Now That You've Landed a New Data Processing Job

If you have viewed your search for a new job in data processing as a job, you've probably received job offers (and I'm confident in using the plural because of the great demand for good people in DP). Hopefully, you are deciding between jobs, or have made your choice and are about to start a new one.

If you are debating whether to accept a certain job, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Assuming that your offer is firm, the next question is whether you really want the job. It should be assumed that you have given this a lot of thought throughout your initial exposure to the company. Hopefully, the research you did on the firm before being interviewed gave you good insight into its reputation, future expectations, and general industry and community standing. If you have any doubts about it, call the person who will be your boss and ask for another conversation about the job. Use that opportunity to do a little more sizing up of the place and its people. Do those you come in contact with seem happy? Are they pleasant, or does their mood represent a general dissatisfaction with the company and with their job?
  

A young woman I know, who had been offered a position as a programmer at a medium-size manufacturing company, took the trouble to go through back issues of the local newspaper. It seems that this company was besieged with union problems. Walkouts and job actions were almost a monthly occurrence. That bothered her, and before committing herself to the firm she aggressively pursued another job that had seemed promising but hadn't come through as yet. Her aggressiveness paid off. She got the second job and politely turned down the first.

• It's been said that a lot of weddings take place because the bride and groom are too embarrassed to cancel at the last minute, even though one or both of them sense deep down that they are making a mistake. I suspect that a number of people take jobs for the same reason.
  

Don't be reluctant to politely decline a job offer for fear of hurting someone's feelings. The company won't hesitate for a moment to turn you down, and you should have the same attitude.

• Another evaluation that you should make (and that should be on your mind throughout your exposure to the company) is whether this job meets your long-term career goals in data processing. Working in a mediocre department, with equipment and software that are not current and in demand, can hinder your career rather than enhance it. The job itself may appear to be attractive, and the salary might be right at this stage in your career, but if it is the sort of dead-end position that many DPers ultimately find themselves in, rethink the offer. Of course, no job need be a dead end for individuals who use their imagination to broaden their particular job's scope, or who use it as a means of developing skills, experience, and contacts to help them move on to other positions within the firm, or with other companies. However, specific situations can make those things more difficult to accomplish. For instance, is the company in a period of growth, or are its fortunes on a downward trend? The industry itself might be "soft," or the company's financial position shaky. It's difficult to look for advancement and monetary rewards in a company that is in the process of pulling in the strings in order to survive. Of course, landing the right job in a company that is beginning to turn around can be an open door to great future success for individuals who are there at the right time to contribute to the turnaround.
  
  
• What about the executive to whom you'll be reporting? Is he or she in a secure, powerful position within the firm? That's important, because if a supervisor's position is weak, everyone under him or her deals from a weakened posture. It's hard to ascertain this without actually working with that person for a period of time, but it's worth a little exploration, perhaps with friends who have worked at that company or with a competitor. You don't want to appear to be snooping, but you can say, "I've been offered a wonderful job at XYZ Corporation, working for John Jones. He seems like a nice guy. Do you know anything about him?"
  

I assume that money and benefits have been discussed and are to your liking. If they are-and every-thing else about the job seems to end up on your positive list - you'll enthusiastically accept it. I can't imagine why you wouldn't.