NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Feb 5, 2016 13:05:15 GMT -5
The company is on its umpteenth generation of owners. DH said a common theme/complaint is that they are completely out of touch with reality and just assume the gravy train will keep rolling. As I said before they have a HUGE issue with being expected to have QAs on staff and they really hamper them compared to other places DH has worked. DH commented on some crappy bacon he inspected. He was told to put it out anyway people will buy it b/c of the name on the packaging. DH said no way in hell would he be spending what they wanted for product that looked like that! Not when he could buy better looking Tyson bacon at a fraction of the price. And we wonder why he was unpopular. Even if his boss hadn't been psycho I don't think DH would have lasted there very long. He cares about what he puts out for the consumer in terms of quality and safety. The notion that he was supposed to "politely" inform production of an issue and they could decide if/when they wanted to fix it drove him up a tree. He is used to if there is a problem everything shuts down till it's fixed, period.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Feb 5, 2016 13:16:07 GMT -5
I just NAILED my last interview.... NAILED it I tell you.
1 h and 10 minutes of nothing but awesome conversation. We started off to a rocky start when she asked me about my salary (85k) and she said the most they could offer was between 70k-75k. Back on the right track once I told her I was more than flexible and their awesome insurance premiums (30% the cost of my wife premiums) would make up for some of it. Up to 2 years ago it was 100% Employer covered but due to increase they went in a 90/10 split with employees.
She said she really enjoyed our conversation and honestly I did to, one of the most fun interviews I've had. Even my wife that is working from home today asked me what was all that about? Seems like I was having fun on the phone vs actually interviewing.
The district manager is on vacation this week and she really wants to bring me in for an in person interview. She will reach back to me on Monday with his availability and time/day for interview...
Seriously if I can bring the same game I had today to my interview next Wednesday, I am leaving Fairfax, VA with a job offer. That is how great this interview was... still smiling 5 minutes after talking to her.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Feb 5, 2016 13:55:32 GMT -5
Finally heard form HR; they needed additional information from me in regards to the background check and said I should have an offer letter by the end of the day.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 5, 2016 14:12:28 GMT -5
So I have a second interview on Monday with a company outside my industry doing marketing and sales for their Latin American accounts. They would send me to another country to shake hands with people in Spanish. I do that here now! They pay sounds pretty decent too. I'm just so scared to leave what I know behind. What do you guys think?
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Feb 5, 2016 14:23:18 GMT -5
So I have a second interview on Monday with a company outside my industry doing marketing and sales for their Latin American accounts. They would send me to another country to shake hands with people in Spanish. I do that here now! They pay sounds pretty decent too. I'm just so scared to leave what I know behind. What do you guys think? Sounds like fun! Does it sound fun to you? How much do you like to travel?
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Feb 5, 2016 14:25:30 GMT -5
The company is on its umpteenth generation of owners. DH said a common theme/complaint is that they are completely out of touch with reality and just assume the gravy train will keep rolling. As I said before they have a HUGE issue with being expected to have QAs on staff and they really hamper them compared to other places DH has worked. DH commented on some crappy bacon he inspected. He was told to put it out anyway people will buy it b/c of the name on the packaging. DH said no way in hell would he be spending what they wanted for product that looked like that! Not when he could buy better looking Tyson bacon at a fraction of the price. And we wonder why he was unpopular. Even if his boss hadn't been psycho I don't think DH would have lasted there very long. He cares about what he puts out for the consumer in terms of quality and safety. The notion that he was supposed to "politely" inform production of an issue and they could decide if/when they wanted to fix it drove him up a tree. He is used to if there is a problem everything shuts down till it's fixed, period. That's insane. I don't have an MBA (yet), but in my business capstone class, we learned that companies compete on price or quality. Obviously, they're not competing on price, so they have to ensure quality or they've got nothing!
