New job!!! Zomg!!!!

traceyke

**This is a long story, so for those with short attention spans, I'll put a TLDR summary near the end****

Unbelievable!!!

It is amazing how things work out in life. Back in July, I got the rejection letter from what would've been my "realistic dream job" after two long interviews and an excruciating background check. Not to mention the fact that the gig would've paid me an awesome salary of $50k (I make roughly $34k at my current job). I hit a rock bottom mentally and spiritually and I felt as though that I would be stuck doing desktop support for the rest of my life. Thankfully, my GF helped me get back on my feet and continue applying to jobs. I found a particular IT Support Technician position that seemed like a solid match for my skillset with the potential to be something more. So I applied and was swiftly called in to do a face to face interview.

From my point of view, the interview went terrible. I arrived 5 minutes late (I've never been late to an interview in my whole life. Damn you Detroit traffic!!), I accidentally said a profane word (again, NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. I instead of "USB stick", I said USB ****. Thank heavens they didn't hear me......or did they?), and the technical questions seemed endless and increasingly difficult with no end in sight. The questions were your typical "this broke or is not working and how would you troubleshoot it" type of questions were there was allegedly no right or wrong answer....and I couldn't tell whether or not they were please with my answers.

I drove home feeling even more doubtful about my abilities and skills than before. I assumed that I bombed that interview and convinced myself to simply chalk it up to experience and keep it moving. However, I received an email last Tuesday stating that the folks who interviewed were very impressed with my interview and enthusiasm and would like to bring me in for a 2nd interview asap. My initial reaction was: "WHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!?!?!?!?! BUT HOW?!?!". Confused and excited, I scheduled the interview for the next day at 8am. Now this interview went perfect. Before the interview even began, they told me that I was already their #1 candidate and that they are excited about bring me in!

This new position will be an even better opportunity for me than other job that I applied for and didn't get. This new job is located in downtown Detroit, will make me have a shorter commute (25min instead of 35min), pays more (starting salary of 45k..WITH OVERTIME PAY), and has a high potential for growth. They were even happy to hear that I'm studying for my CCENT/CCNA and are actually rooting for me to get both by January! Everything is awesome! My start date is 9/2/14!

Now the tough part: Giving my two weeks notice. I've been with my company for 2.5 years and this is the longest that I've ever been with any company (by chance, not by choice....I'm not a job hopper) and I am very nervous about submitting my notice to my boss tomorrow. This is actually the absolute worst time for me to leave the company. My department is currently searching for a 5th person to add to our painstakingly understaffed department of 4, we have a new plant that will go in production next month, and our end users population has been increasing at a crazy rate. Me leaving will be a huge blow to the IT department. And that makes me think that they might send me an epic counter offer.

TLDR: I was turned down for an awesome job. Got depressed. Snapped out of it and applied to another job and got it. I have to turn in my two weeks notice tomorrow , but I'm too nervous to do it because it's at the worst possible time for the department. Should I take the counter offer IF they give me one?

markulous

Why hasn't your current job given you a promotion? If it takes them 2.5 years and you quitting for them to do that then I'd move on regardless of any counter offer. Its not your fault they are understaffed, put in your two weeks and move on.

stryder144

Congrats! It is nice to hear that I'm not the only one who tailspins when I don't get selected for a job! It is also nice to see that you picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, and got back on the horse.

If you get a counter offer it will depend on what is offered. If it is a good offer, then you will have some serious soul searching. Good luck tomorrow.

traceyke

markulous wrote: »

Why hasn't your current job given you a promotion? If it takes them 2.5 years and you quitting for them to do that then I'd move on regardless of any counter offer. Its not your fault they are understaffed, put in your two weeks and move on.

Yeah no promotion, but I have been receiving the typical annual 2% raise every year. My starting salary was $31k and now I'm currently at $34kish. I figured the reason that they didn't promote me was perhaps due to my lack of certs (I only have the A+). Henceforth, I started my CCNA journey. However, I realized that I will never be able to truly advance here because all of our roles are pretty much locked in and I can't expect these guys to have time to show me new things (like basic server admin and AD stuff) since they never really have the time to.......and because that could possibly lead to me "barking up their tree" of roles. These guys are seriously near retirement (they're both around 60) and I guess they want things to stay the same until they leave.

traceyke

stryder144 wrote: »

Congrats! It is nice to hear that I'm not the only one who tailspins when I don't get selected for a job! It is also nice to see that you picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, and got back on the horse.

If you get a counter offer it will depend on what is offered. If it is a good offer, then you will have some serious soul searching. Good luck tomorrow.

