Job question...help

[nightowl]

Ok, so I am graduating in 3 weeks and I am lucky enough to have an offer from Verizon right now. I also was out in Raleigh, NC last week for an interview with Cisco. Now, I just found out about the offer with Verizon last week and I am supposed to decide between that offer and the possibility of an offer from Cisco by tomorrow. Now, my question is, how should I go about asking for more time to decide? I really want to find out if I get an offer with Cisco but I do not want it to sound like the Verizon job is my last resort either. Decisions, decisions????

 

[bleeb]

Tough decision. I'd look at the compensation and which ever one interests you the most. also.. sometimes cisco offers free training for their certs don't they?? Might be worth it to work there for that.

 

[nightowl]

Well all in all the benefits of the jobs would be similar. Cisco does provide a year of training too. But the biggest thing is that I do not have the offer from Cisco yet. I do know that I did well in the interviews and I am still being considered for 1 of the 25 spots out of 100 or so people who interviewed for Cisco. It is just that I do not want to make a decision now and regret it a week later after I find out that I either have or do not have an offer at Cisco.

 

[TGregg]

It's not 100% ethical, but some folks will quit a new job to take a better one as the offer comes in. Once you accept a job, you are not bound for life to that job or employer. They can (and frequently do) let people go for a variety of reasons, and people can (and frequently do) quit to go work someplace else.

A better bet might be to let HR at Cisco know that you have an offer on the table, perhaps they could expedite this.

 

[Garet Jax]

Not a tough decision at all.

Take the Verizon job - do not hesitate. If the Cisco job offer comes through, then you have a tough decision to make.

Don't kid yourself about Verizon's commitment to you. If they decide they don't need you before you start, they will withdraw the job offer without hesitation. If you are offered the Cisco job and you want to take it, do so without guilt. Call Verizon and quit before you start. Welcome to the business world.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: TGregg
It's not 100% ethical, but some folks will quit a new job to take a better one as the offer comes in. Once you accept a job, you are not bound for life to that job or employer. They can (and frequently do) let people go for a variety of reasons, and people can (and frequently do) quit to go work someplace else.



A better bet might be to let HR at Cisco know that you have an offer on the table, perhaps they could expedite this.

It is 100% ethical. You are looking out for yourself. You will learn this is the most important thing in business. Sometimes your goals are inline with other's goals and this gives you the warm fuzzys, but you should always be looking out for your best interests in a job. If you do this, then there will be 1 person at the company looking out for you.

Do not let HR at Cisco know anything. You might burn that bridge before it is even built.

 

[Yax]

Originally posted by: nightowl
Ok, so I am graduating in 3 weeks and I am lucky enough to have an offer from Verizon right now. I also was out in Raleigh, NC last week for an interview with Cisco. Now, I just found out about the offer with Verizon last week and I am supposed to decide between that offer and the possibility of an offer from Cisco by tomorrow. Now, my question is, how should I go about asking for more time to decide? I really want to find out if I get an offer with Cisco but I do not want it to sound like the Verizon job is my last resort either. Decisions, decisions????

Um, can I get back to you with an answer Tomorrow? In the mean time, can you send me a formal offer to review? Thanks.

 

[Garet Jax]

Let me share two 100% true stories with you:

1) My brother was offered a job with company A. He accepted. Sometime later (before he started), he was offered another job with Company B (the preferred job). He immediately accepted it and then called company A and quit. He is now a multi-millionaire because Company B was a better fit for him. He never looked back or felt bad about quiting Company A. The worst thing he could have done was to accept Company A. If he had, he would still be in the rat race.

2) A friend of mine had two job offers. He accepted the Oracle offer and rejected the one from the smaller company. Every accepted offer needs to go through Ellison for final approval before the candidate can start. It just so happened, he was out of the country (vacation or business) so my friend couldn't start until he got back. During that time, the bottom literally fell out of the stock market. Oracle put a hold on all hiring and cancelled all new jobs. My friend went back to the second company and tried to accept the offer. They refused and said they don't want someone who saw them as a second choice. He then spent the next 8 months sleeping on friends couches because he wasn't able to get a job. His wife slept on different couches because she was still a student. They couldn't afford to live anywhere together and almost got separated because they were under so much financial pressure. Oracle didn't think twice about cancelling the offer even though they knew he already rejected the second offer. They screwed him.

