XP but the #@%^! service pack 2 will not run it. Yes I know about compatibility, but does service pack 2 knows also?

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[langleymass]

svanels,

I never said that IT was "their core business." I knew that before I walked in their door. But I'm not even sure if they have an Internet connection. This guy seemed suspicious of technology in general. I'm not sure if everyone had e-mail or an Internet connection. They don't use any real server at all.

I didn't start this to debate what technology should be used. I am dealing with a company that obviously doesn't respect technology, and that is what concerns me tremendously.

cajun,

I'm not all that sure about the cliche that "it's easier to find a job...." I have been in both positions and found it easier to find a job when I didn't have one.

Have you actually tried to find a job while working a job you hated? First of all, you have a lot less time to look for a job. Second, it is much more difficult to schedule interviews. Third, what if they find out that I still out there looking for a job?

 

[svanels]

I am dealing with a company that obviously doesn't respect technology[/b]

If I was the boss of a company, and somebody wanted e-mail and internet for everyone, I asked him/her to write up how much extra money/profit would bring that to the company.

The story of the dictionary is one of the things you likely will have to handle if you 'respect' the marketing technology of the Vendors (Micro$oft and others who wants us to believe that we are obsolete)

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[benlinkknilneb]

langleymass,

That sounds to me like a fun sort of situation to go into, under certain circumstances.

Do you believe (based on your interview) that they will listen to you when you suggest something technology-based? If so, think of this as a chance to really rock their worlds. As far behind as they are, someone with knowledge of Access and Visual Basic could totally revolutionize the way they do business. If you can find things they need and build them, then show them how much time/money it will save them, you'll not only be building experience, you'll build a REALLY good reference for someday when you move on.

I tend to be creative. I don't enjoy "maintenance" as much as "design". That atmosphere, where they really don't seem to know what's possible, would be ideal. Start by talking to department heads or whatever they call their supervisory personnel. Find out where the big hang-ups are with technology. Then find a better way to do it.

The key to this is the way you approach them about the change. If you walk in and say "this way is wrong. Try my way." you'll be hated immediately. If you take the time to get their input, let them see it through several stages of development, and build the excitement that "Bob is working on a project that could save me 30 minutes a day!" You'll build a user base who loves it when the IT guy gets an idea.

Note: If they seem to have a negative view of technology rather than just ignorance, it's not going to be fun. Make sure you determine the contents of the atmosphere before you breathe.

Ben

There's no place like 127.0.0.1.

 

[Dollie]

Being in IT means that you're almost always up for a challenge. This sounds like a HUGE challenge.

If you choose to accept the job when the offer comes your way, be sure to tread lightly for a while. People who fear technology can be hard to sway, but small baby steps to you will seem like HUGE Neil Armstrong-like steps to them. They'll also feel a sense of accomplishment and "why didn't we...?" once you have gotten them as up-to-date as they are willing to go.

And remember, it can always be worse. I had to work in a grocery store for over a year because it was literally the only job available. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

Best of luck!

 

[willir]

Okay, some rambling thoughts...

This type of place that can really benefit from IT expertise, and gives one a chance to wear many hats you would never get to wear in a big company. If you can see opportunities, sell your ideas, and the ideas pan-out, you will soar!

50 to 60 employees and you were interviewed by an IT Manager?? A site with 50 to 60 users, unless very high tech / fast paced / big money, is a one person job.

Resources will probably be tight, and improvisation will be key.

Why is their level of IT so out-of-date? Lack of budget, owner does not believe in tech, lack of technical know-how???

IT manager, who is also the brother of the founder and owner

- May not a good situation since management may be less objective. How will you discuss a personality of HR issue if you do not agree / get on with the IT manager?
- An owner / founder situation suggests how the boss manages will have a huge impact to the business. A good boss -> a good company; open to new ideas -> many opportunities; a bad boss or closed mind... However, obviously the guy was successful since they have 50+ employees.
- Since this is an owner / founder business, you will not find much on a web search. Look at who buys their product; where do they buy the "inputs"?

I think you have a lot of opprotunities here. As stated by others, should be better than nothing. What is the worst thing that can happen -- how can taking the job hurt you?

 

[langleymass]

Thank you for all the suggestions. So far, I have not heard back from anyone after a second interview. Perhaps they sensed that I wasn't particularly excited about this company. It was a four-man interview, and the founder of the company was one of them.

 

[philote]

I'm the IT Administrator in a company about that size (<80 employees, <30 workstations). The philosophy here is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Two years ago when I started here, they did have a server, but all workstations were Windows 98 and a bit dated. It wasn't that they didn't respect technology but that they didn't see a reason to upgrade if everything continued to work fine. What they needed was someone to educate them about the benefits of newer technologies and how they will offset the cost of implementing them. I bet this company needs the same.

Call them up, if you haven't already, to see if they've made a decision yet and to thank them for taking the time to interview you. And use that as an opportunity to express your interest in this position and the challenges it will bring with it.

When I graduated college I too was out of work for about six months. My problem finding a job was my own; I spent very little time every day job hunting and sending out my resume. I also had limited my job search to such a specific area that the opportunities were quite limited. I finally took the first job that was offered to me, though it wasn't great. I stuck with it for a year making very little money (but the benefits were ok) before moving on. I'm glad I took that job and didn't burn any bridges because now they want me back for a position that pays pretty well and will be much less boring than my previous job there.

Good Luck!

 

[langleymass]

I was interviewed by four people and left four different thank-you notes at their office yesterday morning. I have not heard back from them.

I already have two more interviews next week anyway.

 

[bchizary]

i would view the place you are talking about as an a place ready to grow. Where i work used to be a mess- one nt4 server which was a great unknown and no one touched. 5 pc's which were a mix of home made and extinct brands running win 95. email on one pc and dial up internet. stone age stuff. no anti virus no update, and no policies!
That was 4 years ago, now we have xp on 50 workstations, approx 10 mobile workers, vpn for them to access their emails off site and also for some off shore programmers we have now.

I would think the place you are talking about would be a perfect place to go in and introduce IT to- there is obvious room for a lot of growth and to say you did all of that will look pretty good on your cv. if thats what you want

Alternatively if you just want to administer a network thats already up to scratch and nothing more, then this job probably isnt for you!

 

[NickFerrar]

IT people often mistake IT as being important in it's own right, it isn't - it's only important as long as it's important to the business.

They don't have to respect IT, if no one has demonstrated how IT can improve their business then why should they respect it? If you can help implement an IT infrastructure that improves their productivity and lowers costs then I'm sure their attitude towards IT will change.

Did you ask what was expected of you during the interview? Do they jsut want someone with a bit of knowledge to help keep their current limited systems ticking over or do the want someone who can help them leverage the benefits of IT? If it's the former then the job just sounds like a tedious stop-gap before you find somewhere else, if it's the latter then it sounds like a great opportunity.

 

[langleymass]

I have another job, and it's history.

 

[DoubleD]

Hurray for you Langleymass. Congrats on the new job and good luck.

I am what I am based on the decisions I have made.

DoubleD