Thanks! I will definitely let you guys know what happens tomorrow. I'm currently trying to figure out how to write this two weeks notice letter. I need to find the perfect balance between "a heartfelt letter" and "this is simply business". I'm having a writer's block right now

stryder144

That is a tough one. Our HR department actually has a page to go to where you can tender your resignation. Kind of convenient. Maybe too convenient, now that I think about it.

cyberguypr

Congrats! There's another fresh thread going about resignation letters. Just keep it professional and simple. Thanks them for the opportunity and that's it.

One thing though, never entertain counter offers. Those work out in an extremely low percentage of the time and usually come with a lot of baggage. Make sure you read this: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/74026-beware-counter-offer.html

slushi

Congrats on the job offer!

I had a similar experience when I interviewed for my current position.

I was late and thought I bombed the technical questions. I really didn't feel confident afterwards.

After the interview my coworker, from my previous place of employment, asked about it and I told him "well, I'm pretty sure I'll be working here next year..."

2 weeks had gone by and to my surprise I was offered the job.

I was reluctant to leave at first - the shop I worked at was severely understaffed and I felt a sense of loyalty to them - they took a chance on me when no other place else would. I felt as if I owed them. But my coworker pulled me aside and said to me, "you don't owe the organization anything. You gotta do what's best for you." So I left. It has worked out for the best.

With regards to a potential counter offer - take this with a grain of salt - some employers may hold it against you if it comes time for the company to restructure/lay off personnel. You've put in considerable amount of time at that company and have yet to receive a promotion. Like others have said, if the possibility of you leaving provokes your current employer to give you a promotion, doesn't seem like they have a vested interest in you.

Ultimately, do what is best for YOU.

By the way, good luck in the NFC North. Aaron Rodgers performed very well in yesterday's preseason game against St. Louis. Teddy Bridgewater might give you guys some headaches if he takes over in Minnesota.

RockinRobin

traceyke wrote: »

**This is a long story, so for those with short attention spans, I'll put a TLDR summary near the end****

Unbelievable!!!

It is amazing how things work out in life. Back in July, I got the rejection letter from what would've been my "realistic dream job" after two long interviews and an excruciating background check. Not to mention the fact that the gig would've paid me an awesome salary of $50k (I make roughly $34k at my current job). I hit a rock bottom mentally and spiritually and I felt as though that I would be stuck doing desktop support for the rest of my life. Thankfully, my GF helped me get back on my feet and continue applying to jobs. I found a particular IT Support Technician position that seemed like a solid match for my skillset with the potential to be something more. So I applied and was swiftly called in to do a face to face interview.

From my point of view, the interview went terrible. I arrived 5 minutes late (I've never been late to an interview in my whole life. Damn you Detroit traffic!!), I accidentally said a profane word (again, NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. I instead of "USB stick", I said USB ****. Thank heavens they didn't hear me......or did they?), and the technical questions seemed endless and increasingly difficult with no end in sight. The questions were your typical "this broke or is not working and how would you troubleshoot it" type of questions were there was allegedly no right or wrong answer....and I couldn't tell whether or not they were please with my answers.

I drove home feeling even more doubtful about my abilities and skills than before. I assumed that I bombed that interview and convinced myself to simply chalk it up to experience and keep it moving. However, I received an email last Tuesday stating that the folks who interviewed were very impressed with my interview and enthusiasm and would like to bring me in for a 2nd interview asap. My initial reaction was: "WHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!?!?!?!?! BUT HOW?!?!". Confused and excited, I scheduled the interview for the next day at 8am. Now this interview went perfect. Before the interview even began, they told me that I was already their #1 candidate and that they are excited about bring me in!

This new position will be an even better opportunity for me than other job that I applied for and didn't get. This new job is located in downtown Detroit, will make me have a shorter commute (25min instead of 35min), pays more (starting salary of 45k..WITH OVERTIME PAY), and has a high potential for growth. They were even happy to hear that I'm studying for my CCENT/CCNA and are actually rooting for me to get both by January! Everything is awesome! My start date is 9/2/14!

Now the tough part: Giving my two weeks notice. I've been with my company for 2.5 years and this is the longest that I've ever been with any company (by chance, not by choice....I'm not a job hopper) and I am very nervous about submitting my notice to my boss tomorrow. This is actually the absolute worst time for me to leave the company. My department is currently searching for a 5th person to add to our painstakingly understaffed department of 4, we have a new plant that will go in production next month, and our end users population has been increasing at a crazy rate. Me leaving will be a huge blow to the IT department. And that makes me think that they might send me an epic counter offer.