The sooner you learn to look out for yourself the better off you will be.

 

[Ness]

Originally posted by: cheapbidder01

Originally posted by: nightowl
Ok, so I am graduating in 3 weeks and I am lucky enough to have an offer from Verizon right now. I also was out in Raleigh, NC last week for an interview with Cisco. Now, I just found out about the offer with Verizon last week and I am supposed to decide between that offer and the possibility of an offer from Cisco by tomorrow. Now, my question is, how should I go about asking for more time to decide? I really want to find out if I get an offer with Cisco but I do not want it to sound like the Verizon job is my last resort either. Decisions, decisions????

Um, can I get back to you with an answer Tomorrow? In the mean time, can you send me a formal offer to review? Thanks.

NO! Do exactly as GaretJax said. Take the verizon job, plan to start shortly AFTER you will know about the Cisco job and not a moment sooner. If you get the Cisco job, then you either decline that because you like the verizon job, or tell Verizon that you were approached with a job offer that better suits your intrest. In fact, if you are worth it, if you decline either job and say that, they may come back with a better offer. It's doubtful, so don't hold your breath on that or decline one job in hopes of them saying that, but it is possible.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: ness1469
NO! Do exactly as GaretJax said. Take the verizon job, plan to start shortly AFTER you will know about the Cisco job and not a moment sooner. If you get the Cisco job, then you either decline that because you like the verizon job, or tell Verizon that you were approached with a job offer that better suits your intrest. In fact, if you are worth it, if you decline either job and say that, they may come back with a better offer. It's doubtful, so don't hold your breath on that or decline one job in hopes of them saying that, but it is possible.

I agree with the part where you agreed with me.

But you have to be very careful playing one offer against another. If you do get one company to offer more compensation (because you leverged your other offer) and you accept their modified offer, then there will already be bad blood. Given a need to downsize, you will likely be towards the top of their list (unless you have absolutely blown their socks off).

 

[DAM]

Originally posted by: nightowl
Well all in all the benefits of the jobs would be similar. Cisco does provide a year of training too. But the biggest thing is that I do not have the offer from Cisco yet. I do know that I did well in the interviews and I am still being considered for 1 of the 25 spots out of 100 or so people who interviewed for Cisco. It is just that I do not want to make a decision now and regret it a week later after I find out that I either have or do not have an offer at Cisco.

So what do you think of the CSE program? Definetly nice pay and one year of training sounds sweet. I had two friends who flew up there for those interviews. One of them is pretty sure he will get the offer.



dam

 

[alm99]

<----Works for Verizon Wireless, great company, treats their employees very well. I don't know about Verizon though. If they are as good as the wireless side, I would take it.

 

[nightowl]

DAM, actually it is for the ASE program. The year or training get you your CCIE and other training to prepare you to be a Systems Engineer for their sales force. For the Verizon job, I would be in charge of 2-3 central offices and provision lines (T1, T3, OC3, etc) as needed and other design functions. For everyone who is telling me to take the Verizon offer and then retract it if I get the Cisco offer, I don't work that way. I have always heard that is one of the worst things to do and I believe it too. Also, the HR person at Cisco knows my position and is trying to work with me as best as she can. I just hope my friend (he works at VZ) can come through can get me a few more days before I have to make a decision.

 

[DAM]

Oops i meant ASE, CSE was another one of my friends. good luck.

 

[DAM]

actually, hell I will take your Verizon job if you don't want it :--)

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: nightowl
DAM, actually it is for the ASE program. The year or training get you your CCIE and other training to prepare you to be a Systems Engineer for their sales force. For the Verizon job, I would be in charge of 2-3 central offices and provision lines (T1, T3, OC3, etc) as needed and other design functions. For everyone who is telling me to take the Verizon offer and then retract it if I get the Cisco offer, I don't work that way. I have always heard that is one of the worst things to do and I believe it too. Also, the HR person at Cisco knows my position and is trying to work with me as best as she can. I just hope my friend (he works at VZ) can come through can get me a few more days before I have to make a decision.

Full of ideals. I respect that. I was like that once too, but I have seen first hand many times how cold and heartless the business world is and can be. I wish you luck with your two jobs.

Remember, your employers are never your friends. If you get along that way, it is because your goals and their goals happen to be very similar.