Need advice with this dilemma

[kiwee]

I need some advice/input. Sorry for the long post

Story:
I recently graduated from BCIT as an Interior Designer and has been working at my current place for a year now, somewhat covering a person who's on mat. leave. Ever since the last month till I finish school I've been looking for a job because I knew I'll have to leave soon once the mat. lady comes back to work. Right now there aren't a lot of job offers *probably because it's summer?*

Presently:
I believe it's been 3 months close to 4 months that I've been sending out resumes and emails to all design firms for an entry level position, only a few replied and asked me to come in for an interview.

Just today I went to the interview and the owner (Firm A - residential design) made it sounded like I got hired on the spot (told me the wage, what the job description is and even said she'll email more info about the job. Which I haven't received it yet) Note that the owner and my current boss do business here and there, so they know each other. In addition, after a few hours I got an email from a big firm (Firm B-architecture, interior design, urban design, sustainability etc) asking me to send in my portfolio (for viewing purposes). Firm B has so much things to learn and I feel like it'll help me grow not only in the firm but also my skills too. Firm A is pretty much getting my feet wet..but Firm B seems so attractive. I just don't want to burn bridges with Firm A and if my current boss did recommend me to to Firm A, I don't want to destroy the relationship between us 3. The Design world is very small in Vancouver.

My question is:
1. Should I go work at Firm A while waiting for an interview from Firm B?
2. If Firm A does send me the email with the job description etc. Should I ask whens the latest day I should reply?
2. If Firm B hires me and let say I worked at Firm A for less then 1 week-3 months (I guess probation periods are usually that long) should I quit and go with Firm B?


I'm not sure if I'll get an interview at Firm B..but I'm just hoping I will since they seem interested in my CL + Resume to ask me for my portfolio.

Thanks for the advice/opinions!

[Nlkko]

You have not received an offer from anyone. No point to panic. When A calls and tell you to "start next week", here is what I would do:

1. Ask for 1 week top to consider the offer. Then call B and says you got an offer from A and want to knows their interest level. If they are really interested in you, they would be willing to expedite the hiring process. Big companies can take months to process applications, but can move really quickly if they have a dream candidate in mind so that they don't lose the dream candidate and have to hire the next-best guy.

2. Take A offer. If you have an offer later from B then by all means consider it.

Few things to note: Be straight up to both parties. You are certainly not the first one to be in such situation. Any half-competent HR manager knows this. All job seeker apply for multiple positions and therefore, could have multiple offers at the same time. It is perfectly normal to start at A, then quit and take B's better offer, as long as you're straight up to both sides. God forbid, after one month of work at A, they love you, don't want to lose you and give you a promotion to retain you. You won't burn any bridges as long as you're honest about everything.

Not a lot of experience regarding the design business but asking somebody to send in portfolio or come in for an interview means very little.

[shenmecar]

I think you should also call or email Firm B after a couple of days of sending in your portfolio just to say "Hey did you receive my portfolio and do I have an interview lined up?" even if you don't get an offer from Firm A. As a candidate, you should show eagerness and interest but not desperateness.

[meme405]

Your in a tough situation I know how small the architectural and design side of things is here in Van.

But your situation is nothing to be shy about, firms understand when you are going out for jobs that they are not the only ones you are applying to. So no need to feel like you have to hide other possible opportunities from one party.

I will warn you that IMO, taking a job from one firm while waiting for another one to get back to you is pretty risky, especially if you are hoping to get the job from Firm B, leaving a job after only a few days or even a weeks reflects very negatively on you. Especially given the company will have wasted money, and resources on trying to train you in the beginning.

Be careful not to hold out on Firm A for too long, before giving them a response, but respectfully request some time to review their offer, and respond (and remember you can always negotiate for salary and stuff, and I highly recommend even entry level people do so).

The only other thing I will add here, is that I always felt more successful working for smaller firms, and I found myself growing a lot more when I worked in closer quarters. In bigger firms work is steady enough that you can get pigeonholed into doing one stupid thing day-in, day-out. Whereas in a smaller company you end up doing more varied tasks, and take on more. This is in addition to the fact that people will more readily know who you are, and you may move up more quickly.