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Feb 5, 2016 14:38:59 GMT -5
So I have a second interview on Monday with a company outside my industry doing marketing and sales for their Latin American accounts. They would send me to another country to shake hands with people in Spanish. I do that here now! They pay sounds pretty decent too. I'm just so scared to leave what I know behind. What do you guys think? Sounds like fun! Does it sound fun to you? How much do you like to travel? I second this, sounds like fun to me too!
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 5, 2016 14:43:02 GMT -5
Lizard Queen - That's not quite right. New companies compete on price or quality. Once a company has been established for quite some time, it actually competes on price, quality, OR reputation. OS used to compete on quality. They did it long enough that they established a reputation. They now compete based on their reputation - a reputation of quality, certainly, but at the moment, their reputation matters more than actual quality. Give them enough years of falling down there and they will stop being competitive, but like right now, if someone stepped in and got their quality back even close to what it was before, no one would notice this era because the company reputation is that strong. (Things you learn after getting the MBA )
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 5, 2016 14:47:25 GMT -5
So I have a second interview on Monday with a company outside my industry doing marketing and sales for their Latin American accounts. They would send me to another country to shake hands with people in Spanish. I do that here now! They pay sounds pretty decent too. I'm just so scared to leave what I know behind. What do you guys think? Sounds like fun! Does it sound fun to you? How much do you like to travel? I dig the travel. Because of the girls, I couldn't do it all the time, so quarterly is just right. But I've always been in insurance. This is marketing and selling cable equipment. I am confident that I can do it, I can sell anything to anyone. And it's a decent amount of money. It's $20/hr plus commission. A full benefits package is included. I have another meeting about a job paying $17/hr plus commission with no benefits in my industry. There is another one making a straight $26/hr with a full benefits package that doesn't include commission. I looked them up on glass door and their reviews are horrible.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Feb 5, 2016 14:51:28 GMT -5
Sounds like fun! Does it sound fun to you? How much do you like to travel? I dig the travel. Because of the girls, I couldn't do it all the time, so quarterly is just right. But I've always been in insurance. This is marketing and selling cable equipment. I am confident that I can do it, I can sell anything to anyone. And it's a decent amount of money. It's $20/hr plus commission. A full benefits package is included. I have another meeting about a job paying $17/hr plus commission with no benefits in my industry. There is another one making a straight $26/hr with a full benefits package that doesn't include commission. I looked them up on glass door and their reviews are horrible. I don't know. Seems like sticking with what you've always done will only get you to where you've always been, if you catch my drift. You seem to have a lot of interest now in your services. How easy would it be to come back if you realize you don't like this new direction?
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Feb 5, 2016 14:52:03 GMT -5
TheHaitian - This is not a question to ask us. This is a question for you and your wife to decide together. If your wife is asking "are you certain you won't be disappointed not taking the HT job?", you need to be asking her "are you certain you're not disappointed about NOT moving to the DC area?". But this is a two of you decision (and JUST the two of you). Personally, I think going on the HT interview and making good contacts there (but remember, you haven't actually been offered that job yet), but taking the Shaw job for now would be the best option. You guys don't have to try and move on short notice, you are able to maintain your relationships at the fertility clinic, etc, and your wife keeps her job and benefits. But maybe create a plan - a plan that says you re-evaluate every 2 years whether or not you want to move closer to DC, and then it can be something planned. Get contact info for the HT people. Connect to them on LinkedIn if you can. Join a professional organization (again, I recommend APICS for what you do, but really, any professional organization) and work on making contacts. Get yourselves prepped so that when you do move closer to DC for your wife's work, it is also part of the plan for your career.
We talked about it and feel MA is the best choice so far... Your advice is awesome, thank you
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Feb 5, 2016 15:00:12 GMT -5
Do you have the offer letter in your hands?
