Ummm? Written by HaveADamnNiceDay on 01/19/2009OK, I'm two bites for two interviews. I just got back from another interview with a Dish Network contracto (they service people and do troubleshooting and stuff). I think the guy who interviewed me was from somewhere in the middle east. It's really hard for me to tell, but he could have been indian or pakistani. Now he did ask me some questions I did not expect, simply because NO employer has asked me these things...
He asked me about my husband and what he did for a living (as if it mattered)
He asked if I had any children (he said he was concerned in case I had to make time to tote them to and from school).

I guess he gathered I was married because of the rings I wear, but still... I had a faint buzz in the back of my head that told me these questions were inappropriate.
This guy asked me if I could start tomorrow morning. I told him I had interviewed previously on Friday and that I was waiting on a call, and asked if I could call him back once I'd made a decision. He implied there probably wouldn't be a job available if I waited too long (which is understandable), but I hate it when employers do that.
Now, here are the points for each interviewer...


Interviewer #1) Is a funny lady with an easygoing disposition, has ADD like myself and plans her day around it to cope and handle it. She loves my personality, and wanted to hire me on the spot. The work didn't sound all that difficult or stressful, and she seemed OK with the amount of money I was asking for (which was quite a lot, but it was because of the long drive). She thinks along similar lines to me, and is in general a lovely person. The only thing that makes me hesitate is the long drive to and from work.


Interviewer #2) Called me this morning at 10 am while I was still in bed, and asked me to come in NOW for an interview. I told him I was available at noon and asked to come then. He agreed, and gave me the address. However, his informal manner suggested I probably should not put a lot of effort into the way I looked today, so I wore a pair of green pants with brown boots and a white sweater (which is almost dressing down for me, but not quite). When I got there, I had to walk up this black iron staircase in the back of a nondescript building (while it was snowing). I was very afraid I'd slip and fall and hurt myself. Inside, the place was a disorganized mess. There were boxes and parts and computers and wires thrown pell-mell all over the place. It was in shameful condition. Sometimes the folks there spoke another language, sometimes they spoke perfect English. Sometimes they spoke a blend of both (which makes me think them indian--they do that in a lot of indian flicks, from what I've seen). It makes me uncomfortable having people all around me who can talk about me outright without my knowing.
However, this place is soooo close to home it's disgusting. I'd have at most a 10 minute drive to work every day. The guy offered me significantly less money than I'd be making in the faraway location, but he said that after a week he'd raise it. I don't necessarily believe he'll keep that promise. I'll have to get it in writing if I take that job.

I have a hard decision to make. I hate making decisions like this, where the lines are all gray and blurry....
What do you guys think??? Read 16 Replies   |   Add a Reply

     

Posted by BonusOnus on 01/19/2009:
HANDD, Take the 1st one. Your coworker there sounds much nicer than the coworkers in option #2. One of the things I like about my current job is that my coworkers are so much better than the coworkers at my last job. Having great coworkers really helps your job experience - wasn't there a study by CNN or something that quantified how much in pay it was to have things like great coworkers or bosses you can trust?

Posted by HaveADamnNiceDay on 01/19/2009:
Bonus-- You're probably right. I went back and re-read what I posted and it sounds like the more recent place scared me more than impressed me. I suppose the grueling commute would be worth it if I worked with someone I admired.

Posted by SouthernProgrammer on 01/19/2009:
Pick door #1 and do not even consider door #2. 'Promises' to raise your salary? Don't believe that for a minute!

Posted by BonusOnus on 01/19/2009:
Also HANDD, employer #2's questions about your marital status and children are illegal (according to my state laws). Second, they asked you those questions because they want someone who will only live to work, with no life outside of work. And they're offering less than employer #1? Uh, no.

Posted by CK on 01/19/2009:
Asking 'personal' questions is illegal in all states! It is also illegal to ask health, religious, as well as sexual and age questions! Since you're not going to take 'door #2' I'd drop a quarter to EEOC for extra measure! but that's just me.

Posted by chubby girl on 01/19/2009:
I agree with the group. #1 offered a pleasant work environment and more money. I bet you will adjust to the commute. #2 wanted you to start immediately, DANGER Will Robinson DANGER. My experience with employers who want you to start immediately translates into a high turnover rate. Also my mom was born in another country. She does make snide remarks about Americans she doesn't like in front of them. Foreigners do this and I can't imagine it would be a comfortable workday. By the way I tell her not to do it but she is over 80 and no one is going to change her.

Posted by UnsupportedSupport on 01/20/2009:
Given these two options, on a forum about bad work conditions the decision seems obvious. However, how long of a commute is this grueling commute? If it is more than an hour or even two hours, I think the choice is between door number 1 and finding a door number 3.

Posted by thelma on 01/20/2009:
Illegal questions about your marital status? Check! Veiled threat that job won't be available if you don't accept immediately? Check! "Sweatshop" that screams "high turnover"? Check! Demanding boss who lowballs you on salary? Check! Empty promises from said demanding boss? Check!

Posted by avid reader on 01/20/2009:
Thelma hit it right on the head.

