Accept it or Deny itI am a new graduate (Masters of Education and Bachelor of Science) and am currently looking to get into marketing/sales. My background is in the medical field (sports medicine), but not directly with sales/marketing. I have been working for a physical therapy co. part time for 2 yrs and since January they have been discussing with me the opportunity of taking a new marketing position in Seattle (thousands of miles away from where I currently live). Literally, things have change daily with this position... I was going to begin training before I even graduated at one point, then I had to wait for some other hiring to take place within the company, then I wasn't going to be offered the position at all, then I was told they wanted to hire me but corporate had put a "hold" on hiring the position. They were finally confident enough that they could possibly offer me the job, but were immediately asking ?'s about when I wanted to start (before discussing salary, benefits, relocation, etc.) Also, b/c I have a close relationship with my current boss, they have been doing all of the "discussing" through him, even though I have asked to be contacted personally. I am also concerned about potential for advancement based on the fact that this is a new position, no one seems to have "real" answers on moving up the ladder in this company. Obviously, I've been through the ringer, so I decided to look into other opportunities. I have been through the 1st phase of the interview process with a pharmaceutical company and am very interested in seeing that process through, although I have no idea how long it could take from start to finish. The PT company is now wanting to "hurry" the process along b/c they know I'm interested in something else. They've offered me less than expected (not formally, only through word of mouth through my boss) and it's about $15,000 less than the base salary of the pharm. job. There would be lots of travel w/ the PT company with no company car, but mileage reimbursement, and they've also offered a $3,000 relocation bonus, and up to $15,000 in potential bonusing throughout the year. I guess here are my main ??'s: *Is a $40,000 salary substantial in the Seattle area? (before potential bonusing) *Should I try to wait it out and see if I get hired with the pharm company although I have no idea how long it could take? *Is it reasonable after waiting on the PT company for 6 mos. to (very informally) offer me a job and then expect me to decide within 1-2 weeks... when I know that I am the only person who is even being considered for the position? Obviously I have lots of questions, but as a first time job seeker, I just don't know what to do! Honestly? Although your question is about salaries, I think you need to have a talk with a career counselor right away before you pass go. Your school should have one you can see. The reason I say that is that you' re all over the boards. You just got a Masters in Education, but you' re looking at Marketing in Seattle and Pharm Sales? While those are fine fields and all, they have absolutely nothing to do with the degree that you just spent an extra 2 years and God knows how much money to get. With a Masters in Education, one would think you' d be looking at, oh, I don' t know- a teaching job? Or maybe even a Corporate Trainer sort of job? Or even a job where you teach your customers about a product? You' re just going down some weird paths here and before you get too far adrift, you need to discuss it all with a counselor who can lay out all your options and give you some focus. As to these jobs you' re considering, here are my thoughts: 1. Until or unless you have the actual details on this Marketing job in Seattle, you have nothing. It sounds like this would be an internal transfer/promotion sort of deal, so really, you' re not going to be in much position to negotiate anything. It will be pretty much what it is and you' re not likely to even make a case for why you deserve more than whatever they do decide to offer because you have no background in this function (either education or experience). 2. I don' t understand why you' d be the only one they' re considering for this new job. There are tons of new grads out there with Marketing majors and successful internships and/or some entry-level experience who already live in Seattle that they wouldn' t have to relocate and who could hit the ground running. It seems like an odd business move to me to take a part-time employee from another discipline with no training or experience and relocate them to promote into this job. So either they absolutely love you and you should wait it out, or they' re insane and you should run like the wind. 3. Pharm Sales is the hot dream job of the week. It is incredibly competative. Your BS in Science is probably helpful, but again, you have no sales background and you haven' t worked in a technical science so chances are this isn' t going to end up in a job offer. You should of course pursue it to its end and you might get an offer, but I wouldn' t quit my day job in anticipation of one. 4. $40K is not a lot of money in Seattle. It may however be right what an entry-level marketing person makes. Depending on where you' re moving from, you could be in for a good amount of sticker shock in Seattle. And one more thing- yes it is reasonable for them to expect you to decide within a week, no matter how long they take to get the offer together. I understand where your concern is coming from, but in my initial area of concentration of sports medicine MANY masters degrees are obtained in Higher Ed, Sports Management, Administration, etc. In my field it is more important to obtain a good graduate assistantship with a D-I school... and, there are only 12 graduate schools in the country for sports medicine, so the options are extremely limited. Either way, it's hard to explain to someone who isn't directly involved in athletics/medicine. As for me being the only person they're looking at for the marketing position... They do not intend to hire a "true" marketing person for the position. They want someone who has the knowledge of working with physicians, as well as the knowledge in rehab. I guess for them it was more important that I have a medical background and great personality, rather than sales experience... which can be taught. As for the pharm position... do you think it will help that I was on a full scholarship as an undergraduate through this corporations endowment? Although I do lack the experience, I thought having this on my resume may be an initial help in my endeavors. And although I've never lived near Seattle, I do realize that $40 is low. How would you compare that to other areas of the country? Thanks for your insight! First off, "other areas of the country" is a big place. You need to narrow that down to get a good sense of the difference. And people in Sports Medicine who get Master' s Degrees in Education, do so in order to TEACH. To be the Phys Ed teacher at the school or to be the program director at the Boys and Girls club. It adds no value at all to a career in sales and marketing whether you' re selling and marketing sports medicine or related products or not. And yes, sales can be taught if you have the core skills that lend themselves towards it. If they don' t currently have anyone in this role, who would be teaching you? If you really want to go down the sales and marketing path, I recommend that whatever job you end up in, you take some courses in business, sales and marketing. In addition to what Tess wrote, here are some other thoughts: * $40K isn' t a huge salary in the Seattle area, but on the other hand, you really don' t have the sales and marketing experience to command a much higher salary then that. * You really don' t have a clear offer from your present employer, at least based on what you wrote, about the requirements of the job in Seattle, how much training you' ll need, who will provide the training, or what you' ll be expected to accomplish, or how quickly you' ll be expected to accomplish it. * I' d honestly wait to see what happens with the pharmaceutical company, but if it' s going to be another sales job, get ready for a job that will be extremely demanding and also involve tons of travel. For every ten new grads who take pharm-sales jobs, one may survive to make it to the next level, but that' s ordinarily not a problem because a new crop of grads comes forth every 12 months or so. * To be as candid with you as possible, I don' t think you' ve been told enough about either job thus far to make an informed decision about either. Both positions are totally different than anything you' ve done thus far and, for all intents and purposes, they' ll both be really nothing more than entry-level or experimental entry-level sales jobs - and that can be a very tough transition with no more experience in sales and marketing than you have at the moment. | |
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