Just a few things to keep in mind. Nonetheless good luck with whatever happens. Keep us posted on timeframes, as maybe our advice will change depending on when you get an offer, and what else is going on.

[kiwee]

Thanks for the advice/opinion. Greatly appreciate it. So far I haven't gotten an email from Firm A or a invite for an interview from Firm B. Forgot to mention that the person that emailed me is from Calgary (Job title = National HR) but they have a franchise firm in Vancouver and other places.

Nlkko I'm the worrisome type haha!

shenmecarDo you think I should email both on Tuesday/Wednesday right after the long weekend? They both made contact with me on Thursday. The person in Firm A is going to leave for two weeks next week *not the long weekend week, the week after that*

I do agree with you meme405 small firm is a pretty good stepping stone, but I REALLY want to do go to a firm that does both residential or commercial. Reason why is because I find most residential design seem a bit repetitive. For commercial spaces, firms are able to create the companies images able to explore a lot more.

For sure I'll keep everyone updated. Keep those advice/opinion coming!

[Euro7r]

I'd personally go with the option that offers the greatest learning experience potential. As probably mentioned somewhere, typically big firms have so many staff, it is difficult to ask questions and learn new things. You might get a better compensation package due to bigger firms, but as a fresh grad with limited experience, experience > compensation. That's my 2 cents =P

[melloman]

In a small firm; you learn a bit about a lot of things.
In a big firm; you learn a lot about a few things.

I know how hard it is to find a job, especially with minimal to no experience. I'm a junior/intermediate drafter in the drafting/design industry.

My 2 cents is, a small firm is willing to put more into you then a big firm. A big firm has lots of people to look after, which means you're at the bottom of the ladder of seniority. It will take more time to move up, and more time to learn more. This is the only reason why I'd recommend a smaller firm over a bigger one.

BTW, I don't see why residential design would be repetitive, unless the firm is trying to save money and recycle the same design. Yet I find that hard to imagine as not every client would want the same thing. It's the reason why I'd like to move into residential in the upcoming years.

[!Yaminashi]

Thought I'd chime in as I am sort of in a similar type of situation as you.

It seems entry level jobs are hard to come by these days, even more so if you have no experience.

As mentioned by someone earlier, bigger companies can really drag their feet unless they absolutely must have you. I know this from experience and have been burned several times waiting around for an answer that never came, or spent weeks waiting only to hear they've hired internally/halted their hiring process.

I've also quickly learned that getting an interview/request for resumes means absolutely nothing, as many of the larger companies have very lengthy interview processes. To give you an idea, some of the companies I have interviewed with required a phone pre-screening interview, then two seperate follow up interviews which easily last more than 1 hour each time because you will be meeting some of the higher management staff at the local branch.

Usually what it comes down to is the amount of experience you have vs. the other candidates. Alot of companies simply do not want to invest the time to train, or simply just need someone who can hit the ground running. Sometimes you can get lucky and sneak in if you have managed to score an internship/co-op with these companies as they will have some familiarity with you and will be familiar with your work habits.

Also as mentioned earlier, don't let your interest for working at a larger company sway your decision because smaller companies will allow more growth, thus making you that much more valuable and well-rounded (you can always apply to larger companies later on).

Lastly, you probably don't want to lose out on firm A while you wait for firm B to respone. Then you'll be in a worse situation than now and be back to square one.

I say take what you get offered right now seeing as you have little experience. Right now your focus should be getting your foot in the door.
Just remember to not take the very first salary offer they give you and try to negotiate a bit.

Best of luck

[kiwee]

Alrighty! Thanks guys for the comments!

I got hired at firm A! (YAY!) and I totally agree with every ones comment about working at a small firm. Yesterday was my first day and they literally threw me into a hectic situation (edit plans & plot plants) for 4+ hrs. I think I'm going to stick with Firm A for a while till I get the hang of the design environment they have!