RE: job-hunt weirdness

Subject: RE: job-hunt weirdness
From: "Dana Worley" <dana -at- campbellsci -dot- com>
To: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:02:03 -0600

On Thursday, July 09, 2009, McLauchlan, Kevin wrote:

> That probably makes sense, unless those six jobs were simply contracts
> that ended with their respective projects.

> So, you toss onto the "no" pile if I don't include my salary at each
> recent job?

To answer both of those questions -- our application process is that you submit a resume
*and* an application for employment. The application asks for typical job info: start/end date,
beginning/ending salary, reason for leaving, duties performed, supervisor, etc. Most people
provide that info.

> Isn't that usually something that both sides coyly address at the
> second interview?

Not here. See above.

> Also, in a market like today's, why in the world would you consider it
> a problem that somebody was previously making more money than you are
> currently willing to pay? They are either unemployed or employed in a
> bad enough situation that your place - at that salary - is attractive.
> If they want to work for you, for what you are currently willing to
> pay, what's the down-side?

I'm sure every company thinks their products are complex and their product line diverse.
However, our products are complex and our product line diverse :) There's a learning curve
before you can become effective at your job. After I had been here a year (and still felt
clueless most days), someone made the comment that it takes two years to bring an
application engineer up to speed. I felt much better after that comment. Believe it or not, I've
been here twelve years and I still learn something new every day. We invest a lot in training
personnel on our products. We can't afford to have people leaving every year or two.

Another "believe it or not" is that I'm still a youngster in this company. I am surrounded by
people who have been here 20+ years. So... when I hire someone, I'm hoping that someone
will be here for the long haul. It's really the corporate culture.

> Sure, there's the possibility that they might get itchy when the
> economy improves, but so what?

See above.

> With (counting on fingers and toes.... ) 11 years at this gig, and
> previous ones of 7 and 9 years, I'm told I'm very much in the minority
> on this list.

We both are :) I was at my first "real job" for 8 years (left because of a cross-country move).
The second I was at for 8 years (left before I died of boredom or the company folded). The
third, only 14 months (company was in bankruptcy and things did not look good.). And here,
12 years. Yep, add that up folks and you'll see I am pushing <gasp!> 50 :)

> I would think that somebody like me, skilled and capable, but not
> corporately ambitious, and getting a little long-of-tooth, would be a
> coup to snap up at a bargain price. Being a bit older, I'm less likely
> to be driven-to-advance (and leave you high and dry... or threaten your
> job...) than I might have been ten or fifteen years ago. There are
> lots of me out there, except that they're currently unemployed.

How do you convey that in a resume or cover letter?

:) Dana
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: job-hunt weirdness: From: Erik Hare
Re: job-hunt weirdness: From: Dana Worley
RE: job-hunt weirdness: From: McLauchlan, Kevin

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