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Feb 5, 2016 15:01:05 GMT -5
A former coworker just texted me to see if I would be interested in applying for an opening at his company. I told him we are about 90% set on moving, and he replied that it is a field-based position. I bet they will want someone who lives near a major airport (which we won't), but it is still something I want to look into. It's nice to have at least one lead even though my job search has sort of been put on hold. I have also been checking the job listings for histotechnicians in ND. Today I saw a listing with a staffing agency for a contract position paying $36/hour. The last contract position that I interviewed for out here only paid $25/hour. That is giving me the motivation to start the certification process.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 5, 2016 15:12:45 GMT -5
I dig the travel. Because of the girls, I couldn't do it all the time, so quarterly is just right. But I've always been in insurance. This is marketing and selling cable equipment. I am confident that I can do it, I can sell anything to anyone. And it's a decent amount of money. It's $20/hr plus commission. A full benefits package is included. I have another meeting about a job paying $17/hr plus commission with no benefits in my industry. There is another one making a straight $26/hr with a full benefits package that doesn't include commission. I looked them up on glass door and their reviews are horrible. I don't know. Seems like sticking with what you've always done will only get you to where you've always been, if you catch my drift. You seem to have a lot of interest now in your services. How easy would it be to come back if you realize you don't like this new direction? Very. I have spent years building my resume. I would just have to upload a resume and my phone would start blowing up. I just worry about losing credibility. In business your reputation is everything and I don't want a reputation for being flaky. I'll never be able to restore what I have now.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Feb 5, 2016 15:17:29 GMT -5
I don't know. Seems like sticking with what you've always done will only get you to where you've always been, if you catch my drift. You seem to have a lot of interest now in your services. How easy would it be to come back if you realize you don't like this new direction? Very. I have spent years building my resume. I would just have to upload a resume and my phone would start blowing up. I just worry about losing credibility. In business your reputation is everything and I don't want a reputation for being flaky. I'll never be able to restore what I have now. It's not being flaky if you try something new and find that it's not a good fit.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 5, 2016 15:26:45 GMT -5
Very. I have spent years building my resume. I would just have to upload a resume and my phone would start blowing up. I just worry about losing credibility. In business your reputation is everything and I don't want a reputation for being flaky. I'll never be able to restore what I have now. It's not being flaky if you try something new and find that it's not a good fit. Very true. But I worked at one company and my boss dies so I had to find another job. Then two years later, my job relocated and I wasn't willing to come along. Now I'm looking because I'm unhappy. So what if a year from now I want to reenter the insurance world? You don't think all that flitting around looks flaky? I know it's easy enough to explain to potential employers, but what about the general public who have seen me around for years and then I disappear for two,come back for another two and leave for a year and then try to come back. That's what I'm worried about.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Feb 5, 2016 15:44:14 GMT -5
TheHaitian, I agree with taking the VA interview seriously. Should there be an offer, you and Mrs. Carl should really weigh the options of staying vs. moving.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Feb 5, 2016 15:55:15 GMT -5
It's not being flaky if you try something new and find that it's not a good fit. Very true. But I worked at one company and my boss dies so I had to find another job. Then two years later, my job relocated and I wasn't willing to come along. Now I'm looking because I'm unhappy. So what if a year from now I want to reenter the insurance world? You don't think all that flitting around looks flaky? I know it's easy enough to explain to potential employers, but what about the general public who have seen me around for years and then I disappear for two,come back for another two and leave for a year and then try to come back. That's what I'm worried about. What happens to your clients if you leave for a different company in the same industry? I don't know enough about your industry, but in mine, sales keeps their own database and it wouldn't be that odd to have someone drop out of marketing and another person take over for a year or so.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 5, 2016 16:08:46 GMT -5
Very true. But I worked at one company and my boss dies so I had to find another job. Then two years later, my job relocated and I wasn't willing to come along. Now I'm looking because I'm unhappy. So what if a year from now I want to reenter the insurance world? You don't think all that flitting around looks flaky? I know it's easy enough to explain to potential employers, but what about the general public who have seen me around for years and then I disappear for two,come back for another two and leave for a year and then try to come back. That's what I'm worried about. What happens to your clients if you leave for a different company in the same industry? I don't know enough about your industry, but in mine, sales keeps their own database and it wouldn't be that odd to have someone drop out of marketing and another person take over for a year or so. The company will keep them. Some of them came here specifically for me and will likely go back to my old company. I have some lined up for wherever I move to that would have to be let down if I exited the industry. I would lose all of my referral sources too and risk not getting them back if I left. I would have to build all that back up from scratch. I have a following as it is and some people that would never leave but but rather blindly follow me if I stayed in the industry. I worry about letting them down too.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Feb 5, 2016 16:10:15 GMT -5
Andi's got a Cult of Personality!
