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I have received two very similar job offers, but for different careers, and I’m having a lot of trouble making a definite decision. I live in Northern New Jersey for reference.
Company A:
-financial technical writing
-$60k/yr. salary
-44,000 employees globally; 2k being hired at my prospective office
-located in the suburbs; 45 minute drive from my apartment without traffic
-I will likely be required to be on site 4 days a week, but my recruiter is trying to get it down to 3 or even 2 if I get lucky.
Company B:
-public relations
-$60k/yr.
-around 50 employees total
-located in Manhattan; it would be a bus ride to PABT and then a 7-block walk to my office
-I would be required to be on site 3 days a week and able to WFH the other 2 days. This is permanent. They never plan on requiring 5 days in the office again.
The benefits are about the same, but the companies are extremely different. I’m having a very hard time deciding which one would be more suitable for me. Any advice?
I can't say what is more suitable for you. Personally, I'd take the bigger company. It should offer more possibilities for professional growth, as well as promotion. You might even be able to turn it into an overseas gig for a year or two. If you want to move on, I imagine Company A also has bigger name recognition for your resume.
we dont really know what is your expertise?
and which employer has a better track record,and career advancement.
walking 7 blocks in Manhattan in winter is no fun
we dont really know what is your expertise?
and which employer has a better track record,and career advancement.
walking 7 blocks in Manhattan in winter is no fun
Company B definitely more closely aligns with my current expertise. Company A aligns with it, but the work seems like it will be more nitty gritty and I’ll need to learn some new skills. However, the training at a big company like that I’m sure will be good.
I also greatly enjoyed working remotely 4 days a week at my last company. I am not lazy, if anything I am more productive at home. Company B is guaranteed to work remotely 2 days a week forever. On the other hand, I’m not sure if driving 45 minutes each way for 4 days a week in Jersey is better, equal, or worse than commuting into Manhattan 3 days.
I have no clue how many WFH days I will be allowed at Company A. My team would be scattered all throughout the globe, but more than one source has illustrated that their CEO is extremely against remote work and in some departments has required 5 days a week. My meetings would all be done remotely no matter what, so it does not make any sense, but I don’t know what to think.
Company A will have better career advancement within the company for sure, since it’s huge. However, PR is also a very prosperous career, but it is more likely to require switching firms. Company B has been around for a while, and promotions are possible there as
Didn't you have issues with technical writing in your last job?
How is the technical writing different between old and new job?
How do you feel about working in PR vs financial technical writing? Which one (PR vs financial technical writing )seems to be a better fit for you regarding your career goals?
Keep in mind that 45 minute drive can be shortened if you choose to move closer to the new job.
I like jobs with larger companies. Better for growth and training and ability to transfer into a different job as a promotion. Often better benefits and less politics at larger companies. Ability to transfer to a different state if you ever choose.
I don't like to work for super small companies. Larger companies usually have decent software for employees to use and firm processes already in place. Super small companies you often wing it. That can be tough for a fairly young person like yourself. I think the structure of a larger company might suit you better, after reading your prior posts about your last job.
But if PR is a better fit for you (career goal) vs financial technical writing, then small vs large company might be a moot point. You want the actual job title and responsibilities to be a good fit.
Do you have firm offers from both? If the recruiter is still trying to work out WFH days perhaps that one isn't official yet?
Perhaps write the pros/cons of each job down and maybe that will help you decide.
The most important thing is where you will be most successful in applying your skills. In order to stay marketable, you will need to show some longevity and accomplishments at your jobs. In your prior post, you indicated you were more comfortable with creative writing and use of boilerplates. Will the financial technical writing position allow use of boilerplates? Will the training be extensive enough for you to make the transition from creative writing to financial technical writing?
The other thing I would throw out there is going into Manhattan may be good for your social life. My daughter who now WFH in a suburb misses going into a major city and going out after work for drinks with co-workers.
Didn't you have issues with technical writing in your last job?
How is the technical writing different between old and new job?
