Are you a comptroller, by any chance? Just wondering about your nickname (it's close)...

 

Air Traffic.. .....

we go whacko after awhile.. have ya heard..?



cheers

 

there was a video clipy; "shift happens" and at least the first half of it was an explanation of what you seeing. tec companies are not so ever lasting.

it goes both ways, a person staying at a tec company for 7yeas is no good either.

job changes AND OR moving to another city.
pick a city that has a significant employment base. avoid Albuquerque NM 4example. ya its nice to do the outdoor things, an adobe house is quaint. w/o a good employ you will hate.

 

Yeah, I heard. My brother tested to be an ATC - he was scored in the top level but never did go through the training....

 

Well.. lots of people can test high to get into it.. but.. you either want to do it or ya don't.. that's the key... nobody does this job unless they like it.. love it..

training is very intense.. and so is the job.. intensity level by job location..

it basically comes down to how you deal with stress.. this job can fry your brains in an hour or two of work.. or you can just sit back and enjoy a nice steady flow of traffic.. it's fun.. it's demanding.. it's rarly boring.. but it requires your full attention at all times.. and one little error can ruin your whole day, your whole career.. depending on the magnitude of the error..

I'm really good at it.. I've been forutunate... most the time I don't consider it work.. but sometimes, it's totally, unbelivably work.. and when you head for home, you leave it all behind you..

getting into the program is one thing.. completing the training is another..

I don't think I could find a job I would like better.. (maybe a major leage ball pitcher) .. I was good at that.. too..

cheers

 

we understand that, but this isn't 1956 anymore. If your friend's company can deliver something worth sticking around for, and actually knows how to interview, it won't be a problem. If your friend only wants to hire people that have no ambition or willingness to take a risk, fine. But assuming that someone who has those aspects to their personality is a less desirable employee will not help his company in the long run.

 

He wasn't looking for someone who has worked at the same job for the past 20 years.

It was just suspicious to him that someone started their current job in August of 2006 and they're already applying for a different position. If someone stayed 2-4 years at their job, that was fine, but staying 1-2 years was too short.

 

A lot of it depends on the industry, as mentioned above.

I was fortunate to have found a company I liked straight out of college - now that we've merged I feel fortunate as I like this company even MORE.

I worked for the US gov't (NIEHS, a division fo the NIH which is under the DOH), a small PR agency in the UK, MEMA (motor & equipment manufacturers association) and a 25-person startup before graduating.

I know what culture and what type of company works for me, and you BEST believe that if I wasn't in a job that had it - I'd be starting to look for new jobs right now.

I think a lot of people just assume that a job is something they'll hate, and don't actually believe that some people LIKE going to work. I really find that horrid to think of, as I can't even imagine how much stress hating my job would cause in my personal life. To me, it's a poison that too many people put up with.

As far as moving around goes, even though I'll be with the same company - i'm expecting to change roles and responsibilities about once every year or two. My current boss went from being a field marketing manager to a product manager to doing PR and working in Corporate Communications now to working in Marketing & Corporate Communications. He's been with the company for 4 years and had a new job title evey year - plus raises to accompany his increase in responsibility every year.

I may very well have the same thing happen to me, and I can't say I mind one bit.

I think that your friend is silly for putting people who move around every 1-2 years at the bottom of the pile. If I could have a mediocre employee for 5 years or a great one for 2, I'd take the great one for 2 every time.

 

I work in a highly evolving industry and have moved between employers twice in the last 2 years. I left the first employer when they went bankrupt BEFORE they could lay me off (potential risk) and left the second employer because of shoddy business ethics (not that I can ever say that ANYWHERE on my resume or interviews). Both occasions saw an immediate increase in pay as well as responsibilities, something I wanted and is a perk of changing jobs. On the other hand, in the short periods of time with the employers, I walked into a rough patch and cleaned out the process. I delivered to the bottomline in hard currency dollars (Believe me, this is all any business cares about today).

Am I the wrong guy for the next job? I don't think so. The new employer perceives me as the "firefighter" walking into a tough situation. And that's a reputation I can live with. The two job changes taught me that I love doing what I do and that I am good at it. I am never going to be a 1 job, tenure employee like my parents. If there isn't a career path immediately in place or a feedback process that tells me I am doing something wrong, then I feel I do not owe the employer loyalty. Because if I am doing everything right, then your bottomline shows the improvement immediately. And you CANNOT argue with a P&L statement.

I live by a simple fact - "I work for money. If you want loyalty, get a dog". Companies act like they are offended that employees would think this but THEY themselves live for money. I've never seen a company NOT layoff a good employee because they felt loyal. It always boils down to the bottomline.

Your friend should give all matching resumes and candidates an even chance. He'll never know who he missed out on. There might be a job changer in there who's sole motivation in applying for this job is because it is 3 miles from home. So what? He lives 3 miles from work and will never move as long as his pay and career path evolve with time to both the company's and the candidate's betterment.

 

Here is something else. The company is a very good one and people WANT to work there. He will not have a problem finding an excellent employee that will stay for 2-5 years, why should he hire an excellent employee that will only stay 1-2 years?

The company also does not lay off its employees. It has employees and it has contractors. Contractors are disposable, but employees are there to stay through thick and thin.