I have been at my company for nearly 15 years, holding six positions from assistant to senior manager. I actually really like my job but feel like it's starting to look bad that I am still there after a decade and a half. But since I like my job, have TONS of vacation time (six weeks), have the best health insurance I have ever heard of ($0 deductible, $500 out of pocket max), enjoy my colleagues, and have tremendous flexibility (oh, and every other Friday off, in exchange for working nine hour days), I feel like it will take a unicorn job to get me to leave.
Anyway. I have an interview on Monday for a director position because a former colleague recommended me.
For an increase in title and to add another company to your resume, would you be willing to give up flexibility and tons of time off? The pay is probably just $5K more than I make now, and I'm nearly certain my boss would counter to bring me up to the same if I told her I had an offer. This new job is remote so I would work from home, which is great, but it is global and requires flexibility for evening conference calls.
I don't see a director-level position at my company being an option for quite some time now because of the weird way they recently reorged our department.
Post by goldengirlz on Sept 7, 2018 21:07:48 GMT -5
I question the premise of whether it looks “bad” to be at one company for a long time.
If the only reason you’re moving is because you feel like you should, then I’m not sure it’s worth it. However, if this job actually excites you, meaning the work itself and not just the idea of it, then you should seriously consider it. I would give up flexibility — and have done so — for a growth opportunity and a job I loved.
Plus one to goldengirlz. Additionally, I think that because you have moved positions to grow, being at the same company for a long time wouldn't raise any issues if you wanted to leave in the future.
I don’t see issues with being at the same company for 15 years - you’ve not been in the same position for 15 years, so you’ve demonstrated that you are continuing to learn and grow.
I’ve been at the same engineering firm for 11.5 years, and it would take the perfect unicorn job for me to leave. It’s consistently a best place to work in my metro area, my direct boss and his boss are awesome, I’m one level below shareholder and will hopefully get promoted to that in the next couple of years, the team I help manage is great and I enjoy working with and leading them, and I have flexibility to go to kid functions, the doctor, etc.
I wouldn’t move either. I’m at the point in my life while not really mommy tracked I am definitely not leaning in. DH travels a lot for work so I need the days off and flexibility for doctor appointments and school appointments, getting to extra curriculars, weird half schools days or days off, getting kids on the bus and picking up from aftercare etc etc etc.
I too have been at my job a while- 9 years and wonder if I should move. The only thing that looks more apppealing to me is work from home since I have an hour commute per day. So I might consider it if I could negotiate more PTO and flexibility. But yeah your health insurance is awesome!
I left a company after being there for 15 years. No one blinks when they see that on my resume. I had moved positions like you had and moved around so I have diverse experience.
Based on what you describe, I would not leave. Sure working from home is nice, but I’ve found that I actually work more hours and the cut off between work and home blends too much for my liking.
I should add that my current job is a lot of work and somewhat stressful. I have between 8 and 12 meetings a day, so I bring work home a lot of nights. I did an hour tonight and I have about three hours to do tomorrow. But the trade off is the flexibility. I'll just leave at 2 pm on Friday as long as I'm caught up.
I am 90% certain I will stay, but I am still doing the interview on Monday.
I question the premise of whether it looks “bad” to be at one company for a long time.
If the only reason you’re moving is because you feel like you should, then I’m not sure it’s worth it. However, if this job actually excites you, meaning the work itself and not just the idea of it, then you should seriously consider it. I would give up flexibility — and have done so — for a growth opportunity and a job I loved.
THIS.
There is nothing wrong with leaving if you are ready to leave or you find an opportunity you are more interested in. But since you have a good gig, I wouldn't leave just because you think it's something you are supposed to do.
It's also important to remember that even if you stay, it doesn't mean you can't leave for more opportunities in the future. It's really common for women to ramp up again in their 40s and 50s, when they no longer have small children. There's a reason that women rarely run for public office before age 50. Paul Ryan got elected to congress at 29. Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, was 47 when she first went to Capitol Hill.
Absolutely go to the interview and really put your heart into it. You may find it’s a better opportunity than you thought, or you may find that the process of thinking about something new makes you want something new, even if it’s not this specific option. Or you may decide to stay put. Either way, it’s fine.
That is a lot of time with one company, but it is not as though you’ve been in a single position for all those years.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a position that offers the benefits and flexibility you currently have, but I think your plan to go on the interview is a good on. Even if you stay with your current position, you might make a connection that will be a bigger help in the future.
vtdiamond the interview was more of a discussion about their open roles. Turned out they want me for a role at my current level, and I don't want to leave a great gig without an advancement. I may continue with the interviews to use as leverage here, though, because they'd beat my pay by at least $5k and bonus by $8k for a role that is not as complex as my current one.
I know it's really commonly done and some people recommend it, but I really hate the idea of leveraging an offer that I'm not willing to take to get higher pay at my existing job. Best case scenario, they match and have a bad taste in their mouth. Worst case scenario, they say no and I have to either stick around and have bad feelings about it or leave for a job I wasn't really excited about taking.
vtdiamond the interview was more of a discussion about their open roles. Turned out they want me for a role at my current level, and I don't want to leave a great gig without an advancement. I may continue with the interviews to use as leverage here, though, because they'd beat my pay by at least $5k and bonus by $8k for a role that is not as complex as my current one.
Thanks for the update. Yeah I wouldn't leave the great job you have right now for a lateral move. Good luck with the process, I hope it works out for you!