How do you feel about working in PR vs financial technical writing? Which one (PR vs financial technical writing )seems to be a better fit for you regarding your career goals?
Keep in mind that 45 minute drive can be shortened if you choose to move closer to the new job.
I like jobs with larger companies. Better for growth and training and ability to transfer into a different job as a promotion. Often better benefits and less politics at larger companies. Ability to transfer to a different state if you ever choose.
I don't like to work for super small companies. Larger companies usually have decent software for employees to use and firm processes already in place. Super small companies you often wing it. That can be tough for a fairly young person like yourself. I think the structure of a larger company might suit you better, after reading your prior posts about your last job.
But if PR is a better fit for you (career goal) vs financial technical writing, then small vs large company might be a moot point. You want the actual job title and responsibilities to be a good fit.
Do you have firm offers from both? If the recruiter is still trying to work out WFH days perhaps that one isn't official yet?
Perhaps write the pros/cons of each job down and maybe that will help you decide.
Yes, I have firm offers from both. I can see myself making a career in either one.
My last job was more proposal writing than technical writing, but there’s no reason I couldn’t excel at Company A if I went that route. A larger company would have more stringent training processes in place, and I can definitely take away a lot from my previous job and apply it. Both jobs have heavy writing components, but Company A a bit more so than B.
The most important thing is where you will be most successful in applying your skills. In order to stay marketable, you will need to show some longevity and accomplishments at your jobs. In your prior post, you indicated you were more comfortable with creative writing and use of boilerplates. Will the financial technical writing position allow use of boilerplates? Will the training be extensive enough for you to make the transition from creative writing to financial technical writing?
The other thing I would throw out there is going into Manhattan may be good for your social life. My daughter who now WFH in a suburb misses going into a major city and going out after work for drinks with co-workers.
Good luck!
I don’t know how boilerplate would work in Company A, but they did mention that use of creative skills is important.
I don’t know how much socialization there is at a small company, and I can’t just go by that. Commuting by bus versus driving is no joke, and if they were both 5 days a week, Manhattan would take the cake as the worse of the two. There are definitely more places to go in Manhattan after work on days I’d be there, but I don’t know if I see myself making more friends or going out on more dates as a result. It’s too hard to tell still. If anything, Company A might have more people in their 20’s since they’re hiring 2k people at my location.
The CEO of Company A is very against WFH and actually eliminated fully remote positions as soon as he took over, but my recruiter told me that it really depends on the manager for individual employees when deciding how much flexibility there would be. My prospective manager doesn’t even live in this state, so I don’t see why flexibility should be so limited at A. Every conversation would be on Zoom anyway.
Either way, I’ll have a difficult email to send one of them on Monday. It’s a good thing and bad thing at the same time.
What do reviews on Indeed and Glassdoor say about the overall work environment? They’d tend to skew negative, as the disgruntled are more likely to post than someone happy with their workplace, but it’s another data point.
A lot of negatives. Maybe slightly more for Company A, but they both say really bad things. I don’t take those too seriously.
One of Company A’s top complaints is lack of flexibility vis a vis WFH. However, my recruiter said differently and that there is a lot of flexibility depending on the individual manager.
When will you know whether Company A will allow you to work 2 or 3 days in-office versus 4?
Is that decision a deciding factor in accepting the position?
About Company B's 3 days a week being permanent. Nothing is permanent. If they get bought out by a diff company or if upper management changes their mind, WFH could change too.
I once worked as a consultant at a company that had 100% WFH for several years. It wasn't a tempy thing. People got hired as WFH employees from the start. CEO decided to mandate workers to return to the office. Gave them several months. Some employees didnt return to the office because there was no office near their home and they didn't want to uproot their family have have their spouse lose/change jobs due to the move. Eventually all the workers that didn't return to in-person at an office got fired. They thought WFH was permanent too.
Just saying that permanent isn't always permanent. But I guess you meant that it's not just a temp Covid WFH thing.
Last edited by Variable; 05-07-2022 at 06:47 PM..
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