So, I mentioned I had interviewed for a job and was waiting to hear back from them. It turned out that I received a phone call on Thursday of that week, from an recruiter from the company, offering me a position. What’s more, he offered me a decent pay increase over what I was currently making, plus an opportunity for bonuses, based on meeting standard performance metrics. I told him I would consider it and get back to him, and told Rebecca about it.
In trying to decide whether I should stay or go, we tried the “make a list of pros and cons” method, but it really didn’t identify a clear winner. Besides, Symantec didn’t even counter the offer, so I was comparing the possibility of a new income with my current unaltered one. As for benefits, they actually seemed comparable. There were a few perks where one company was better than the other, such as vacation time/paid time off, as Symantec offered me a much higher amount, more than a week extra per year due to their higher limits and my being there longer. Then there are the actual technical details of the job: I currently get to support almost any mobile phone platform, which has been really challenging to keep up with, and the new products I would support would be a server-based product that I haven’t had to work with anything similar.
The next morning, on Friday, I told my manager about the job offer, and he contacted his manager. His manager just happened to be in Oregon visiting our site there, and he called me a while later to discuss what was going on. When I decided to stay at Symantec last year, I attributed much of the decision to this person, whom I really respect and appreciate getting to work under. I was more open about the situation, telling him how it happened and what I was offered, and he asked me what it would take for me to stay, stating that I was a value to the company and they would like to get a chance to keep me. I asked if they would be able to match the offer, and he said he would look into it.
Here’s both the conundrum and challenge during this decision: last year, I chose to stay even though Symantec countered with a lesser offer. The other job didn’t feel as stable, and other things just made Symantec seem like a better choice for me. However, this company is more stable and growing in the area, so what should I do if I don’t get what I asked for? On Sunday, at church as I was walking around, I got a feeling like going to this new company wouldn’t be bad, but also felt like either decision would be good for me.
On Monday, I didn’t hear back from Symantec or the recruiter, and on Tuesday after work, the recruiter called and I explained that I was still trying to give Symantec a chance to counter. He told me something that I hadn’t considered: he explained that most people who go to their company were anxious to leave their old jobs. I asked for more time, as I was told in the morning I should have an answer from Symantec, and he set up to call me at 10am.
The next morning, I wasn’t looking forward to his call as I still had no information on a counter-offer, he rang me promptly at 10, and I couldn’t answer his call since I was on the phone, so he left a message. I called back at 10:45 and left him a message, and he called me back at 12:45 saying he was heading into a meeting and would call me back afterwards. I felt somewhat frustrated of all the waiting with no counter, and figured if he called back before I heard from Symantec, I would just give him an answer that I would accept the job. However, that was the last time I heard from him.
Thursday passed with no further information from Symantec and no other contact from the recruiter, and finally on Thursday at 9:00 at night, my upper manager called and told me what the counter offer would be: less than what this new company would offer, but a decent increase over what I was making. Now, I finally felt I could make an educated and complete decision, having all the pieces of the puzzle.
On Friday, on the radio I heard a report that people were more creative when they were out in nature, so I spent an hour walking around outside trying to think of all the options and reasons to stay or go. Ultimately, I sent out emails telling the manager at the new company, and my upper manager at Symantec, that I was going to stay.
I didn’t hear back from either of them, which bothered me. The manager at the other company, who just happened to be my former manager at Symantec, had an auto-response that he would be out until Tuesday, and my upper manager had told me before that he was going to be working from home for the next week.
That weekend, I did a lot of second-guessing and wondering if I made the right choice. On Monday, I felt really bad that I chose to stay, and by Tuesday, I sent a simple message to the other manager, telling him I was having second thoughts and wondered if I would be able to change my mind. He called me back a bit later and we talked about it, and I couldn’t bring myself to accept the job right then, and he told me to let him know by Wednesday, and that he needed a final answer.
I realized something during all this – I actually liked having the feeling like I had some power and choice and could make the decision to stay or go. Once I felt like I made a decision, I felt deflated and like I was missing the power to decide my fate. Maybe this is why I like buffets and not a restaurant menu – I can have everything at a buffet, and have to choose only one thing at a regular restaurant.
So on the next day, when I needed to finally make my final decision, I decided to stay again.