TLDR: I was turned down for an awesome job. Got depressed. Snapped out of it and applied to another job and got it. I have to turn in my two weeks notice tomorrow , but I'm too nervous to do it because it's at the worst possible time for the department. Should I take the counter offer IF they give me one?

Congrats! That's very exciting. To some of us, that's a nice problem to have. Good luck with whatever you choose!

traceyke

slushi wrote: »

Congrats on the job offer!

I had a similar experience when I interviewed for my current position.

I was late and thought I bombed the technical questions. I really didn't feel confident afterwards.

After the interview my coworker, from my previous place of employment, asked about it and I told him "well, I'm pretty sure I'll be working here next year..."

2 weeks had gone by and to my surprise I was offered the job.

I was reluctant to leave at first - the shop I worked at was severely understaffed and I felt a sense of loyalty to them - they took a chance on me when no other place else would. I felt as if I owed them. But my coworker pulled me aside and said to me, "you don't owe the organization anything. You gotta do what's best for you." So I left. It has worked out for the best.

With regards to a potential counter offer - take this with a grain of salt - some employers may hold it against you if it comes time for the company to restructure/lay off personnel. You've put in considerable amount of time at that company and have yet to receive a promotion. Like others have said, if the possibility of you leaving provokes your current employer to give you a promotion, doesn't seem like they have a vested interest in you.

Ultimately, do what is best for YOU.

By the way, good luck in the NFC North. Aaron Rodgers performed very well in yesterday's preseason game against St. Louis. Teddy Bridgewater might give you guys some headaches if he takes over in Minnesota.

Thanks for the advice! I definitely not accepting any counter offers. However, it'll be very interesting to see what the counter offer would be....IF they even offer it.

We had the NFC North in our hands halfway through last season....and then we went "Same Ol' Lions" and went on one of the most epic half season choke jobs in recent history.......

rocdamike

Congrats on the job offer! Onwards and upwards

Hatch1921

A big congrats on the new job!

Hatch

jdancer

As others said and you said it yourself, never accept any counter-offers. It's a back-handed belated effort to recognize your contributions.

Obviously, your new employer appreciates your skills with higher pay.

Don't burn any bridges and professionally give your two weeks notice.

As they say, "The only person who looks out for Number 1 is Number 1." [ Yeah, that means you! ]

N2IT

Grats on the new gig! Very happy for you, I know how the depression can kick in if you let it. The process of interviewing is tiring.

gbdavidx

I keep getting denied job after job lucky you for breaking 50k

Nemowolf

Instead of waiting for a counter offer. Why not ask your boss first thing in the morning when he has about 15-20 minutes free for a talk. Discuss your concerns; dudes nearing retirement and not wanting the young guy to destabilize things, your not feeling like your growing professionally, etc. Get a feel for how your boss is going to react because you have an ace in the hole with your notice. If they don't seem to honestly want to move forward with an improved working environment, then after lunch turn in your notice. You gave them the chance to make a difference before backing them into a corner to ONLY have a counter-offer.

As mentioned above, the counter-offer needs to be about more than just money. If you leave a job or accept a counter simply because of money, your going to end up with long term issues at the job because your employer will feel like you can be bought and always question how much loyalty you have to them. Unless they can offer you seriously good compensation like a promotion, title change, paid training etc, go with the new job instead.


EDIT:

Also, two weeks is a courtesy and is not required. If you need more time to get an answer back from your boss about the initial talk, take it. If they didn't have courtesy in 2.5 years to grow you, don't give them the 2 weeks.

JoJoCal19

Congrats on the new job!

Nemowolf wrote: »

Instead of waiting for a counter offer. Why not ask your boss first thing in the morning when he has about 15-20 minutes free for a talk. Discuss your concerns; dudes nearing retirement and not wanting the young guy to destabilize things, your not feeling like your growing professionally, etc. Get a feel for how your boss is going to react because you have an ace in the hole with your notice. If they don't seem to honestly want to move forward with an improved working environment, then after lunch turn in your notice. You gave them the chance to make a difference before backing them into a corner to ONLY have a counter-offer.

