
Ask HN: One month into dev job and I'm recruited for one with twice the salary - caddar
I graduated from college last December, but have been working as a software developer at various companies since I was 17. Last summer I was Developer #2 at a startup, then in the fall I was hired part-time for a tech company you&#x27;ve heard of (a startup five years ago; IPOed fairly recently) and transitioned to full-time four weeks ago.<p>Things could be better (and better-managed), and I&#x27;m anxious to work full-time on  a startup (currently doing 2 hours every morning on the side), but overall it&#x27;s a good job and a good experience and I thought it&#x27;d be educational to be here at least until early next year. However, the other day I got a LinkedIn message from a recruiter for a local startup that&#x27;s raised gads of cash and is already drawing a lot of revenue. He said I sounded like a good fit, and he really wanted to interview me (according to TechCrunch they&#x27;re hiring three people a week). I make $75K + about $50K of RSU now, but he was offering up to $150K and other really nice benefits. And I&#x27;d probably be happier working for a startup than a larger company (but they have enough employees that I&#x27;d still get the mentorship I was looking for).<p>I responded and said it sounded great but it was a really bad time since I&#x27;d just started my current job. And he responded encouraging me to interview anyway and see where things led.<p>I am an at-will employee, so in theory I could skip out, but I&#x27;d feel like a giant douchebag if I did so. On the other hand, if everything pans out (I&#x27;m not being deceived by slimy recruiter tactics; they accept me; I like the company...) it&#x27;s a really great opportunity. I&#x27;m happy to answer any other questions.<p>What would you recommend?<p>Thanks<p>[HN user for a long time; throwaway for obvious reasons]
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throwaway420
If you're very early in your career, you probably haven't learned that most
companies are very disloyal even to people that show them extreme loyalty. You
owe an employer nothing other than giving 100% of your effort for your time
there. Unless there is something about this current job that you really,
really love, it would be (IMO) pretty foolish to turn down double the salary.
I would at least interview with them and see if they are serious about it.

~~~
nmc
> _" it would be (IMO) pretty foolish to turn down double the salary"_

Why is that? Is life always better with more money?

If the OP is happy with the amount of money he is already making, why should
he look for ever-higher salaries?

~~~
lastofus
> Is life always better with more money?

More money can buy you more security (unexpected medical bills...), free time
(why not take 6 months off to travel?), and opportunity (I'm gona fund my own
startup!) that OP might not be considering at the moment. With the future
being uncertain, and all other things being equal between the jobs, it would
be silly not to take the money.

Worst case, you shove it in a savings account/index fund and never think about
it again.

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pedalpete
The recruiter is right, it can't hurt to interview. Find out more about the
company, find out if you think it would be a good fit for what you're looking
for.

If they offer you the job, you've got three options. 1) take it and leave your
current employer 2) keep your current job and pretend you never interviewed 3)
(if you still are unsure about leaving) tell your current employer about the
offer you've been made (you may not be allowed to give details, but you can
give enough) and see if they counter offer.

Then, you can make an informed decision.

I think (and hope) you'll find your current employer very accommodating. If
another start-up is offering you double the salary, your current employer
should know they are getting a heck of a deal with you. They also likely know
that 'deal' wouldn't last forever.

Or maybe they won't want to offer you more, and just expect you to stick with
them for other reasons. Who knows, but you'll never find out unless you dip a
foot in to test the temperature.

I hadn't done this before last year, and I have to admit, it does feel strange
talking to a potential new employer while somebody else is currently employing
you, but this is the new nature of the game. Your current employer (likely)
doesn't expect you to stick around forever. Doesn't mean they don't care about
you, they just know the reality.

~~~
Oculus
I agree with everything you said except for the third option:

> tell your current employer about the offer you've been made ... and see if
> they counter offer.

That seems like it would come off as worse than taking the new job. If I was
OP's current company I'd see that as 'not only did you shop around first
couple weeks here, but you're now rubbing it in our faces and expecting us to
reward you.'

~~~
pedalpete
I think it could possibly be handled better than that. I'd suggest that if the
OP decides they would like to stay at the current employer, but only if the
current employer offers what the employee feels they are worth (or if the
employee wants more than they are currently getting), they could very politely
say

"Listen, I really like working here, I like that you guys do x,y,z, that I
have the option to learn from/about/with.. whatever, but I've just had a great
offer from Acme company, and I was going to take it, but wanted to talk to you
guys about it before I accept."

