Activity Feed › Discussion Forums › Strictly Surveying › Changing companies questions
There is no real answer to this because every company (small, medium, or large) is different and will have a different corporate culture. The key (as someone who has hopped around a good bit recently, including this month ???? ) is to research the companies that you are considering. Ask them as many, if not more, questions than they ask you. In this job market (especially with firms that work in infrastructure and energy) you are interviewing them, not the other way around.
Had I done more due diligence before taking my last position (80 +/- person firm) I might have discovered the seven figures worth of tax liens before I came onboard, or the fact that the corporate charter had been forfeited by comptroller three times in the last decade for failure to pay unemployment tax. You know, those little red flags.
If you’re worried about getting up to speed on proposals, accounting, etc. at a bigger firm have them lay out their onboarding procedure during the interview process. One company I worked for had a 30-60-90 day plan for me to slowly add responsibilities so I wasn’t trying to learn everything the first few days. For my new firm I flew to Denver last week for training on company safety policies, HR, proposals, marketing, IT, project controls, and accounting system training and to get to know the senior corporate staff.
DMS330 touched on this above- with this economy (and in conjunction with what they’re referring to as “the great resignation” going on right now) you are most definitely in the driver’s seat. Every firm where I live (Denver Colorado area) is hiring and the headhunters are driving those of us currently happy in our current positions (and not planning on making a change) crazy at the moment. I suggest just being honest with what you consider to be your strengths and express the things you want to learn as one of the objectives you have for moving on/moving up from your current position. I made a couple of jumps in my career years ago along the lines of what you are currently considering and looking back it was definitely the right choice to make that move- the experience I gained was invaluable.
Best of luck- go forth and conquer!
Chuck
Just don’t BS the new company; tell them what you told us and I’m sure you’ll be alright.
Sounds like maybe the company you work for is limited on type of work. If they always do the same stuff, not much room to grow.
If not then have you talked to them? I’m surprised at how many times I see people unhappy with their job and don’t speak up.
Im not a LS, but was once asked by a JR VP what I wanted in a career. (This was just in passing, not a formal review.) I look at him and said, “I want your job.” He initially looked pissed off, but then I said, “Imagine where you would be when I make it to your rung since it’s easier to push you up then toss you off.”
He started passing me more responsibility. A few months later I was sitting in the meetings, then dealing directly with the clients, contractors and crews.
A year or so later, managing smaller projects and writing Processes and Procedures.
I work for myself now… Still not licensed, and just do drafting and design and some project management for a client… But the point is there were a ton a drafters/designers at that company, some with more than 20yrs at the company. Others with a decade… Over 500 employees and 475 of them I never met. And at the time I was just a few months employed there… I was the new guy. If you are waiting for more opportunities, they rarely come to you. If you seek opportunity you will find it around every corner
It kind of depends on what you want out of your career. I have always worked for smaller companies, less than 30 employees and have had no desire to jump into the cooperate rat race. I am sure there great larger companies, but there is also a lot of office politics and from what I have observed grass isn’t always greener. If your goal is to own a small company maybe you already have the experience to do that? Only you know what you want. I suspect you have some college classmates in bigger companies telling you cool stories, you have to decide if that is what you want.
SHG
I was in your same position up until now, actually just accepted a position as a PM and will be starting in a few weeks
At both places I interviewed, I was up front that I want to be a PM and will need training. They had no problem with it
It’s hard finding new surveyors, they probably know that and will most likely accommodate you instead of leaving that position open for even longer
You have obviously gotten allot of replies but I’ll put in my two cents as well. It sounds like you are relatively young and looking to expand your horizons but the first thing you have to do is ask yourself where you want to be in 20 or 30 years. Money isn’t everything but it does come with and value to your employer.
I started surveying right out of HS and had some great mentors along the way who taught me allot of valuable things. When I got married at 22, my father in law wan an upper level executive in Firestone Tires. His words of wisdom to me were that if I wanted to reach the top, the best thing to do is to move around every three or four years to see how the same things are done differently, combine them all and figure out what the most efficient and effective way is to use what you have experienced, this applies to production in the field, management styles and financial business management & decisions.
From the day I started surveying, I knew that I wanted to do what my senior PLS was doing and my first move was to get licensed. Through allot of hard work, studying and good mentoring, I reached that goal with the minimum required 10 years of experience and then started using those words of wisdom.
