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I was recently hired for a seasonal part-time position where I jumped the gun after discussing my current studies by telling the interviewer (manager A) that I will be graduating in a few months and that I am obligated by my program to get a job within 6 months of my graduation. This means that I would be working for them a total of 6-12 months with no certainty of when I will leave in that period.

I did this because I am honest, which I suppose is a good quality, and because it was one of my first job interviews outside of my college PTJs, bound to make a mistake. But I was warned that if they hired me (which they did) that I might not stay after the season if they can't guarantee I will be staying long enough to justify hiring me for a non-seasonal position.

I am now up for an interview with manager B at this same company that I am working for seasonally in a position that is a promotion from the seasonal part-time work I'm doing at the moment (but still not much). It is no surprise that manager A told manager B about my potentially short-term stay.

I intend to be honest if the question of my stay comes up in the interview, since I can't take it back. The thing is, when I finish my studies I'll be going into a job with a starting salary near $100k but a 30k job is enough to pay the bills in the meantime.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

q-compute
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  • You've hinted at this, but can you answer directly? Is your current role in line with your projected role (post-graduation) in terms of typical career advancement? – dwizum Nov 28 '18 at 21:34
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    Possible duplicate of Interview question "How long will you stay with us?" – Bernhard Barker Nov 28 '18 at 21:43
  • @dwizum We're talking a retail job in the same industry. Something maybe a college student would do for a PTJ. My career goal is a software type of job. – q-compute Nov 28 '18 at 22:02
  • @JoeStrazzere I mentioned the month that I graduate. Which is when I am required to start actively applying for jobs. Thus it would technically be possible that I could get a job soon after that. I personally doubt it would happen that fast, but it's not impossible. – q-compute Nov 28 '18 at 22:03
  • Welcome new user, your question is interesting but could you click Edit and drastically shorten it? – Fattie Nov 29 '18 at 12:41
  • Do you have any sense about the culture of the company with respect to internal promotion? It may be the case that a story like yours would be considered a success for the employer - if they have a culture of promoting from within. – dwizum Nov 29 '18 at 13:53
  • @dwizum I do know that the position I am about to interview for is almost exclusively hired for internally. But I was also thinking of trying to get my first "big job" at the corporate level of the company rather than in the retail side where I am right now. That seems like a win, but I'm not sure if I should bother mentioning that since the branch I'm at will still lose an employee. – q-compute Nov 29 '18 at 13:58
  • It is definitely a tough balance - you want to appear ambitious but you don't want to leave them with the sense that they'll have to fill the vacancy again right away. That said, if the position you're going for already has a lot of turnover - especially internal turnover - it really might not be a big deal. The answer to this question is going to be very situational. Is there anyone higher up in the company you consider a trusted adviser, or mentor, who you could talk to prior to the interview? – dwizum Nov 29 '18 at 14:05
  • "when I finish my studies I'll be going into a job with a starting salary near $100k" - Yeah, don't believe that until you actually have the job offer in hand. Saw many people drown in loans in engineering school because they thought they could make $100k. The few graduates who make it into a unicorn tech company (Apple, Google, etc), skew the "average" graduate salary. – M28 Nov 29 '18 at 18:50
  • @Matt I said near 100k. The exact number doesn't matter at all with respect to this question if the point is that I'll be making 2-3x more than if I worked my current job full-time. Irrelevant and common-sense. – q-compute Nov 30 '18 at 04:05
  • @quantumheels It actually does matter. Particularly I see people with BS or MSc in CompSci (or similar), quote a "100k salary" figure, which is often put in their heads by their school. Then they go out and take an offer for 40-60k. (I can tell you for example that I have seen New Jersey companies offer as little as 35k for entry level software engineers.) With such a different amount, it does matter, because if that were the situation you might as well continue the 30k job and create your own software on the side. – M28 Nov 30 '18 at 14:33
  • Also, a piece of life advice: I would advise against telling anyone that's offering you career advice that their opinion is irrelevant and lacks common sense. No point in burning bridges – M28 Nov 30 '18 at 14:39
  • @Matt the point was that it did not at all answer the question asked. It is considered side discussion. Which has been pointed out to me as being off-topic in Stack Exchange. And, not that you would know, but I was already aware of that. But again, it doesn't add to this particular question, in my opinion. – q-compute Dec 02 '18 at 01:28
  • I'm sure my earlier response came off a bit rude, I was pretty on-edge and to hear a comment that seemed a bit offensive to my potential when I'm already trying to deal with potentially losing work while I can only work part time has been a bit stressful. Another thing, I am not a software engineer. My career has a higher pay rate than software engineering, on average, because it requires more initial training. I am being vague on purpose for online privacy reasons. But that detail also doesn't add much to the actual question, either. – q-compute Dec 02 '18 at 01:41
  • The low end of salaries for my position is actually 100k. For SW is more like 75k according to GlassDoor. Trust me, even though the low end is 100k I am going into my first job assuming that I will make less than that. But most people in my field make much more. No disrespect was meant, but I'm sure it was delivered. – q-compute Dec 02 '18 at 01:42
  • Of course, actual salaries can be lower than what GlassDoor reports in their summary statistics. But if someone has been stuck in 30k or less for several years due to additional schooling, even 50k would be an improvement. But the reality is that it is absolutely possible for someone with my education to make that much. I am not a college student. – q-compute Dec 02 '18 at 01:52
  • As I said, it very much does matter, because the advice would change depending on the money. If you were not able to make >50k, I would tell you to start your own business working with software (as it seems that's what you're working in). If you're taking a masters (which you must, as there is no Bachelors degree that has a median of >100k USD). Someone with a Masters in Computer Engineering (or similar), may make ~70k median when they get out of grad school here in the US. All that matters, is that information does matter for the question, as it is a factor when answering it. – M28 Dec 03 '18 at 21:53

3 Answers3

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Stick with the honesty. Even if it costs you the job.

If you are the honest type (a rare gem in todays world) then you wouldn't be happy working there if you lied anyway.

solarflare
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  • This really is best. Since they know what they're up against now they might use the time to line you up with a decent competing offer. – candied_orange Nov 30 '18 at 01:37
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In your interview:
Talk about how you like this branch and you like this company.
Mention that they are in the same industry as your degree.

If Manager B asks you point blank if you will stay in this position
after your graduation, you have to should be honest about it.

Tell him/her that you like the job, but your degree pays about triple and since you aren't independently wealthy (smile while saying it) you'd have to move on to something else when you are able to. Mention that again you'd love to stay in this company, that you'll be here at least six months, and that you won't leave them high and dry when you do leave like the last person did.
Volunteer to help them look for a replacement who is a couple years from graduation when that time comes (it was a good fit for you, right?)

J. Chris Compton
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Be honest about your constraints, as well as what value you bring to the organization. If you're open to staying if they offer you a long-term position, discuss what that looks like for both of you. For example, in the interview you could say something like, "this opportunity sounds like it would be mutually beneficial for both of us. I'll be graduating in six months, and in order for me to remain after that, I'd need to be in a position that isn't seasonal. To be clear, this is a [salaried position, year-long contract, etc.], right?"

S. Hooley
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  • That's probably decent advice generally, but I'm not interested in staying in the retail area of my industry. Especially considering the cap on pay for the highest salaried employee at my branch is what I'd make entry-level in my "real job" after graduating... and that position doesn't require a degree. – q-compute Nov 29 '18 at 14:00