Things are looking up

[deek]

Had a very promising interview yesterday at a growth company that deals in E-Commerce. Three minutes away from where I live and they have a super casual, family atmosphere. Flexible scheduling with 15 days PTO. I would start in customer service/sales and work my way up. They told me I would start on the higher end of 32-38 k and they understood it probably wouldn't be my ideal position, but it would be necessary in order to learn things quickly.

It's the most comfortable I've ever felt in an interview. They didn't BS me at all and told it like it is. I met everyone and it was pleasant all around.

They were very receptive to my interests in content and design and said I would have ample opportunity to get my feet wet in anything I wanted to in the company.

Just wanted to share. I feel this has potential to launch me forward more than any other job I've experienced. Also, it comes with great health insurance and a 3% match (could be better, but I can't complain!)

I've sort of been bitchin lately about the fact I'm 26 and don't have a plan yet. But patience will prevail, I'm sure. Thanks for the support!

[thd7t]

Your comfort at the interview is probably the best sign in terms of your prospects.  It means that they're comfortable with you.  If they have already started to give an idea of salary, they're gauging your interest, which is also good.  15 days PTO is competitive in the US for private industry and the location sounds hard to beat. 

Are you interested in the work?  Do you see a flight path or direction that you can move at this company?  I haven't read back on your previous posts, but it sounds like a good move.

Also, don't beat yourself up about being 26 and not having a plan.  This is a great time to make one!  You may feel older, but believe me, you have time enough for being old when you get there!


One final note: think about what you did that helped you feel good at the interview.  Interviewing is a skill and you may be able to apply this in the future.
Congratulations on the good interview!

[tyler2016]

Does the 15 days of PTO increase? What are the investment options in the 401k? 1% more in expenses taken out for crappy options over several decades is a TON of money. Do they have paid holidays? Overtime pay? Is it a public company? If so, I would check their financial statements they have to file with the SEC. If you are planning on having kids, do they offer any kind of paid parental leave?

The comment about not being ideal is a little concerning. If you are worth more, why not just offer you more?

 I'm not saying it isn't a good opportunity, but sometimes excitement can put on blinders.

[deek]

Your comfort at the interview is probably the best sign in terms of your prospects.  It means that they're comfortable with you.  If they have already started to give an idea of salary, they're gauging your interest, which is also good.  15 days PTO is competitive in the US for private industry and the location sounds hard to beat. 

Are you interested in the work?  Do you see a flight path or direction that you can move at this company?  I haven't read back on your previous posts, but it sounds like a good move.

Also, don't beat yourself up about being 26 and not having a plan.  This is a great time to make one!  You may feel older, but believe me, you have time enough for being old when you get there!


One final note: think about what you did that helped you feel good at the interview.  Interviewing is a skill and you may be able to apply this in the future.
Congratulations on the good interview!

The thing is I see it as an opportunity to learn more about something I don't know a whole lot about. That's been a theme for me. I was different experiences wherever I can get them.

As far as a path, we talked about how my interests can help me gain other experience while I'm in my CS role. He said content/SEO/social media activities is one thing they see growing in the near future. So I could find myself in that sort of a position a little over a year down the road maybe.
He even brought up the fact that they do whatever they can to accommodate their employees. If a move needs to be made, they would try to make a remote position work if possible. They have a couple remote employees currently.

Thanks for the tip. I've become pretty good at interviewing the last couple years. It's funny, before I walk in I'm nervous as hell, then when I start having conversation with them it calms me down immediately. Like I forget about being nervous. I have a general prep for interviews and write down some talking points, but don't study it too much. Most the time, the interview is all about natural conversation which veers away from the actual talking points I had in mind.

[deek]

Does the 15 days of PTO increase? What are the investment options in the 401k? 1% more in expenses taken out for crappy options over several decades is a TON of money. Do they have paid holidays? Overtime pay? Is it a public company? If so, I would check their financial statements they have to file with the SEC. If you are planning on having kids, do they offer any kind of paid parental leave?

The comment about not being ideal is a little concerning. If you are worth more, why not just offer you more?

 I'm not saying it isn't a good opportunity, but sometimes excitement can put on blinders.

I see your point for sure. They have paid paternity and maternity leave. What are some fair questions to ask without making it too uncomfortable? The PTO increase is a fair question, so it the investment options. I can start with those.

Paid holidays are separate from the 15 days PTO.

It seems that they have really mapped out a plan, but they are always evolving too since they are a small company. They want to groom me into something else. And their customer demand is calling for two more specialists to help split up that work, which seems completely reasonable to me. I have a lot of experience with email and phone too.

[deek]

I was told they are a simple IRA with 100% match up to 3%. What are some more specific questions for the president that I could ask regarding investments?

[wageslave23]

I wouldn't worry too much about the details of 401k investments, etc.  You'll probably be skipping around to other jobs/companies every couple of years for the next 10 years anyways.  If you asked them what the fee is on the 401k and they answered 1%, would you decline the job?  If not, then don't bother asking at this point.  It makes you seem overly nit-picky.  As long as they assured you growth opportunities and exposure to multiple business facets that's all that you really need to know at this point in your career.  Get your foot in the door and then reassess every 6 months.  Unless you are leaving a job that you really like, you aren't risking anything to accept the position.  I would respond that you are very excited about the opportunity, but that you were hoping to be at $40k and ask "is this possible?".  If they say no, we can only offer $X.  Then say, ok thats fine as long as there is room for growth later.

[tyler2016]

I'm not familiar with all of the intricacies of a simple IRA, but I would just ask of they have a curated list of mutual funds to pick from, if so, a list of names or tickers, or if it is just a tax advantaged brokerage account where you can buy anything you want. Do this go to https://www.investor.gov/additional-resources/free-financial-planning-tools/compound-interest-calculator and put in the roughly 200 a month that would go into your account if you contributed just the match. Set the return to something reasonable like 7 to 10. Set the time period to 40 or 50 years. Play around with the variance thing, since the lower portion would approximate an expense ratio.

If they ask why it matters, play it by ear, but if you feel like they are open minded and don't mind a little feedback, you could point out how much expense ratios matter over the long haul. Even half a percent over several decades adds up to some serious money.

If you get the feeling they don't understand or don't care, you could just say your cousin or friend or whoever is an investment whiz and wants to help you plan or something.

[tyler2016]

The previous poster made a point I didn't think about. Would it make a difference of whether you would take an offer or not?

[deek]

The previous poster made a point I didn't think about. Would it make a difference of whether you would take an offer or not?

It would not. The place I'm currently at is so stuck in their ways it is insane. Communication is severely lacking and all the young people here agree that things won't be changing very soon. It's booming right now only because there is lots of commercial building going on. No growth opportunity really. The position this thread refers to would do so much more for me than where I'm at..... with higher pay. No competition here...