so I'm set to start a job in the mid 30s tomorrow but I just got an offer today over the phone for a job I wanted more, that's way more in my field, and pays in the upper 40s

how do I handle this and what do I do

11/6/2007 2:49:16 PM

take the new job, duh. you don't owe the first company anything.

11/6/2007 2:49:52 PM

well, I'm waiting for the hr person to call me back so I can get all the details

what if it starts in 2-3 weeks/month or some shit

that is, it seems pretty fucking impossible to save grace bailing on the 1st job

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 2:51 PM. Reason : .]

11/6/2007 2:50:30 PM

enjoy your break

11/6/2007 2:51:22 PM

work for 3 weeks at the first job, then tell them it isn't working out?

11/6/2007 2:53:47 PM

yeah, i wouldn't renege on the first job

i'll go with smath's suggestion

cause then you make up a BS excuse

11/6/2007 2:56:13 PM

if you're certain about the 2nd job, i wouldnt take the first. if you do, you're going to have to explain why you only worked at a job for 2 weeks whenever you try to get a new job in the future. it doesnt look good on the resume.

11/6/2007 2:58:08 PM

Agreed. Once you get the second job set in stone, I would opt out of the first job.

11/6/2007 3:01:13 PM

I mean I already accepted the 1st job on friday, to start wednesday. then I got the call for the 2nd job today. I need to get further details on the 2nd job because I was in the car when they called and told them I would call them back asap

11/6/2007 3:01:49 PM

If it's 3 months away - while it's kind of shitty to do it, I'd take the first and see if the second panned out. Nobody wants to see a decent employee leave within a couple of months, but you're likely to be on probation anyway. Hell, I'd even use the fact that you'll be starting a new job to negotiate for a higher starting salary at the 2nd (preferred) job.

If it's within a month, I'd work some temp bullshit job until you started. A 12K difference ain't nothing to sneeze at, especially if it's something you'd prefer in the first.

11/6/2007 3:01:52 PM

go to work the first day naked

that'll show em

but in all seriousness, one way or the other, you'll have to explain yourself

either why you only worked two weeks

or why you reneged

11/6/2007 3:02:21 PM

how would anyone know I reneged?

11/6/2007 3:02:48 PM

people in similar fields talk, and you'd be surprised who knows who

and to tell the first company why, duh

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:03 PM. Reason : ]

11/6/2007 3:03:27 PM

I take that back - if the second job is absolutely set in stone (papers signed, and nothing less), I'd probably just work it out until it started.

If the second job really wants to make it happen fast, it'll happen. This your first real job out of school?

11/6/2007 3:06:39 PM

yeah, reneging can be found out through word of mouth, but if its pretty much an entry level position, you're pretty safe. company 1 won't remember who you are in a year. you won't have to put in on your resume or anything.

unless you want to lie on your resume, you'll have to put down company 1 for a while if you decided to go in and leave after a few weeks.

plus, its a matter of ethics.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:09 PM. Reason : d]

11/6/2007 3:07:23 PM

they did say "we understand you'd be available to start ASAP" pending basically my transcripts (a non issue)

yeah this would be my first big boy job after my masters

11/6/2007 3:07:39 PM

yeah, if you're comfortable not working for company 1 anymore (read: ever), go for 2, especially with master's...30s is stupid cheap

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:10 PM. Reason : ]

11/6/2007 3:10:19 PM

It's a tough situation, but I'd say if you can be 100% sure on job 2, be honest with job 1 and tell them the truth, and don't start the job. That's going to look better in the long run than working there 3 weeks and bailing on them.

Now it would look the best to just stick it out with the job you accepted, but for a job you'll enjoy more, benefit you more in the long run, and be making 30% more salary per year, I think your case for taking job 2 is pretty solid. You probably wouldnt' be happy in job 1 knowing what could have been.

11/6/2007 3:24:21 PM

Dude - get Job #2's offer sealed up and in writing before you do anything. If this is something entry level, like somebody said, you'll be forgotten at Job#1 in no time. Hell, it might look just as bad to turn them down now as to bounce in 2 weeks. If Job#2 comes through, don't lose any sleep about Job#1. They'd cut your ass in heartbeat if they needed to, and no one expects any real loyality anymore if money's on the table.

11/6/2007 3:27:26 PM

I just accepted #2

they want me fingerprinted, security checked, and have my signed work agreement (they are overnighting it) asap and want me in there working next tuesday.

#1.. I have 2 hours or so to decide whether I want to call it in or what



[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:38 PM. Reason : .]

11/6/2007 3:37:13 PM

take care of yourself first, if you are going to hold this against the mid 30s job, take the better one. Be sure you enjoy what you do and make a living you can be comfortable with.

Be sure though, not to burn any bridges and do it tastefully. No matter how mad they might get, they have to put themselves in your shoes and realize that they would do what is best for them as well.

11/6/2007 3:42:22 PM

Quote :

" if you do, you're going to have to explain why you only worked at a job for 2 weeks whenever you try to get a new job in the future. it doesnt look good on the resume."

So why not just leave it off the resume.

I got fired from K-mart in high school for.. shenanigans, and it never came up in a background check, and I certainly never put it on my resume. Quitting after a couple of weeks would be even less of an issue, I would think.