I find myself at 57 years old being exactly where I wanted to be and loving life, it was a tall mountain to climb but I have reached the summit. I enjoy owning a nice piece of the company, get the profits sharing checks and no longer do the actual work, except answering the technical questions, mentoring my staff and making sure our equipment remains current and being the best tools for the work we do.
The variety of experiences you get from moving around a few times is immeasurable. You’ll likely see the good, bad and ugly and will be better suited to figure out what works best without guessing.
Good luck and best wishes in whatever choices you make.
You might consider the company name. “xyz Engineering and Surveying” or “xyz Surveying and Engineering” could mean a huge difference depending on your perspective
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loseI’ve found myself in a similar uncomfortable position in a medium sized company. They needed a licensee, and I was available to apply. Good interview et cetera, and I took the office.
Half mile walk to work, lunch spots around the corner; everything looked like it would be ideal, until it wasn’t. It was evident within a month. Long days became longer, Saturdays became catch up days within that month. Sundays became catch up days within another month. Had a couple Sundays off that year, but worried everyday that I should have been at my desk because something unexpected needed my attention.
Minimal help from management and/or colleagues didn’t make anything better. I kept working as hard and smart as I knew. I didn’t feel like a shark-but I was the Hyena. Get the occasional kill and chew on it until you get to the bones.
A colleague of mine was in a tough situation at about the same time. He is also very smart and much more ambitious. He took on a very difficult position that brought him to anxiety/panic attacks, general work worries, and ensuing health troubles. He wasn’t able to drive for a bit (forgot how long, exactly, but you get the point).
I’ll take a modest, healthy life over having my name on the letterhead, so to speak. This works for me; but do what you have to do based on your ambition, stress handling tolerance, energy level, and so on. Look out for number one.
In short, Fake it ’till you make it! Just don’t burn any bridges and do the best you can for any employer. Or, at some point, your own clients. I’ve worked for 8 or 9 different land surveying organizations in the last 30 years and walked away from each of them with a wealth of knowledge and experiences on how to do it right and how to do it wrong. No regrets. I still like my chosen profession and my past employers (large and small companies) miss me as I do them.
Good luck with the decision you will make. Remember what is important to you.
SD
I wanted to add one other thing and it’s something that has been on my mind lately. Company culture. I’ve heard this term used plenty of times in the past and I’ve usually dismissed it as some sort of meaningless buzzwords. But the more experience I gain the more I’ve come to realize how important it is. Read reviews about the company if you can find them and ask questions during the interview that are designed to reveal what the company culture is like.
It doesn’t really matter if the pay, tools, projects, hours, and so on are top notch if the place is being run in such a way that doesn’t bring out the best in each employee.
Watch your back and company culture. Where do you want to be in so many years?……………all that and more have come along so far.
The answer is in your gut. I went for an interview right out of college. High paying job in a field I thought I wanted to explore. Drove up to the crumbling parking lot with the rusty building. Middle of the most toxic air in the big city. Thought sure I was at the wrong place. Went through the front door hoping I was at the wrong place. Nope. It was the “dream” employer’s home for dead end jobs with little chance of advancement that would get you to the shining corporate office building on the hill with the fresh air. Thanks, but no thanks. Never looked back.
Another interview was at a vastly improved setting but I could “feel” the hopelessness in the air as I was taken around to meet various employees. They, too, had been put in little cages with little hope of ever doing anything but what hit their inbox. Creativity was not necessarily viewed as a positive thing. Just do as the hierarchy dictates. Thanks, but no thanks. Never looked back.
Third interview was a winner. Nice building in nice surroundings with fellow employees who smiled, laughed and enjoyed working at their various jobs. Creativity was rewarded. Advancement was somewhat limited, yet attainable if you proved yourself worthy. Pay was adequate but not stellar. Benefits were adequate but not stellar. Being able to work with and get to know recognized leaders at the national and international level was fantastic. Learning how they had gone from new hire to an essential employee of their place of employment provided great assistance to a young buck who knew little other than how to correctly answer test problems to get the magic sheepskin. Learned early on that captains of industry and those in lofty towers at major universities were generally really good, ethical, smart people who had proven themselves to other really good, ethical, smart people who had been a step or two higher on the ladder at the time. Know what you know and know what you don’t know. Make the right contacts. Let your gut guide you.
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