Re: Re: FWD: Contracting where you used to work

[Tom Murrell <trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

You know, if I had a nickel for every time someone told me that a company had
promised them such-and-such (a review, a promotion, permanent employment) after
six months, I think I could retire. I'm not saying that these promises weren't
made or that the organizations in question aren't behaving with something less
than good faith. But it is such a common complaint.

What I wonder about these promises is why no one has ever made such a promise
to me. In over 30 years working all sorts of jobs, not just in Technical
Writing but also in programming, sales, marketing, and management either I've
never been made such a promise or it went right over my head. (I have been
known to be somewhat dense. <g>)

My approach is, and always has been, that the job I take is the job that's on
offer. It's not a promised job or a promised promotion or a promised raise or a
promised offer of permanent employment. It is exactly and only what I'm
agreeing to take at the time I agree to take it. If it's $50/hour for six
months; that's all it is. If it becomes something else, that may (or may not)
be well and good, and I'll evaluate it once it's presented to me, and not
before.

Again, I'm not saying that such an offer wasn't made in this case or in any of
the other cases I've heard of from friends and coworkers. I think, though, that
you're better off to evaluate any offer by what you actually get at the time.
Whatever may or may not come later, I think should be viewed as a possibility
rather than a promise. It just sets your expectations better.

=====
Tom Murrell
Lead Technical Writer
Alliance Data Systems
Columbus, Ohio
mailto:tmurrell -at- columbus -dot- rr -dot- com
Personal Web Page - http://home.columbus.rr.com/murrell/
Page Last Updated 07/15/01

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