Two Interesting Job SituationsSituation #1: Company A & B are in a joint venture with a bid on a government contract for research into laser technology. They have not won the contract but feel certain that it is theirs. They expect the award in late July/August. I am currently a Senior Systems Engineer with varied experiences and recently got an MBA. I have no project or management experience but I have demonstrated innovation throughout my career. Friday I had an in-depth phone interview with a manager in Company A (Located in DC - I'm in Huntsville). The manager loved my credentials and basically said he wants to fly me out to DC to talk numbers. The twist came in when he said that he used to work for Company B and wants me to interview with his former boss here locally because Company B may want me as their testing expert on the project. The project will be in Huntsville. Company A wants me as their Systems Engineer/Technical Director (official name TBD). I have an informal interview/chat with the VP of Company B today and I feel awkward. The position is not posted and I have no idea if this guy wants to front-fill his position or if I'm qualified anyway. I had 3 years of experience in testing out of college 5 years ago, but this feels like a cold sales call. This is the manager of Company A's chance to get a look at me without having to fly me up to DC, but I'm afraid I may blow it because I'm going into a situation I'm probably not qualified for and the VP may just be doing the guy a favor. How do I handle this? Situation #2: I was recently turned down for a position locally because I don't have an active secret clearance and I didn't have enough experience for the position (even though I went 3 rounds deep in interviews over two weeks). The manager was very impressed with me and said that I'd be his number one guy for this other position that will open up in two to three months. However, the lack of clearance knocks me down to his #2 or #3 candidate. No clearance means that I can't do the work until I get at minimum an interim secret that takes up to a couple of months. So I got to thinking over the weekend. If I am the guy he wants when that position opens up (they have to move to our city because the gov't agency is moving here that they contract for) couldn't we agree up front that when it opens it's mine? We could agree to numbers this week and once I'm signed they can start the clearance process immediately? At minimum I will have an interim secret clearance by the time the position opens up which allows me to do the cleared work and they have no break in contract coverage. Do you think: A) A company would go for this? B) It is in my best interest to even make this kind of commitment? C) Given both situations which is the better choice? D) Should I just keep looking and let both "what ifs" go? BTW both jobs will give me the secret clearance I need. Here in Huntsville, 95% of senior level systems engineering positions are cleared and I'm severely handicapped without a clearance. Thanks! With regard to situation #1, I think you absolute have to play it straight. It's possible that the interview B is, in effect, a "pre-interview" that will impact to some degree the upcoming interview with A but, on the other hand, the two may be totally unrelated. I think you should go to the interview with B and do the best you can - if there are areas of expertise required that you simply don't have, I'd politely say so. During the course of the interview with B you may also get a sense of whether or not it's really a pre-interview for the job with A, so I don't think you want to blow it off in any respect. If you really don't think you're qualified for the job with B, I'd say so politely, but I'd otherwise highlight my qualifications - because you don't know what information may be transmitted from B to A. So, do your best, make a good impression, highlight what you can do and be candid about what you can't. Doing your best in every interview is always the best approach because you never know who's talking with whom. Regarding situation #2, I doubt that you can reach an agreement that the job will be yours when it becomes available, but that doesn't mean you can't suggest it and see what sort of response you get. I'm not sure that kind of commitment, even if it can be made, is in your best interests anyway - particularly in light of situation #1. If #1 turns out to be a great deal and you take the job, and you're committed to #2, you could find yourself having to resign from #1 to honor you commitment to #2, which might put you in a very awkward spot and cause bridges to be burned unnecessarily. Frankly, I think you really should allow both situations to play out naturally and see what happens. Since there are no guarantees on the table, I'd treat each opportunity as though it was the only one I had and make my decision based on the outcome of the interviews and, hopefully, the offers that result therefrom. Put another way, I don't think you have enough solid information yet to make an intelligent decision, and guessing what might happen is only sensible in terms of anticipating all the likely scenarios, but not in terms of decision-making, in my opinion. Make sense? Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert Excellent advice. Thank you. Do you know my wife??!! It's been tough. I've been offered two jobs in the last few weeks with no salary increase, but with much more responsibitlity. It's the responsibility I'm after, but why work more for the same $$? I'm highly sought after, but it seems that I'm at my salary apex. I'm working in a good job now, but the OT is killing me. I've had so many phone and site interviews that I've lost count, but my salary and clearance issues are getting in the way. I'm flummuxed. I guess that's why I'm coming up with creative scenarios. Nevertheless, your advice is rooted in solid ground and I appreciate it. Do I know your wife? I thought she and I had an agreement not to talk about it! (Kidding.) Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert | |
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