Re: Job Selection Dilemma-Decision Made

["MacDonald, Stephen" <Stephen -dot- MacDonald -at- Aspect -dot- com>]

Re:  The recruiter HUNG UP ON ME.

In my experience, the community of tech writers in a particular area gets to
know each other over time.  Job hopping or reneging after accepting an offer
is not a cool thing to have a reputation for.  Changing jobs is one of
life's major decisions.  It's wise to proceed carefully and fully evaluate
an offer before accepting OR rejecting it.

In my last company we interviewed a young writer recommended by one of our
staff who had worked with him before and after several rounds of interviews
extended an offer.  He accepted, but a week before he was to start he called
our doc manager to say he had received a better offer and would not be
joining us.  He lost a friend over that, incurred the enmity of a doc
manager (Most of them know each other, folks), and left the rest of our doc
staff (me included) real unhappy since we had passed over two other
applicants who were now no longer available and we were about to enter the
"crazy-time" in a project we were counting on him to help with.

Considering just the next year or two of your career when jobs are plentiful
and you have lots of possibilities competing for your services can leave you
hurting when things change, and they WILL change.  This market is not
forever and recruiters and folks left with the short end of the stick from a
decision you made may well remember when you are hoping they will forget.
You can do more harm to your career by bringing into question your
reliability and integrity than having lost the current "killer" offer and
opportunity.  This business changes all the time; you won't get only one
chance. 

I always make it a point to evaluate carefully and NEVER renege after
accepting an offer.  It hasn't hurt me yet.

fwiw,
Steve MacDonald
Aspect Telecommunications, Inc.