Posted by HaveADamnNiceDay on 01/21/2009:
Well, you guys are all absolutely right. More signs came up, so here's a little update: Yesterday DURING THE INAUGURATION that guy called me and asked if I was going to take the job or not. I had discussed it with my husband and turned over everything you guys said about this job, and you're right. I can't trust him, he asked questions he had no business asking, and indicated he had no intention of keeping any promises or guaranteeing that I wouldn't lose that job a week after I got it. Anyhow, he asked me if I was going to come in or not (as though I had already taken the job) and I thought back to a dream I had after discussing this issue with my spouse--In the dream I had two tigers out on my balcony. I opened the door, grabbed one by the corner of its jaw, and removed its head with a knife. Grisly, I know, because then I began to cut the critter up for meat and stuff. After that tiger was finished, I went after the other one, which was male, and did the same thing. The meaning of course is that I decided to take what I percieved to be the difficult road, and faced down a common fear of mine, which is the cost and pain of a long commute. The place is probably no more than 20 or so miles away, but that particular route is oft very crowded in the morning rush. So, anyhow, I thought back to those tigers, and I told the guy (in probably a slightly snotty tone) that I'd been offered the other job and I was taking it because she was offering me much more money. She hadn't, of course, and I wasn't banking on it, but I really didn't want to work for that guy, no matter how close or convenient the location was. Now, I had followed up on my interview with the nice lady after that horrid interview with the TV guy to let her know I was still interested, but I ended up in her voicemail, so I left her a message. She didn't call me yesterday (which I wouldn't have expected, since everyone in the world was glued to their TVs watching Obama get sworn in. While I know a lot of people still worked yesterday, history was being made, and I know a lot of people stopped what they were doing to observe the events taking place. So, at 10 am I was roused by the ringing of my cell phone on my night stand and I answered it with what I thought sounded like an awake and chipper greeting (smirk). It was the nice lady I interviewed with on Friday. She offered me the job and gave me the amount I asked for (woo-hoo!). She asked me to come to work at 10 tomorrow morning to get started. I'll be starting my day at work at 9 am instead of the usual 8am (which is nice, that means that I can still wake up pretty much the same time I always did and still be at work on time). I'm really excited. I wondered if maybe she was still tickled with me and still wanted to hire me. But, she DID still like me and asked me to bring my smile with me to work tomorrow! :oD Talk about the stars aligning...

Posted by SouthernProgrammer on 01/21/2009:
Sounds like you really landed a good job. A 20 mile commute is not bad, my closest job has been 24 miles away. The best job commute story I know of is when I worked at a school district as a network technician. One of the schools was in a really nice little neighborhood and the main secretary lived in a house across the street. The distance from her office to her front door was less than the length of a football field! I'm still jealous about that...

Posted by HaveADamnNiceDay on 01/21/2009:
I've made a habit of trying to find jobs that are as close to home as possible. It's how i avoid having to suffer from certain economic woes as painfully as others. It's my cut corner. I also don't typically run my heat (use space heaters instead), unless it's below 18 degrees outside. So, as a result, BGE and the oil companies don't rape us financially as bad as they do other people. I don't make a lot of money, and neither does my husband. We can't afford all of the rate hikes that have been imposed. We try to get inventive to save our money. Long commutes and distant clients add to our costs, so we try to keep local. My longest commute was for a while an hour. I would drive from my hometown into Charm City and frankly, I loved every minute of it. I don't mind a long drive. What I hate is too much traffic. Fact is, I love to drive. But, I hate to waste gas. I'm just glad my old car is tweakable. I may have to add something else to it to tune it for better gas mileage....It's probably time to clean the ol' intake....

Posted by SouthernProgrammer on 01/21/2009:
You're right about the gas, my next car WILL be a diesel. I like the VW Jetta Diesel but am really hoping Subaru brings it's diesel to the states.

Posted by HaveADamnNiceDay on 01/21/2009:
if you can hold out for the subaru, do it. I know people who've owned VW's and they all hate them. They sort of deteriorate from the inside out before they're supposed to. I was thinking of buying a smart car if I ever do end up buying another car (however I'd never be able to tote my kids around in it later on...). Either that, or a Honda fit. Problem is, I don't trust the newer cars these days. I want to be able to work on them myself if need be, and not have to pay someone every time I need brake fluid or an oil change or tires rotated. Once again, trying to cut some corners and save some cash. If I can, I'll try to avoid paying someone to do something if I'm capable of doing it.

Posted by SouthernProgrammer on 01/22/2009:
I'm a big fan of Subaru and REALLY hope they bring their diesel over, rumors are they will in 2010. Google on SUBARU DIESEL and read about it, it sounds great!

Posted by UnsupportedSupport on 01/23/2009:
Congratulations on what sounds like a fun job! 20 miles isn't bad at all depending on traffic. I have about a 22 mile commute. Unfortunately it is on the I-4 corridore so traffic can make is between 30 minutes to 90. Of course this was after the office moved. It's old location, back when I started, was a 3 minute drive from my house. But I stopped complaining about the commute after gas prices went down and half the people I know became unemployed.

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