So my buddy needs advice

[Just_Human]

He is a Recruiter and is jobless; he has 2 offers on the table; each one has its pros and cons

He is asking my advice, but I'm very bad at that, so I'm asking you guys.

This is the email he sent me :

Need advice quick.

I have 2 offers on the table.

- The first one is exactly what im looking for : great environment, no micromanagement, would hire for the company itself, but its a 3 month contract.
Extension is a possibility, but there is no guarantee of that either.
(if it was long term or perm, it would be a no brainer).

- The other one is permanent, it's a staffing agency; you can make lots of money (thanks to commissions), but it's extremely micromanaged, and I mean micromanaged on steroids ... not to mention they want me to call superstar candidates if a client wants to hire him - outside of working hours, like 7 pm or during the weekend.
Plus they want me to book at least 15 high profile candidates for face to face interviews each week .... that's right, each week ... I know Recruters with 20 years of experience who meet only 5 candidates/week and they have great results

They took me out to lunch in a nice restaurant today (when they are so nice, it means they like you, but i had the impression they were doing it to sugar coat things; i could be wrong)


For $$$$ reasons, I cant afford to apply for other jobs and wait for other companies to get back to me.

****ing dilemna

By the way, he has 6-7 years of solid experience, so maybe that's why he doesn't want to be micromanaged

 

[Teelie]

My opinion is to go with the first choice. A chance at extension is better than working a job you're pretty much guaranteed to hate. There is no telling whether that extension will happen but working in a job you know you won't like is guaranteed to stress you out and make your life harder. Money isn't everything.

 

[Big Green]

You take the steady job that will pay your bills in the long-term. You can always leave and find another job. You can look while getting paid. It can't be a lifetime contract.

If you take option 1 you might be looking for a new job in 3 months anyway.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I'm a risk taker, I'd do the first option and show out so they have no choice but to keep me around. If you can't make yourself look like a BAMF then def go with the 2nd option though

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

"I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate." - George F. Burns

Take the first option.

 

[Pink Ranger]

How long has he been jobless?

Does he live in a city or town where the market for his skill set is fairly large?

 

[Just_Human]

Thanks for the advice guys.


Some updates:

He accepted offer A (contract) - when he told B he was going for another company, they were disappointed as they really wanted him.


Now he is kinda chickening out, as he is afraid he wont find a job come May.

So he is wondering if B is still open.


I understand his hesitation TBH; micromanagement is a *****.

B is a permanent job, but is any job really permanent?

How long has he been jobless?

Does he live in a city or town where the market for his skill set is fairly large?

Well yeah, generally speaking, but it depends on the time of the year

Summer is usually quiet

 

[Feenix]

I would go with A (and as you said, he did). He should stick with it. He needs to integrate himself into the job and make sure that people need him there. At the end of the day, it will still be experience he can put on the resume.

Why is the first one only a 3 month contract? Is he covering a maternity leave or something of that nature?

 

[Just_Human]

I would go with A (and as you said, he did). He should stick with it. He needs to integrate himself into the job and make sure that people need him there. At the end of the day, it will still be experience he can put on the resume.

Why is the first one only a 3 month contract? Is he covering a maternity leave or something of that nature?

Thanks... yeah if he makes himself valuable they could offer him a perm (but no guarantee either)

A is a videogame company; they have 2 big projects coming up, so they are hiring 2 Recruiters for 3 months

They are not expecting anything major after that ... so the possibility of extension is there, but not guaranteed


So the dilemna isthe following :

-how does he pay my rent after those 3 months?

- With B, it's permanent but a burn out is to be expected in that place.... plus what if they fire him after 1.5 month because he is not the "robot" they expected?





Oh and that's what he said about company B:

Yeah it's micromanaged like a *****

Its fine if you are out of school, it helps to focus and learn, but if you have 6-7 years of experience, then it's ******ed

It's like a call center disguised in a staffing firm.

- they expect you to be on the phone all day long, non stop .... an experienced Recruiter doesnt need to made tons of calls during the day TBH; you look at the candidate who looks qualified, analyze the CV, call, pre-qualify.... IMO, you have better results calling 5 quality candidates/day as opposed to calling 50.

- they expect you to have face to face interviews with at least 15 candidates per week, each week... which is a lot... espcecially when they are expecting you to be on the phone all day

- White board meetings every freaking morning : what did you do yesterday, how many candidates did you call, what are you gonna do today etc...

