Multiple Job Offers

[will]

Hello – this is my first post. I am hoping you can help me navigate a sticky situation. It looks likeI am going to be offered a job soon, but it is not my first choice job. I am still waiting to hear on that one, and I know my references are currently being checked.

Should I accept the first position I am offered? Should I tell her that I am still hoping for the other one and accept conditionally? Do they have any comunication between departments? Any help here would be greatly appreciated – I am flattered and excited that things are going well for me, but I don’t want to mess it up.

Thanks all!

MamaBlue2

[will]

This is just my experience.  I was offered a contract in  2000 as a DA.  Ugh!!  But I really wanted to drive shuttles and get to Antarctica!.  Anyway, I took the DA position, worked my butt off, got carpal tunnel in both wrists and brachial tunnel in my right arm, and was totally exhausted by the end of the season.
 
However, I did get the shuttle position the following season.  I just finished my sixth season, driving shuttles since that first year!
 
How’s that for a retired nurse practitioner!
 
Sharon

[DeSoto]

And…we are so lucky to have a shuttle driver like you !!!  When are you going down this year Sharon?  I hope your housing situation will be much better this season.
 
Susan

[font=comic sans ms:g83vg1s3]  Susan M. DeSoto[/font:g83vg1s3]

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[thepooles98]

Well this is the big problem we often face in the program. Lots of people applying for a limited number of jobs and you get offered 2. If you are in touch with the person who will hire for the job you really want, ask what they think. Most jobs aren’t that bad and if you suffer through a season, you might be able to make contacts or even train on the job you really want. Probably the only hard job is DA. As Sharon said, it can be brutal cleaning dishes all day long. On the bright side, for the last year or so, they have been rotating the DA’s into other jobs to try and keep the injuries down. Moral generally has improved a lot. It’s becoming a better job. The big drawback to a DA is that you tend to be working when everyone else is off. Bad if you want to party. Not so bad if you make your own enjoyment.
What is the job you want and what is the job you might be offered

[thepooles98]

Where did you go?  I don’t know what the others think, but a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. Take what you can your first year and work you way into the other one next.

[dzamd]

Hi-
I have a similar question. Today I excitingly got an emailing saying that I am going to be offered an alternate Shuttle Driver position. I have also interviewed with two other managers. If I am offered a primary position in another department is it bad form to accept it if I’ve already accepted an alternate Shuttle Driver position?

Thanks,
DZ

[Sciencetech]

If you wanted the primary position, I’d grab it.

The hiring manager for the alternate position should be understanding. As Mike said, this sort of thing happens all the time.

glenn

:beer:

[Sciencetech]

…And one final thought…

If you’re offered a primary position but you’d really rather have the alternate job, I’d call the hiring manager for the alternate position and explain the situation. There may be a chance that they’d change it to a primary and you’d get what you really want.

glenn

[dzamd]

Thanks Glen. On a totally other note, in my interviews I didn’t ask anything about salary. Is this something that is normally discussed with HR or the hiring manager?

Thanks again,
DZ

[Sciencetech]

When you’re offered a position the hiring manager should tell you the salary. This is only a verbal offer, however, which doesn’t mean much until you see it in writing.

After you tell the manager you accept the job, HR will send an offer letter (that you have to sign and send or fax back) within a few days. That offer letter will show the *real* salary, which hopefully matches what the manager told you. As you deploy they’ll have you sign the contract, which should also show this same salary.

g

[will]

I have a similar question for all of you Antarctica experts:

Any opinions on whether I should take a DA spot at the South Pole, a Lead Janitor spot at McMurdo or a dispatcher job at McMurdo for the coming summer? I’ve never been to the ice, and I’m somehow lucky enough that I get to choose, and would love to hear what you think about the jobs.
 
Is it a lot of fun coming down for Winfly? Would I miss my “freshman year” of DAing or Janitoring by taking a dispatch job? What do you think?

Thanks!

[will]

Wow, how lucky you are!!  DON’T take the DA job if you can get to Antarctica any other way!!  Unless you love scrubbing toilets and pushing a broom, take the dispatcher position!! 
DA and Janitor jobs are the lowliest of the lowly.  Dispatcher would pay much more .  I think the lead janitor gets about pennies a week more than the regular janitors. 
My roommate one season was a lead janitor on nights.  I was a DA my first season. 
Been there, done that!
Sharon

[will]

Hey!
 
Thanks for the advice. I would never never consider the janitor thing too lowly — in fact, it sounds like it might be a lot more fun and social, which really appeals to me. However, it is the overnight lead janitor spot, and I wonder if I might miss out on a lot of the fun parts of McMurdo if I have to work overnights the entire time I’m there. Any thoughts?

[will]

Hello!

I agree with the general consensus that you should pass on the DA job
unless you have a particular interest in scrubbing pots or think you're
positive and creative enough to make that fun. (It is possible – my
brother was a DA and managed to enjoy himself, in spite of the work.
They did some crazy things to keep it interesting, but he had a very
good experience.) I would say that decision should also depend on
whether you were dying to get to Pole or just the Ice in general.

The firehouse dispatchers typically work a shift for several weeks then
rotate times/days, so (unless it has changed) you'd be on days 1/2 the
season, nights the other half. They get very close with the
firefighters, who tend to become their own little community outside of
work, as well. Having a somewhat different schedule than the rest of
station, you'll miss some social events but have different boondoggle
and mini-field trip opportunities, as well as more days off.

If I were you, I'd dispatch – you'll get the best of both worlds being
able to experience both night & day shifts. Taking trips on your extra
day off when the rest of station is working can be cool, too!
Firefighters are a tight bunch and I think that's a nice support
group/comfort zone for someone new… just remember to step out of their
little world once in a while, too!

Good luck, and have a great time with whatever you choose!

Erica

[Sciencetech]

Hi New2Ice,

The DA position at the pole is a bit different that at McMurdo — this past summer season there was only one DA, and she received a lot of help from station personnel. Overall it seemed like a better deal and more fun than DA in McMurdo.

Having said that, unless your ultimate goal is to get to the pole I think I’d take the dispatcher position.

Have fun!

glenn

[Author]

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