DECEMBER 15, 2000
ASK CAREERS
H.J. Cummins
Weighing Two Good Job Offers? | Our experts know which one they would pick. Your choice should depend on figuring out which will make you happier
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 H.J. Cummins covers workplace, personal-finance, and work and family issues
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Q: I have been offered two exciting jobs (and actually accepted both -- don't
ask). One is as a Web architect/specialist in the advanced technology group
of a major Internet service provider, where I now work as a contractor. The
other is as a telecommunications technical consultant for a major computer
manufacturer. The now-temporary architect position is likely to become
permanent, with an excellent salary that would match the telecom's in a
matter of months. On the other hand, the telecom job offers a company car. It would require 30% to 80% travel, with 50% being the norm. Should I leave the architect position for the telecom position, or just be happy where I am?
---- T.M., Washington, D.C.
A: You'll probably want to stay put. All other things being equal, the tech
recruiters we talked to said Web architect is the better job these days.
For one thing, they consider a stint in Web architecture a great move for
career development. A lot of computer talent has gone into programming, says Mike Sweeny, a managing director at T. Williams Consulting in Philadelphia, a specialist in high-tech recruiting. Web architects build a broader understanding than programmers of coding. You'll constantly be learning, and it doesn't get any better than that in computer technology.
STAYING NIMBLE. Also, it's a good guess that the Internet service provider is an entrepreneurial effort, says John J. Davis, president of John J. Davis & Associates in New York, an executive-search firm focused on senior-level information-technology management. Entrepreneurial companies need to stay nimble, so you're likely to become accustomed to the more-urgent pace. That's a big plus in a world where employers like to see swift reaction in employees. The "major computer manufacturer" is probably bigger and more set in its ways -- a competitive disadvantage. In fact, big companies might scout you out later just for your speed, Davis says.
The Web-architect job also could make it easier for you to have a life. The car should be your first clue that in the telecom job, you'll be on the road a lot. If a company is estimating 50% travel time, you've got to figure it's more than that, Sweeny says. There also are income tax implications with a company car, he says. You could face a tax bill for your personal use of the vehicle, according to one accountant we spoke to. "He shouldn't worry about that silly car," Davis concludes.
A final concern is that you and the company have the same idea of what the job "telecommunications technical consultant" entails. The meaning of that title differs from company to company -- ranging from near full-time salesman to pure project designer. You don't want to get stuck with a job that's nothing like what you imagined.
ENTHUSIASM REQUIRED. After you fully understand the job, if you decide you prefer it to the architect's post, put on the consultant's mantle -- all other advice aside. For one thing, says Michael Flagg, partner in charge of Heidrick & Struggles' North American telecommunications practice, a job that sparks little enthusiasm can trip you up. [The Careers channel is a collaboration between executive recruiter Heidrick & Struggles' Web arm, LeadersOnline, and Business Week Online.]
Flagg often meets people who take one position solely to get to one beyond that but founder because that middle job simply isn't something they do well. Perhaps more important, our experts say, you should be guided by what you want to do. Robert Chope, a career counselor in San Francisco, says he sees too many miserable multimillionaires in the computer industry. So go for contentment.
Before you press the happiness button, however, take a minute to accept a small tongue-lashing. Our tech recruiters come down hard on you for accepting two jobs at the same time. "Ouch" is the comment from Flagg. "I would tell him, 'What goes around comes around, and by definition you are going to burn one bridge. You don't want to be known in the marketplace as someone who doesn't keep his word.' "
An architect -- of all people -- should know how to keep those bridges strong.
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H.J. Cummins has covered workplace, personal-finance, and work and family issues for more than a decade at Newsday/New
York Newsday and the Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Copyright 2000, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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