- the Branch Manager doesnt even have a separate office; actually everybody is in a big room; the only separate rooms are for interviews; open space area, desk is close, so she can see if you don't take too many piss breaks ..... WTF

- you need a very good reason to take a personal day off; like you are really sick, stuck in bed and can barely move ....... WTF, a personal day is a personal day, you are entitled to it

- during our 3rd meeting, (the lunch), they asked me what my interests are, what I like to do... at one point during the conversion, one of them asked me if I like to go out; then she told me that if someone goes out a lot he wont be in top form to work hard ...IMO, that means they expect you to be like machines everyday

- apparently, they have a system that can monitor your phone calls

 

[Just_Human]

So what do you think?

Does B look too micromanaged?

 

[Warhammer]

He should take option A. Of course, that's easy as hell for me to suggest, but due to amount of negatives he mentioned for option B, take option A. Take the leap of faith. Either way, it's a job for the next three month no matter what he chooses. With option A, it prolongs his job search unless he gets the extension. Hopefully in three months, he will find what he desires. God bless him, either way.

Option A

 

[Just_Human]

He should take option A. Of course, that's easy as hell for me to suggest, but due to amount of negatives he mentioned for option B, take option A. Take the leap of faith. Either way, it's a job for the next three month no matter what he chooses. With option A, it prolongs his job search unless he gets the extension. Hopefully in three months, he will find what he desires. God bless him, either way.

Option A

Thanks

Yeah, with B there is still the 3 month probation period anyway, and in such a high pressure environment, they can tell him to GTFO anyway

And as you said during those 3 months, he can find something interesting

 

[chaseter]

3 months will be over before he knows it. Security or more of what you want in a job? We aren't in an economy anymore where people can have the luxury of finding the perfect job.

I would have taken B....got experience under my belt...and kept moving up.

 

[Just_Human]

I want to thank everyone for the advice

He spoke to his family and they dont want him to go to B; they want him to go where he will be happy , and they will support him no matter what.

And Chaseter, there is no job "security" in such a ****** environment (B); they can fire him after 1 month just because he has 10 interviews in a week instead of 15.

 

[regwec]

And Chaseter, there is no job "security" in such a ****** environment (B); they can fire him after 1 month just because he has 10 interviews in a week instead of 15.

I think that's the key to it. The first contract sounds like a genuine probationary period in which to impress; the second sounds like a run of the mill temping job dressed up as a bigger opportunity.

 

[Warhammer]

Exactly.

 

[Just_Human]

I think that's the key to it. The first contract sounds like a genuine probationary period in which to impress; the second sounds like a run of the mill temping job dressed up as a bigger opportunity.

Pretty much


Plus I remember reading somewhere that more and more companies want to make sure they hire the right person for a permanent job, so they offer a short term contract without suggesting it can turn into a perm job, to see if you are the right fit long term

 

[chaseter]

I want to thank everyone for the advice

He spoke to his family and they dont want him to go to B; they want him to go where he will be happy , and they will support him no matter what.

And Chaseter, there is no job "security" in such a ****** environment (B); they can fire him after 1 month just because he has 10 interviews in a week instead of 15.

Always take the sure thing and look for better opportunities while employed. Looking for the perfect job while unemployed usually never works. If it works out, that's awesome for him. But...I always side with caution. I don't know his family situation but if he's single, younger, no family, doing fine right now then there isn't that much of an immediate demand for money.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

First choice. Even if the money is good, I'd hate having to work on my own time. If he's great at it, they will give him an extension. If not, well at least those 3 months were good.

 

[Just_Human]

I don't know his family situation but if he's single, younger, no family, .

yup he is all that

First choice. Even if the money is good, I'd hate having to work on my own time. If he's great at it, they will give him an extension. If not, well at least those 3 months were good.

thanks

 

[bullets]

I would go with option a. I have a feeling if that doesn't work out option b might still be there in three months

 

[Anita18]

I'd go for option A. If he loves what he does, even if the contract isn't extended, he'll have plenty of great references and get some networking out of it.

As other people have mentioned, no job is permanent nowadays. You really have to nurture your network, and it's FAR easier to do that when you love what you do.

 

[Just_Human]

I would go with option a. I have a feeling if that doesn't work out option b might still be there in three months

Actually, it looks like option B has been open for a while (if this is true, it's not a good sign)

I'd go for option A. If he loves what he does, even if the contract isn't extended, he'll have plenty of great references and get some networking out of it.

As other people have mentioned, no job is permanent nowadays. You really have to nurture your network, and it's FAR easier to do that when you love what you do.

True