eh, ask for the higher salary, and take it, unless you have a better offer. If the job ends up sucking, well, just look for a new one. Finding a job is vastly easier when you have a job.
Ask Career HN: Go back to employer or start fresh?
11–16 of 16 posts
Re: Ask Career HN: Go back to employer or start fresh?
#12> "I was flattered, but also alarm bells went off: It's great to be offered a job without even applying for one, however, I am afraid that if I go back, I will continue doing the same stupid work I have done before, even though I now have Masters Degree and shifted my focus considerably"
>"The founders are leaving the company"
Given the founders exit, it is much less likely that your growth will go unrecognized.
Good candidates are offered jobs without applying everyday.
Talking with the suits about a new role would be the place to start.
Re: Ask Career HN: Go back to employer or start fresh?
#13You don't mention any concrete alternatives in your post (i.e. other job offers or project ideas). Assuming that you don't have anything else lined up then I would take the job - you can always quit if the work pans out to not be what you wanted or if they treat you like an intern. Worst case just use it as a stop-gap to earn some cash and buy some time.
Quitting a job too soon after taking it can look bad on your CV, but not always. In your case you've kind of been employed by them for a while, so I don't think you need to worry about CV damage there.
What looks good on your CV really depends on who is looking at your CV. I don't think corporation vs start up makes much difference. A broad range of experience looks good, loyalty looks good. You can give the appearance of both whichever way you go.
As for asking for a higher salary... decide what you think you're worth, decide how much you want the job, guess what you think they'll pay, then adjust your request accordingly. If you really want the job then be a bit conservative, if you're not that bothered either way, and it sounds like you're not, then aim high.
Re: Ask Career HN: Go back to employer or start fresh?
#141. Finding a job in this economy is difficult. If you're on the verge of graduating, find something to back up before you up and walk even if that was a consideration. 2. Always negotiate. Explain that when you started, you just finished high school. Now, years later with a lot more experience and a better understanding and nearly with a degree under your belt, you'd like to negotiate for pay. It isn't unreasonable t…
Just because there is high unemployment nationwide, don't assume that getting a software development job will be historically difficult. After long hiring freezes, tech companies - more specifically, the team leaders who end up interviewing you - are dying to hire new employees to fulfill pent up demand in their own teams. The preference is for experienced candidates, but smart new grads are also welcome. This is from my experience in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I'll second the previous recommendations to go out and interview with other companies. You didn't include many specifics, but I'll assume your master's degree is in Computer Science and that you are smart. If you don't interview well, treat each real interview as practice.
Your relatives may warn you about the economy and send you newspaper clippings showing all the unemployment. I have a hard time convincing my own family, but software development jobs are different.
Re: Ask Career HN: Go back to employer or start fresh?
#15So you worked at a growing company for 6 years and never asked for or was given greater responsibility or significant pay raises? It sounds to me like the core of the problem here is you don't know how to stand up for yourself.
Intern or not, you blew a great opportunity.
Re: Ask Career HN: Go back to employer or start fresh?
#16I would suggest asking for a market rate salary worthy of the position and degree that you recently received. If they agree, then fine. If they don't then move on. In 2006 I had a mechanical engineering intern that worked for my company (manufacturing) about 10 hours a week. Once he graduated, he came to me for advice about which jobs he should apply for. At that point I had to choose between paying market rate or losing a guy that had the right talents and experience, who was already up-to-speed with our company processes.
I decided to keep him, and doubled his pay to do it. He wasn't twice as good as he was the day before, but we were at the point where company growth demanded a full-time engineering presence and he was the best choice for the job. My other alternatives would have been to spend a lot of time recruiting to find another engineer that would need to be integrated into the company and paid market rate anyway. Perhaps I was underpaying him as an intern, but the workload he was given was not demanding and we were exceptionally flexible with his hours and schedule. We also financially supported his Formula SAE team at the University. He ended up staying for three years and then going back to school to get a PhD.
As for your concern about being treated as an intern, don't worry. If they increase your pay they will certainly increase your workload and responsibility. After all, they are now paying for it. With founders leaving the company you could end up one of the most senior people in that division.