The Right Way to Accept a Job Offer
designerfund.com
designerfund.com
Far too many times, even after discussing the role at length. It's nothing like was discussed. Then after starting, I want to start looking immediately.
If you're not pinched for a job, where you need it now. Because of life. Then:
* Don't be afraid to negotiate. If they say no to a minor bump. What does that say about your raise at the yearly review? An approach I've taken is a 90-day review. If I've not exceeded your expectations, then I have something to get better at. But more often than not I get that minor bump.
* Hash out career growth, if you want. There is nothing wrong with coming in and doing your job. But if you want to grow, make sure you have the platform to do so. Be specific, technology, languages, processes. See if they're open to you grabbing the ball and running with something.
* Ask additional questions about internal processes. Agile, development, etc. This has been one of my bigger qualms when I end up joining.
* If you care about this. When was the last time the office layout was changed? What were the improvements made? This hones in on making a larger bullpen style.
* Does it line up with your technical development flow. If you've gotten used to blazing through something in a specific team setting. It can be quite jarring to pull a 360.
* Do they provide the tools for you to work at your best? I'm not one for the latest laptop, etc. But do you get admin rights on your laptop? Can you install the software you need to work? Does the way they develop enable or hinder you, etc.
* etc.
We spend a large chunk of our times at our jobs. If it's something we dislike, or at worst hate. It can really detract from our quality of life. A good company should be willing to talk with you about your concerns. I'd almost think they'd be happy you care to dig in and get to know your workplace. Because they want you to be happy. Because as noted it's expensive to interview, hire, then retrain someone.
Easier to land than a 180 though.
The first time was back in 2012. I was laid off from my job after the company I was working for was acquired for the customer base. I needed a job fast, and they were using the technology stack I was trying to transistion to. I didn't have the network I have now.
It was the worse experience ever. I went in to talk to the manager about me turning in my resignation because it wasn't working out, I wasn't really able to contribute, and I wanted to look for a job full time. He said just to stick around until I found something. I couldn't. I called my recruiter, and had a job offer four days later at what was then a Fortune 10 company.
If I had had a permanent job, I probably wouldn't have just walked out.
A few years later I was applying for my current job as a dev lead. It was a W2 Contract to Perm (W2 means you are an employee of the agency and they pay employment taxes). The hourly rate was well below what I wanted and the conversion rate they submitted me at was below market. I took the contract anyway because I hit it off with my now manager and felt I would be in a much better negotiating position in 6 months if I went permanent.
The way I saw it, we were taking a chance on each other. It was my first lead position so he was taking a chance on me and the department that I was leading wasn't set up for modern development. I was taking a chance that the company would support me coming in and basically recreating the department.
While contracting, all the work that needed to be done couldn't be done in a 40 hour work week. I got paid for every hour I worked and got results. When it was time to go perm, I had a proven track record and the company had evidence that I knew what I was doing. I was able to negotiate a much higher pay than I could have when I first started and received a promotion.
Their offer was lower than i hoped, but still above average, with no wiggle room to negotiate. I was hoping to do some data science related work, and by 6 months in i had done a tiny bit of front end javascript only. I did not even have admin rights on my laptop. The commute was long and i worked on a floor with almost no one on it.
So i worked my ass off, never complained, developed some minor process improvements in my spare time. They gave me a shiny new comp with admin rights and a 20+% raise. Put me on a co located high performing team, with options to work from home a few days a week if id like.
My point is, if youre working for reasonable good hearted people and work hard, the rest might only be temporary. I got lucky but in hindsight id ask about the people.
Ironically, looking at the Twitter bio of the author, it looks like she has moved on from her job at Designer Fund