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Feb 5, 2016 16:28:34 GMT -5
I have personality coming out of my ears. One of the interviews we were talking about my score on the personality assessment. He said I. scored very well. I replied thank you. We were talking about me not having a ton of commercial experience and I said I could learn whatever I had to. He said "Yeah. You scored really high on learning ability". Again I said thank you. He goes "No. I mean really high. It also said that not only are you not shy, but incredibly aggressive." I thought it was pretty funny as I'm sure you'll all agree that I'm not shy.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Feb 5, 2016 16:36:40 GMT -5
Lizard Queen - That's not quite right. New companies compete on price or quality. Once a company has been established for quite some time, it actually competes on price, quality, OR reputation. OS used to compete on quality. They did it long enough that they established a reputation. They now compete based on their reputation - a reputation of quality, certainly, but at the moment, their reputation matters more than actual quality. Give them enough years of falling down there and they will stop being competitive, but like right now, if someone stepped in and got their quality back even close to what it was before, no one would notice this era because the company reputation is that strong. (Things you learn after getting the MBA ) Exactly. They are counting on the fact they have been in business for 100+ years now to cover up for the declining quality. There are still plenty of people who buy into the brand and don't really look at what they are getting or send it as gifts without ever seeing it for themselves. Eventually it might catch up with them, or maybe it won't. My guess is they will throw their QAs under the bus if that does happen. They do buy only premium beef from local sources, that I will give them. However there is increasing competition that they don't seem to be paying attention to. I can get grass fed beef at the Farmer's Market when it is in season and per pound is still cheaper than OS. The rancher's products are starting to be carried in local grocery stores in the area like Whole Foods. There are also a lot more companies shipping quality meat products than there were when OS first entered the market. We're talking 4-5-6th generation owners here, long past having to do any work to build up the company. They are happy to sit on their laurels and count the money coming in.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Feb 5, 2016 17:10:54 GMT -5
What happens to your clients if you leave for a different company in the same industry? I don't know enough about your industry, but in mine, sales keeps their own database and it wouldn't be that odd to have someone drop out of marketing and another person take over for a year or so. The company will keep them. Some of them came here specifically for me and will likely go back to my old company. I have some lined up for wherever I move to that would have to be let down if I exited the industry. I would lose all of my referral sources too and risk not getting them back if I left. I would have to build all that back up from scratch. I have a following as it is and some people that would never leave but but rather blindly follow me if I stayed in the industry. I worry about letting them down too. That makes it a big decision. You already know that with your skills you'd be able to get back into the industry and build up clients again, but it would take some time before your income recovered from the time off. Sales with clients calling at all hours every.single.day wasn't for me, at least not at this stage of my life. So I'm biased on trying something else.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Feb 6, 2016 10:41:20 GMT -5
Lizard Queen - That's not quite right. New companies compete on price or quality. Once a company has been established for quite some time, it actually competes on price, quality, OR reputation. OS used to compete on quality. They did it long enough that they established a reputation. They now compete based on their reputation - a reputation of quality, certainly, but at the moment, their reputation matters more than actual quality. Give them enough years of falling down there and they will stop being competitive, but like right now, if someone stepped in and got their quality back even close to what it was before, no one would notice this era because the company reputation is that strong. (Things you learn after getting the MBA ) Yeah, my prof mentioned reputation and crossed it out because it's just a persistent perception of quality, vs an initial perception of quality. So what's the difference? Yes, perceptions can remain for a long time, but how many times have you heard, "Yes, they used to be awesome, but aren't as good any more. Have you tried this (new competitor)? They're as good if not better than so and so used to be." (It's this kind of discussion that makes me think that I should go with my original idea of an MSA instead of the suggested MBA. It just feels as mushy as the psychology major got for me. Just not my thing any more. )
