When to decline an offer?

First off, I've been trying to get into the IT field. And it's always difficult to get your foot in the door of a new field, of course.

I did get a job offer for an entry level position. But the pay is lower than what I was hoping for, lower than what I make currently. And it's lower than the industry average, even for entry level. It also doesn't have much in the way of advancement. And I don't know, but just an odd feeling about it in my gut. The interviews were very fast. It was very basic. Although the people I interacted with seemed OK. The company reviews online is somewhat mixed and the negative ones seem to have a consistent theme of labor cuts and layoffs in the past, which may be a red flag.

So, even though I want to get into the field and it would probably be good for a resume, I'm apprehensive about it. Is it wise to turn down an offer if you aren't sure it's a good fit? Or am I just being too picky? My qualifications by the end of the year will be better. I will have a bachelors and hopefully added a cert like CCNA by December. More doors might open at that point. But is it better to take this now and then look for something else down the road? Or should I stay where I'm at which is much more stable and more money, but outside IT? It's a bit of a dilemma. Thanks for any opinions.

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Comments

scaredoftests

Yes, it is wise to turn down an offer if you aren't sure it is a great fit. Go with your gut, always. There were times I wished I went with my gut.

AverageJoe

If you're currently working full time, then, yes, I'd probably let this one go.

BUT there are other factors to consider since you're just starting out. One is where you are and what the likelihood of another IT job being available and you getting hired for it with no experience. If you live in a big city, you probably have good odds because there are generally a lot of IT jobs. If you live in a more rural area where demand is low and IT jobs are less common, then that might be a problem.

Just my 2 cents.

jerry557

It's not a big, big city. But there are some jobs out there. I've been getting some interviews here and there. But I'm not desperate to jump into just any one who throws an offer at me. I'm willing to even take a little drop in pay if it provided potential growth. But this job seemed to be a bit more dead-end other than maybe being a stepping stone. But even that I'm not sure would help a whole lot with where I ultimately want to go.

So im probably turning this one down.

networker050184

The pay sucks, but like you said it can be hard to get a decent offer with no experience. You might have to take a crappy stepping stone just to get something on the resume.

pinkydapimp

If you have been trying to get into the field, having a bad job on your resume is better than no job. I would say its worth it even if you decide to continue looking in 6 months. At least then you will have 6 months of experience. And you always are a more attractive hire when you have a job. But you have to go with your gut. if you feel you can find something better and dont mind waiting, then pass on it.

jerry557

But like I said, there is just something about it that put me in an apprehensive mood, even beyond salary. I came out of the interview with a "eh" type of feeling. I almost felt like I didn't care if they called back or not. And I can't even really explain why. Maybe the body language of everyone. Even when I think back on it, everyone seemed to be nice but no one there really appeared to be happy. They didn't do much to really sell the job. There really is no career track. No growth. It is hard to find positive reviews of the place. It felt like I wasn't really going to learn much.

If I was unemployed or desperate to get out of where I am now it would be different, obviously. But I have a decent full-time job, just not in the field I want. But it's tough to toss it away for such uncertainty.

stryder144

I say "Don't take it!". If your future coworkers aren't at least mildly enthusiastic, well, no sense in joining them in the deep end of the pool.

si20

I'm going to go against the grain and say: go for it. It doesn't have to be your place of work for the next 12, 24 or 48 months - you could be there 6-12 months before moving on. I started off in IT being paid £2 per hour ($4) on an apprenticeship. I moved up the ladder fairly quickly. IT pays well - once you've got experience. I'm currently interviewing for a digital forensics role and it's pretty much a 50% pay drop, HOWEVER, when i've been working there for a year or so, I strongly believe i'll get a payrise there or elsewhere, so then it's a 25% pay cut. Once i've been in the field a few years i'll be on bigger money, in the job I like. Sometimes you've got to take a step back before you can make two steps forward.

jerry557

One other thing that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I'm just more cautious than others on this. But they wanted me to give notice at my current job immediately. But they were not willing to give me a formal offer right now, only a verbal one. They wouldnt even give a tentative one. They wanted me to complete all the paperwork, and wait for the background and drug tests to come back before giving me the written offer per their company's policy. But they didn't want to wait that long for me to give notice. I understand all that as being part of the hiring process, and they probably want to hire right away. However, everyone has always told me to never give notice at your old job without a formal offer from the new one.

I have a friend that actually got burned once this way and ended up unemployed. The new job pulled the offer out from under him after he had already quit his old job.

cyberguypr

Oh HELL NO! That's not how that works. Resignation happens only when you have an offer letter in hand (which you accept), all background checks/drug tests/etc. have been cleared, and you have a solid start date. An employer that pushes for immediate resignation shows lack of professionalism. If I was you I would tell them to go pound sand and would cease all communication with them. Too many red flags.

TomkoTech

I was leaning towards take the job. It isn't a dead end path. It gives you experience. But the whole give notice now is a huge red flag. I would never give notice until I had a concrete job offer with a start date.

pinkydapimp

TomkoTech wrote: »

I was leaning towards take the job. It isn't a dead end path. It gives you experience. But the whole give notice now is a huge red flag. I would never give notice until I had a concrete job offer with a start date.

Yea never give notice until you have accepted the offer. I would politely let them know that.

ThomasITguy

jerry557 wrote: »

One other thing that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I'm just more cautious than others on this. But they wanted me to give notice at my current job immediately. But they were not willing to give me a formal offer right now, only a verbal one. They wouldnt even give a tentative one. They wanted me to complete all the paperwork, and wait for the background and drug tests to come back before giving me the written offer per their company's policy. But they didn't want to wait that long for me to give notice. I understand all that as being part of the hiring process, and they probably want to hire right away. However, everyone has always told me to never give notice at your old job without a formal offer from the new one.

I have a friend that actually got burned once this way and ended up unemployed. The new job pulled the offer out from under him after he had already quit his old job.

RUN!!! I repeat RUN!

Do not take this job and turn it down IMMEDIATELY.... That is a big red flag!! If it rubs you the wrong way which it should.... do not take it and keep looking

TechGromit

jerry557 wrote: »

One other thing that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I'm just more cautious than others on this. But they wanted me to give notice at my current job immediately. But they were not willing to give me a formal offer right now, only a verbal one. They wouldnt even give a tentative one. They wanted me to complete all the paperwork, and wait for the background and drug tests to come back before giving me the written offer per their company's policy. But they didn't want to wait that long for me to give notice. I understand all that as being part of the hiring process, and they probably want to hire right away. However, everyone has always told me to never give notice at your old job without a formal offer from the new one.

I wouldn't run from this offer, but I wouldn't put in any notice until you have a solid offer in hand. If they don't want to wait two weeks for you to give notice to your old job, it's not the kind of place you want to work for in the first place.

NOC-Ninja

I ALWAYS check reviews of the company online. I would never move to a company lower than my companies review score. glassdoor is your friend!

TechGuru80

What is the job title? Location? Pay?

Basically, as an entry level with a bachelors...you still cannot command a very high salary. In most cases I would think anything over $45k is pretty good but that will take a little luck to avoid help desk jobs.