11/6/2007 3:46:47 PM

Quote :

"I got fired from K-mart in high school for.. shenanigans, and it never came up in a background check, and I certainly never put it on my resume. Quitting after a couple of weeks would be even less of an issue, I would think."

im assuming you didnt have to go through security clearance then. it probably would have come up then, as you have to account for all jobs at all times for the past X years (depending upon the level of clearance). tax records do exist out there.

on a resume, i probably wouldnt put down a high school job anymore anyway (especially if it wasnt relavent to my profession), regardless if i got fired or not. but it sounds like this job is more than just a high school job. if you're asked to account for all relevent or previous work experience, it could be considered falsifying your resume if you leave something like this out. imo, its better not to take the chance. fairly regularly you hear of people in significant positions getting called out for falsifying a resume in the past. if he already has commited to job 2 (and it sounds like he has), getting a weeks worth of pay from job 1 wouldnt be worth having to explain it or risk problems in the future. you never know when something like that can come back and bite you.

quiting after 2 weeks isnt a big deal. but quiting after 2 weeks and starting a new job immediately can look suspicious.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 4:05 PM. Reason : f]

11/6/2007 3:59:21 PM

I swear, some of you people must just like to post, because some of your advice is terrible, bordering on completely and utterly retarded.

11/6/2007 4:03:30 PM

I think I'm going to just call #1 around 4pm (cst), explain my situation and reneg.

#2 has done almost all their background work, called my references (#1 didnt even ask for them) and now just wants me to formalize it and get my criminal check done. there's nothing I lied about, nothing on my criminal record, and seemingly nothing that is holding me back from this much better opportunity.

11/6/2007 4:12:43 PM

what's your degree in, if you don't mind?

11/6/2007 4:13:52 PM

not engineering

11/6/2007 4:17:23 PM

I have kind of a related question on resumes... I would have bttt'd an old thread but they are all dead. So I have been working at my first real world job since I graduated in May and I probably should update my resume just to keep handy (I'm not planning on ditching this job or anything). Should I take off all the jobs I had in college and just put my current real world job on there as work experience? All of the jobs I had in college were related to my profession, they were just things that college students do like co-ops, lab assistant, etc.

11/6/2007 4:22:10 PM

I would leave on relevant coops.

11/6/2007 4:24:12 PM

just my opinion, but i would have a section titles "relevent work experience" and list all the work you've done thats applicable to the job you are seeking. When I looking for my first job out of school, I had a high school job listed because it was an internship at an electronics design company, which is what I wanted to get into. i probably won't include it on future resumes though.

i then had another section called "Additional Work Experience" where I included the other jobs I had in college that weren't relevent. I simply listed them and didn't go into any detail about them, just to show that I was out there working. I probably won't have this section on future resumes, though.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 4:29 PM. Reason : a]

11/6/2007 4:28:45 PM

for the record I was also fired from k-mart in high school, though it was a conspiracy to fire the white kid who's about to go to college and "solve" the register shortage problem

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 4:38 PM. Reason : .]

11/6/2007 4:37:53 PM

We had 3 people at my last job that had already accepted and then backed out for one reason or another

they bitched for a day or two and then got over it

who cares, go with what's best for you

11/6/2007 4:43:05 PM

well, I would've felt a little better if I didn't get his voicemail

11/6/2007 5:02:08 PM

someone else said it, so I'll second it. don't do anything until you have a written and signed job offer in hand.

11/6/2007 7:01:42 PM

they overnighted that tonight. I'll have it tomorrow morning

11/6/2007 8:38:43 PM

The government security clearance process is completely separate from what you put on your resume. Just because you have to put the job on the clearance form doesn't mean you have to put it on the resume. Furthermore, the HR folks may not even see the clearance forms you fill out.

For the clearance, I doubt they'd care that you worked a job two weeks before the current one unless it was for the north koreans.

I would have just taken the 3 months off if you could afford it. Do some shit you can't do normally, maybe a big trip (not to north korea).

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 10:22 PM. Reason : asd]

11/6/2007 10:22:04 PM

do whats right for you.

you can still decline eventhough you have accepted a job. there will be no hard feelings. it happens.

11/6/2007 10:47:18 PM

Tell the 2nd company your problem. you can back out of the job with 1st company if you dont actually start, and no one can hold it against you.

Tell the 2nd company your issue, and see what they offer.

never mind. just read the whole thread.

accept #2. tell #1 that "something came up" and you're sorry but you'll have to back out. as long as you're certain you're really getting this job of course. dont go get hired for one day or two days, then leave. that would be kind of shitty.

(but if you did, you dont have to ever admit it on your resume)



[Edited on November 7, 2007 at 1:01 AM. Reason : ]

11/7/2007 12:56:04 AM

^pretty much what I did

11/7/2007 1:14:53 AM

Quote :

"I swear, some of you people must just like to post, because some of your advice is terrible, bordering on completely and utterly retarded. "

more like "I swear, I like to post because I like to comment on how terrible, bordering on completely and utterly retarded people's posts are without giving any input of my own...because I'm a troll"

-- Chance


------------


Take Job #2...even if they paid the same, the fact that job #2 is what you really wanted to do in the first place would be enough. Happiness in your job is key to being successful in what you do. Simply because you aren't going to put in much effort years down the road in a job you dislike. Which in return will affect your job performance.

[Edited on November 7, 2007 at 3:00 AM. Reason : ']

11/7/2007 3:00:06 AM

take the second job imo

dont start the first...i'm sure you are not the first person thats ever had this happen

11/7/2007 5:43:56 AM

Chance's first post in this thread:

Quote :

"I swear, some of you people must just like to post, because some of your advice is terrible, bordering on completely and utterly retarded."

Chance in another thread:

Quote :

"it's just joebrainless trolling me in an area outside of chit chat, which should be a suspendable offense."

hahaha

11/7/2007 9:48:45 AM

got the package this morning from fedex. it's about 40 fucking pages of various stuff. glad I made the call... an extra g a month aint nothing to sneeze at

11/7/2007 11:02:01 AM