That way the company understands why the person is leaving, that they haven't
agreed to leave yet, it is in the employers hands to keep the employee if they
want to.

We have a fairly small industry (and even if we didn't) you're going to be
running into the same people again and again though your career. Neither side
should be hurt in this. It's a business proposition. Friendships don't have to
end, cooperation doesn't even have to end. MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT LEAVING YOUR
CURRENT EMPLOYER IN THE LURCH. Give them time for you to clean-up what you're
working on and get it in a good state, etc. etc.

As long as you're professional (and the OP's original posts suggests he is
professional and courteous), the current employer shouldn't take it as
anything but.

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justintocci
I worked a job over six years. I made them a lot of money over that time. One
day a middle manager walked me to the HR office and then out the door. No
severence, nothing. Loyalty and security are an illusion.

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Bahamut
I don't think anyone here can answer that question but you. I can sympathize
though, as I am in a similar boat, although not as quick of a turnaround. I
too hate switching jobs, it feels like a betrayal.

However, you should look out for yourself most of all. Does the extra income
matter that much for you? Is it good for your career? What are the pros & cons
of this new potential employer (commute, line of business, work environment,
etc.)?

It's a difficult question, but one you have to come to terms with.

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robbiea
Agree with all the comments so far. Take the interview, build great
relationships with the people that you are interviewing with.

The good news is that you've only been on the job for a month, so if you do
take the new job you won't look like a job hopper considering you won't even
list this as a job.

As everyone said. Look out after yourself first and foremost. Don't burn any
bridges with current employer either if you do decide to move on.

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smartician
A couple things:

The salary quoted by the recruiter is "up to". That figure was created when
the recruiter asked the company how much they would potentially pay, max, and
the CEO answered "well, up to $150k, if it's a really senior guy, like the
inventor of jQuery or something". They won't give that sum to a junior guy
like you. The recruiter quoted that amount just to lure you in.

Also, it's not an offer, it's a recruiter trying to get bodies into the door
of that company. It's similar to you finding the same job ad on craigslist,
except that the latter would have a better chance to get you hired, because
there's no recruiter involved that has to be paid out.

I was in a similar situation, went to the interview, never heard from the
company again, probably because I was too expensive (even though my demanded
salary was less than the "up to" sum quoted by the recruiter.

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mlh
interview ... any reasonable employer will understand your leaving for a much
better income. If they have a bad reaction, you're also better off somewhere
else. After you receive a firm offer, be honest with your current employer.
They may take the opportunity to counter. "I'm really sorry about the bad
timing, but I'd be crazy to turn down an offer like this."

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AnimalMuppet
One additional thing to consider: Very short stays at a company are a red flag
on your resume. Sure, you can probably do it once, at the start of your
career, for double the money. But don't do it regularly, or it will hurt your
employability.

"I'd feel like a giant douchebag": Others have said that you don't need to
feel that way about it. They're right. But _if you 're still going to feel
that way_, then don't do it. You've got to live with yourself, and the money
isn't worth it at that price.

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sharemywin
It probably doesn't hurt to talk to the other company and see what's what. At
the very least you'll make some contacts going forward. I would only negotiate
with your current employer if your willing to leave if they so no. If they are
willing to pay to keep you that shows they won't be looking to fire you since
they would just let you go if they didn't want to keep you. If they don't
counter or play games like counter less, leave because they are willing to
gamble with replacing you.

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iaw
Follow your heart, your company doesn't have feelings to be hurt. Business is
business, a better work environment with double the salary is the wiser
decision.

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chrisBob
You should also consider the stability of the job. Double the money this year
isn't worth much if they go out of business, and you have to spend another
year looking for a job. I would personally stick with a more stable job for
less money every time, but you should decide which you value more.

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lgieron
Before leaving, I'd give my current company a chance to match the recruiter's
offer. Since that is your current market value, they might prefer to just give
you that raise instead of searching for another cheaper guy (who might very
well repeat what you did).

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talmir
Its double the pay. Just be honest with your current employer and be sure to
gratuitously thank them for giving you a shot and wish them well in the
future. Do not burn that bridge :)

Good luck.

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rholdy
I think that if your current employer tries to make you feel bad about taking
a job taking twice as much money THEY are the douchebags, not you.

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bjourne
Come on.. You aren't a douchebag for jumping to another job with _double the
salary_. :) No one would think twice about that.

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gesman
Go to interview, get the offer, get back and have current company beat it.

Rinse and repeat.

The winner wins an excellent developer.

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rajacombinator
No brainer take the interview.

