Employment Offer -- Advise My Child Please!

Parent Cafe
1

My son is a few years out of a top 20 college. He was recently laid off when his company closed his location and has been searching for a job. He actually got two offers on Monday, after 3 months of looking. One offer is in City A, and the other in City B. Offer A is in his field, but a different role than he has had before. Offer B is exactly what he was doing (with superb reviews) when he was laid off.

He lives in City A, in a house share situation with a lease and good friends. He does not need a car in this city, and does not own one. He does own some furniture and he has a hefty security deposit. The lease is up in November.

City B is several hundred miles away. Driveable if necessary, but generally a flight away. His brother actually lives in that city, but leases a studio. Sharing more than a very temporary couch crash is not an option with his current apartment. The job in City B would require a car as the job involves being partially in the office and partially out in the field.

The offers are close to each other in terms of compensation, with the edge in base going to Offer B and the edge in potential and commission going to Offer A. Offer A does not require relocation. Offer B requires Immediate (1 week or less) relocation but no assistance in relocation expenses and no company car, or assistance in purchasing/leasing a vehicle, although a car will be necessary.

His prospective manager in City B wanted an answer from him in 48 hours (so offered on Monday, decide by Wednesday). He was then asked to start next week. He asked for two weeks and to start after Labor Day. Denied. Relocation asssistance, Denied.

I should also note that he has not met the hiring manager for Offer B. When asked about a face-to-face prior to starting he was told “We went to the same program at the same university. I know who you are. We don’t need to meet.” (They graduated 10 years apart and did not cross paths …) He’s been to Company A’s office twice, met the team, and lunched with them.

Is Offer B/Company B just a little strange? His father and I think that B might be a good job and opportunity, but the company sounds so off-base in terms of immediate relocation, start date, and only phone interviews that we are advising he decline in favor of Offer A. I would like your opinion!

2

Sounds like a lot of red flags both personally and professionally in option B. After being in a position of no job for a bit I wonder if mentally he might really be happy in the solid opportunity of A. Not to mention that A sounds like there is more potential and commission as you mentioned.

Depending on the position having your reporting boss be kind of a jerk and/or not very flexible can be a real negative.

I’m not reading many “pros” to B.

3

Having just been through a relocation, I would advise him to accept Offer A. The amount of unforeseen costs to move are crazy. Plus I agree that company B sounds unreasonable. A week to relocate with no assistance is crazy. If their hiring practices seem wacky, I would worry about the company as a whole.

Congrats to your son for having multiple offers!

4

Company B is putting out the kind of signals that sketchy guy at the bar puts out to the naïve young girl who’s a little tipsy. Stick with A is my advice.

5

Thanks … that’s our sense too!

6

As posted by others, there are quite a few red flags of company B. It is not reasonable for someone to move, find an apartment, rent a car and start a new job in one week. If his new manager can’t understand that then how understanding he/she is going to be in the future when your son will need some special considerations.

My brother just made an offer to a new graduate to be his research analyst. It would require the person to move across country. The analyst is given moving allowance and a month to get settled.

A good manager understands how important it is for employee to be in good frame of mind to work. To put that kind of undue pressure on a new employee is not being productive.
I have never heard of manager not wanting to meet with a new employee. To me, this is the biggest red flag.

If it were not for the manager issue. A way to evaluate which job to take (high class problem) is to get into an industry (company) that is in a growth mode. A company that is growing/expanding has happier employees and is doing more interesting things. It is depressing when a company is constantly cutting expenses in order to increase profit.

Congratulations on your son’s offers.

7

It seems all the upside/benefits fall in Company A’s camp so seems like a clear choice to me.

8

Company A for sure! Not only the answers given by other posters, but it’s really good to have a wide variety of skill sets. It seems Company A offers that opportunity.

9

At his age, it is also good for him to do something different.

10

I can’t see any reason not to choose A.

11

Just listening to the tone of the description of the 2, its a no-brainer to me. Are there any real downsides to A other than a slightly lower base? Honestly, money isn’t everything. And the Way you’ve painted them, I’d run from B.

Many moons ago DS#2 looked at a job in a city his now wife was looking at. The company made him pay for his own flights/hotel for the interview and said if he took the job they’d reimburse him. He went for the interview but turned the job down. And he walked away from the $ he spent for the interview. I thought that was smarmy of that company to handle it that way and was a huge red flag.

12

Too many cons to offer B.
He has to start immediately, with no assistance moving - when exactly does he look for a place to live? When does he have time to pack and move? How does he pay for such a move? And remember, tax laws just changed, so he can no longer deduct his moving expenses. Take job A, and become even more marketable. If he wants to move up at some point, he’s going to need both sets of skills anyway.

13

It’s much more difficult to search for a new job while unemployed. I would recommend taking job A as it requires no relocation. If after a couple month job A does not turn out well, your son can always look around for better opportunities without the time pressure to make a decision.

14

Not clear to me from the description whether he’s ever been to B’s offices at all. If not, perhaps the discouraging a meeting has a motive to keep him from seeing in advance things that might affect his decision. In any case, a lack of interest to meet doesn’t seem good. I pick A.

15

What does your son want to do?

16

A boss who says that because they went to the same college in the same program (I assume many years apart) that “we know who you are” doesn’t have a clue who your son is. Not a manager I’d trust. And a manager can make or break even a dream job.

17

Offer B has too many contingencies…and theynwanted an answer in 48 hours? That would be the big red flag to me. And relocation within a week? Seriously.

Sounds like A is the better of these two offers from my backseat position.

18

If company B behaves this rigidly during “dating,” I can image what could happen after the “wedding.” Sounds like a place to avoid.

19

My daughter took a job like B and it turned into a nightmare. Supervisor continued to have unreasonable expectations.

20

I have read that companies are experiencing a higher degree of “ghosting” - people will accept jobs and then not show up! So some companies have instituted a policy of asking hirees to start work immediately, to lessen the chance of people having time to rethink their decision and accept another job.

Having said that, I would still go with company A!