Only problem with that is I doubt they would be able to do something in a day, it would probably be over a week or couple of weeks before they could even get something on paper and signed for a raise/promotion. I imagine he wouldn't be able to hold out that long in letting the other company know something.

markulous

traceyke wrote: »

Yeah no promotion, but I have been receiving the typical annual 2% raise every year. My starting salary was $31k and now I'm currently at $34kish. I figured the reason that they didn't promote me was perhaps due to my lack of certs (I only have the A+). Henceforth, I started my CCNA journey. However, I realized that I will never be able to truly advance here because all of our roles are pretty much locked in and I can't expect these guys to have time to show me new things (like basic server admin and AD stuff) since they never really have the time to.......and because that could possibly lead to me "barking up their tree" of roles. These guys are seriously near retirement (they're both around 60) and I guess they want things to stay the same until they leave.

Seems like a clear cut decision to leave. I'd try to be as professional as possible so that I can get a good reference though (not saying you wouldn't be).

Snow.bros

Awesome news, congrats on landing a new job and good luck going forward!!!

coffeeluvr

Congratulations on the new job!!

coreyb80

Congrats on the new gig and much blessings on the career path.

BradleyHU

don't entertain a counter. and you should never feel like you have to loyal to a company, because most times a company will not be loyal to you. you have to look out for yourself first & foremost...

Itrimble

Congrats on the new job and future opportunities !!

anoeljr

Congrats on the new job!

datacomboss

traceyke wrote: »

Now the tough part: Giving my two weeks notice. I've been with my company for 2.5 years and this is the longest that I've ever been with any company (by chance, not by choice....I'm not a job hopper) and I am very nervous about submitting my notice to my boss tomorrow. This is actually the absolute worst time for me to leave the company. My department is currently searching for a 5th person to add to our painstakingly understaffed department of 4, we have a new plant that will go in production next month, and our end users population has been increasing at a crazy rate. Me leaving will be a huge blow to the IT department. And that makes me think that they might send me an epic counter offer.

The only thing you owe any employer is be a professional and do your job. When laying off employees, they never concern themselves with whether or not you have a mortgage or college expenses or you have a child with a long-term illness, so why should you care if there are understaffed? I've been in IT for 21 years and I've been laid off a couple times in the worst of economic times with no prior notice or severance. So, just keep it professional and move on.

JustFred

Congrats on the new job.

Like everyone said, be professional about it, hand in your notice and get out. Entertaining a counter means you'd be the first one they would kick out when someone needs to go. Your employer may hold it against you when you entertain a counter. To them they see it as holding them on at gunpoint. HR can be very nasty if they label you not trust worthy. I have seen it happen to people in the past. Just stay professional.

daviddws

congrats!

traceyke

UPDATE

I put in my two weeks notice yesterday morning. The sheer level of nervousness that I was experiencing prior to and during the submittal was biblical. I was shocked by my boss's reaction. He was actually kinda sad and bummed out that I was leaving. I honestly was expecting the professional equivalent of a "WTF", but he said that he hates that he has to lose me and wished me luck. BTW, there were no counter
offers.


Now that that is done. I am suffering from an extreme lack of desire to keep working here. I've never felt like this before. It's like I have apathy for every aspect of my job. My heart is no longer in any of my work. I find myself walking around the plant waay more than often. This is going to be a loooong two weeks.


Is this normal?

kohr-ah

traceyke wrote: »

UPDATE

I put in my two weeks notice yesterday morning. The sheer level of nervousness that I was experiencing prior to and during the submittal was biblical. I was shocked by my boss's reaction. He was actually kinda sad and bummed out that I was leaving. I honestly was expecting the professional equivalent of a "WTF", but he said that he hates that he has to lose me and wished me luck. BTW, there were no counter
offers.


Now that that is done. I am suffering from an extreme lack of desire to keep working here. I've never felt like this before. It's like I have apathy for every aspect of my job. My heart is no longer in any of my work. I find myself walking around the plant waay more than often. This is going to be a loooong two weeks.


Is this normal?

Perfectly normal. Usually during my last two weeks I ensure I keep my job up but try to make it so anyone that is following after me can pick up where I left off and move forward with anything I had.

Be this through working with my teammates or documenting everything I do that isn't commonly known.

Those two weeks will be over before you know it.

puertorico1985

Apathy is extremely normal as your passion and desire is no longer with the company. I had that happen to me recently, and would suggest that you focus on just completing any open projects, or details that you have to complete. Stay professional and make the position easier for the team and the person who they hire to replace you. Nothing is worse than having a new guy come in and immediately start to clean up any "mess" that you left behind. I would also ask the boss if there is some training that you can provide to your team. Perhaps there is something that you only know, and you would leave a very positive image in your bosses mind that you are a team player, and want to see the continued success of the organization.

Zartanasaurus

Always remember this: You're leaving your current job for a reason. Is a salary match really going to erase all of that?

ETA: I see you already put in the 2 weeks and they didn't counter.