An offer

[cjsmith]

Companies T, X, MP: resume submitted, never a peep. Probably not a fit.
Company G: wants a phone call early next week but has not yet scheduled it.
Company Z: usually does two interviews. I've had one and then took off for the East Coast for a week. May be interested in seeing me again or may think I rate somewhat lower than boogers.
Company V: interview tomorrow.

And job offer number one of the 2006 Job Search Season is at company M, a place so small and so deep in stealth mode that their web page has nothing on it but a logo. It's verbal so far, by which I mean spoken, and I don't think they're even going to bother checking references before putting it on paper. They want an answer from me ABSOLUTELY RIGHT NOW, as in "start Monday".

I pushed back on answering before tomorrow afternoon's interview at Company V. That one had already been scheduled and I didn't feel at all right about:
- saying yes to Company M and ditching the V interview last minute
- saying yes to Company M and going to the V interview, wasting their time
- saying no to Company M without any time to think
or, honestly, simply being pushed to decide so fast.

So I'm now expected to call as soon as I get out of V's building and tell M what I have decided. Deep breath. I hate being rushed, but it does look appealing...

If I say yes, I break things off with V quite suddenly, and I cancel the call I'm supposed to have with Company G early next week (marking the second time their process has simply been too slow to catch me, thus probably blacklisting me forever in their eyes), and I tell everyone else (including some recruiters) I'm out of the running.

If I say no I... well, what is this, do I want a job or don't I? I mean, they want me, and they want me to write code, and for this they will pay me a salary. What am I looking for, flowers and a serenade?

Time to sleep on it a bit.

Comments

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

I dunno, CJ. It would kinda be a red flag to me that a company was that desperate and that aggressive. Do you know why Company M is being so pushy? It would seem to me that a reputable, professional company would allow a potential employee ample time to make a decision. Unless they just can't, and maybe that's normal for your profession?

But at any rate, big congratulations for being so WANTED! :-)

[jtidwell.livejournal.com]

What she said. ;-)

My first reaction was the same -- whoa, they're being too aggressive. Think hard on this one; do you think this is the best job offer you will get? Because knowing you, this almost certainly won't be the only one you'll get.

I hear Company G makes good offers. But then, you probably don't want a three-month interview process either, which is what you're likely to get with them.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it's the best I would ever get, but I suspect it's close to the best. The only real negative for me personally is that there isn't a whole lot of C/C++ coding they're doing (at least right now); I'd be in Java a lot of the time. The salary is competitive, the stock numbers can't be beat, there are a lot of opportunities to challenge myself and learn new stuff, and the culture seems very good from what I can tell.

They're not the first startup to ask for an immediate reply, so it's not *scaring* me so much as making me feel rushed. Bleah. Hate the rushed.

And yeah, I agree with both points about Company G. Sadly, I am guessing they simply won't be fast enough unless I am absolutely committed to them and only them. :-(

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

They're not the first startup to ask for an immediate reply, so it's not *scaring* me so much as making me feel rushed. Bleah. Hate the rushed.

If they're rushed now, they'll be rushed when you work for them too. (They're a startup, that ain't a shocker, I know, I'm stating the obvious. :) )

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

A good point though. They absolutely will. Sometimes I need the obvious stated, when I'm making a decision quickly!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I do wonder why they're being aggressive, but the idea that they're being so quick to make up their minds is just fine. They're only thirteen people.

Thanks!

Strangely familiar

[psi-star-psi.livejournal.com]

I signed up at a place with only thirteen people in it once. Wow, that was a bunch of clowns.

Of course, then you came and joined us about a year later, so you already knew that.

Re: Strangely familiar

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

BWAHAAA! So true! :-)

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

That kind of aggression is a standard characteristic of startups as early in life as Company M is. At this stage in their business lives, everything is happening at lightning speed and if they don't move just as fast, then another startup with a similar idea might pull ahead, grab the funding and the market, and that's that. Think of these kinds of companies like jumpy little dogs only these jumpy little dogs just might become real dogs someday.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've never been to one this early in its life cycle. (I've been employee forty-something before, but never in the teens.) What a world! :-)

[dpolicar]

Yeah, second what amywithani said. I was employee number seven once. It was like that. We all moved so fast we sorta forgot that the rest of the world didn't.

(I remember once working myself into a lather because some piece of information had not yet been disseminated and I had mentioned it SEVERAL TIMES ALREADY and the nondisseminator had to sit me down and say "Yes, Dave. But it's been less than 24 hours. Please chill." _That_ was embarassing.)

I suspect the important thing is that you not be seen as dithering. "I have another interview and it's only fair to go to it before responding to your offer" is fine... but expect "Great, so when will that interview be over and can you call us then?" as a reply. A firm "I can call you two hours afterward" or whatever is probably fine. (Of course, you could simply inflate the interview time)

And good luck, however you go. The small-startup thing is a huge blast... I recommend everyone do it at least once, to see what they are capable of. It will attempt to own your soul, however.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm chuckling about the less-than-24-hours story. It's so believable, and not at all your "fault" -- it was the culture and you were caught up in it! :-)

I like the "not dithering" point. Thank you. I'll be sure to present myself that way.

I'm really leaning toward taking it. Company V will have to be pretty phenomenal to pull me away...

[dpolicar]

(grin) My other favorite story of that period was stumbling into my boss's office at some time around 3pm one day to see if he wanted to grab food, 'cuz I needed to take a break.

He said sure and we went to Harvard Square and it was PACKED.

And I looked around incredulously and said "It's 3pm! Don't these people have JOBS?"

And my boss looked at me sadly and said "Dave... it's Sunday."

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAA! That is excellent! And man, it's so "startup". The world of the small startup has its own mythos, its own stories and stumbling blocks and underlying patterns repeated, and that one fits squarely into it. :-) (The other thing that sorta fits is that even though you wrote 3pm, the first time I read it I got "3am". I had to reread when I didn't know why Harvard Square would be packed on a Sunday night.)