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Feb 6, 2016 10:49:05 GMT -5
Lizard Queen - That's not quite right. New companies compete on price or quality. Once a company has been established for quite some time, it actually competes on price, quality, OR reputation. OS used to compete on quality. They did it long enough that they established a reputation. They now compete based on their reputation - a reputation of quality, certainly, but at the moment, their reputation matters more than actual quality. Give them enough years of falling down there and they will stop being competitive, but like right now, if someone stepped in and got their quality back even close to what it was before, no one would notice this era because the company reputation is that strong. (Things you learn after getting the MBA ) Exactly. They are counting on the fact they have been in business for 100+ years now to cover up for the declining quality. There are still plenty of people who buy into the brand and don't really look at what they are getting or send it as gifts without ever seeing it for themselves. Eventually it might catch up with them, or maybe it won't. My guess is they will throw their QAs under the bus if that does happen. They do buy only premium beef from local sources, that I will give them. However there is increasing competition that they don't seem to be paying attention to. I can get grass fed beef at the Farmer's Market when it is in season and per pound is still cheaper than OS. The rancher's products are starting to be carried in local grocery stores in the area like Whole Foods. There are also a lot more companies shipping quality meat products than there were when OS first entered the market. We're talking 4-5-6th generation owners here, long past having to do any work to build up the company. They are happy to sit on their laurels and count the money coming in. I'd totally go for grass fed beef over OS. If I'm paying extra, it's going to be because it's extra healthy, not just a famous brand name.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Feb 6, 2016 15:51:37 GMT -5
Still no check in mailbox today for vacation buyout. As for my company stocks I was informed I cannot redeemed them till I am 65 because it is considered a pension. I have 69 shares at ~$100 or so each.
Immediate savings down to 6k paying some bills and investments at about ~$20,800; so not desperate yet. Used our tax return to pay down some debt...
Monday will go in for drug testing and Tuesday fly out to Fairfax, VA.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Feb 6, 2016 17:14:27 GMT -5
The Chinese food place down the street called me yesterday and again today. A short 2 minutes interview and she will call me back.
My wife is against it but I figure it could supplement our income towards debt payoff, a few nights a week delivering food and cashiering.
Cannot hurt right!
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Feb 6, 2016 17:19:22 GMT -5
How many hours do you typically work? Isn't it more than 40-50? Would you really want to work more than you need to?
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Works4me
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Someone responded to your personal ad - a German Shepherd named Tara wants to have you for dinner...
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Post by Works4me on Feb 6, 2016 17:45:17 GMT -5
IMHO, not a good idea while on probation on a new job.
YMMV
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 19:09:08 GMT -5
As a new manager, TheHaitian, do you really want to commit to that? Don't you need the ability to stay late at work at a moment's notice, etc? Does your company have any policies against moonlighting? Mine does, and I am a teacher so it isn't like I'd be working for a competitor. They always approve it, but it does need to be disclosed. I think it would be odd to disclose that you are working as a Chinese restaurant delivery person when you just accepted an $87,000 or whatever position with them. It sends the message that you need extra money rather desperately, which may make them look more closely at your credit history, etc. I'm sure it is excellent, but you get my drift. I'll also warn you that a second job isn't as lucrative as you may think. What you earn is taxed on top of what you and your wife already earn. They won't cut enough taxes because the pay is so little so you will either have to voluntarily change your withholding or get hit with an unpleasant surprise come tax time. I know "Get a second job" is the get-out-of-debt mantra, but it is a much more complex decision than it sounds like on the surface. Just my opinion, as always.
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