As readers may have noticed, Brian and I announced this past weekend that I got a new job. Many of you are probably thinking, Wait… this sounds familiar. And you would be right – just 6 months ago, I announced that I had found a job after finishing my degree. I’ve moved on – again!
About two weeks ago, a large software company was recruiting near my office. Being the intrepid, A-type personality that I am (okay, mostly I was gunning for the free donuts…) I went to talk with them. Not only did I talk to them, I ensured that I was the only person talking them at the time. They were doing a large meet-and-greet scheduled, but I didn’t want to fight through a dozen other people! They would never remember me. So instead, I emailed ahead and arranged to speak with a recruiter BEFORE the session. Job tip #1 – Get them alone… (muahaha…)
I didn’t want to fight a big crowd!
Photo Credit: Roanoakecollege via Flickr
We had a good chat about my experience and interests, I ate a donut or two, and they invited me to submit a resume, and so I did. Job tip #2 – Always talk to the recruiters. It’s their job to fill jobs. They want to like you and they want to help you find a job. I did my best to smile and be personable and friendly. Afterwards, I sent them an email and thanked them for taking the time to chat with me.
About a week later, I got an email from a different recruiter from the company. She had received my resume from the first recruiter and she wanted to arrange an interview for me. Sweet!
Then she called back a few hours later – they had to arrange the interview for the next day. Gulp. Technical interviews are challenging because you are usually asked to solve problems on a white board while the interview team watches. Job tip #3 – Prepare, prepare, prepare! Having only one day to prepare wasn’t very much at all. But, I had the advantage of being employed – I didn’t need this job, so I felt okay about taking the interview on short notice. I did brush up on some of the common coding questions that are asked during technical interviews and I read up on some of the recent news about the company.
The next day, I bused down to the office for my interview. It went great! I really connected with the team and I was able to solve both technical problems that were presented to me. Both questions were problems that I had reviewed the night before. Woohoo! At the end of the interview, I managed to ask a few questions, one of which made the interviewer remark, “Huh, that’s a great question actually… ” and we followed it up with a good discussion. Job tip #4 – Prepare good post-interview questions to ask. It’s your chance to talk, so don’t waste it!
My interview was followed by two phone calls during the next week and then a job offer! All in all, the process took about two weeks. It was a whirlwind romance. 😉
On the personal finance side, it’s a good step up for me:
- larger company with more opportunities for training and advancement
- 25% increase in salary + eligibility for overtime pay
- signing bonus
- discounts on products
- free gym, fitness classes and coffee/snacks
Of course, there are some downsides to leaving a university setting:
- only three weeks vacation instead of four
- longer hours
- no defined benefit pension plan
- sparser extended health plan
The benefits don’t bother me too much because between Brian and I, we are well covered. I’m a little sad about having less vacation, but I’m hoping to convert some of my overtime pay into time off. But overall, I think I come out ahead in this position. I’m especially looking forward to working with people who are more software engineering oriented. I feel like I have a lot to learn, and I’m going to have a better chance of learning it at the new company. As well, the bigger paycheque will help me out A LOT when it comes to knocking off my student loans and paying down our mortgages.
Would you have left a cushy job with benefits and 4 weeks of vacation?
