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Q: My company has been acquired by a larger company in the defense industry, and as luck would have it I used to work for the acquiring company. I left the company for a lot of reasons two years ago, and I'm concerned that although I didn't burn any bridges when I left, a couple of them were charred. I'm concerned that by staying I may have limited possibilities for growth at best, and perhaps a very limited tenure as a worst case. Should I stay or should I go? Ron in Fairfax A: This is a tough one, Ron, and it's happening a lot in the defense industry these days. But sometimes things are not what they seem. Consider a best case scenario: perhaps the bridges aren't really charred, and you should stay. An easy way to find out is through your personal network. Ask someone you trust to discreetly inquire about your reputation in the company. Use the feedback to help form your decision. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that you're held in high esteem and that you could reasonably expect to continue to grow with the company. On the other hand, you may learn that those bridges were more than charred and it's time to build some new ones. Feel free to get in touch with me to discuss other strategies. Tom -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I've been offered a position developing a new network security product by what seems to be a very good company.  I'm currently working for a company doing similar development, but the job being offered has a number of advancement possibilities that I don't have now.    Here's the problem: the offer is a temporary-to-permanent, and I'm uncomfortable with accepting it.  My understanding is that after ninety days, a decision would be made about whether or not I'd be converted to permanent employee status  I think I'd be better able to decide if I could understand why some companies do this.  Can you help with the upside and downside of this?   Louis in Frederick A: Temporary-to-Permanent offers of employment seem to have increased in the last two years, and there are many reasons that companies do this    One might be that for many deeply-technical positions it can be nearly impossible to evaluate the qualifications of the candidate, and ninety days might be enough time to observe the developer's ability  Another reason might be that the project has not been permanently funded or that the commitment to complete the project is not firm.  There could also be a spike in the need to insure a deliverable, and the need for follow-on is unsure, or there may be a cash flow problem. In any case, the upside/downside is easy. Downside: at the end of ninety days, you don't have a job.   This is okay if you can manage the exposure. Upside: It gives you a chance to look at the company while they're looking at you.  You may decide at the end of ninety days that there's something else you'd rather be doing.   Good luck!   Tom -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Several months ago I posted my resume to an Internet resume board, but after a few weeks my situation with my company improved and I made a commitment to stay.  I'm still getting calls from companies every week although I thought that my resume had been deactivated, and I'm concerned that my employer is going to see the resume on the Internet and think that I'm still looking for another job.   What do I do?    Nguyen in Virginia. A: Hi, Nguyen.  This is not an uncommon situation and it can be sticky.  It's possible that your resume has been cached by a number of recruiters, and they're working their way through their databases.   You didn't mention whether or not your employer knew that you were looking for a job several months ago.   In any case, it's likely that your resume may not be available anymore.   If you're a valued contributor to the company, your position should be secure.   In the unlikely event that you are asked about it you should reaffirm your commitment to the company with your manager.  I can't say that I've heard of a case of someone losing his or her job under these circumstances.  Try not to lose too much sleep over it.   Tom -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I've accepted an offer from a major defense contractor and I'm scheduled to start the new job in a few days.  I was called today by another firm and they'd like to interview me for a job that seems to be better than the one I accepted.   Would it be unethical for me to accept an offer from the second company if they offer me the job?   Leslie in Maryland. A: Wow!  That's a tough position to be in, Leslie.  As a rule, the ethical position would be for you to honor the commitment that you made to the first company.  It's likely that their customer is counting on you to join the project, and if your potential to contribute to the effort is at a sufficiently high level, reneging on your commitment to work there could jeopardize their effort.  Did you tell the second company that you've accepted another job?  If you did, they're on thin ice in pursuing you as a candidate, and you should question whether you'd want to work there.  If you haven't told them that you've taken another job, you should, and you should withdraw your candidacy - they'll respect you for it.  The fact is, there's always a better job somewhere, but you need to decide your position and stick to it.   Tom -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I've been offered a position with a company doing work in enterprise architecture that is very interesting to me.  The amount of the offer is equal to my current salary, and I'll lose about 10 days of combined annual and sick leave, so it's a net loss. I don't want to turn the offer down, but I'm not sure how to negotiate for a better offer.    Chris in Virginia A: Dear Chris - Ranking your priorities is the issue at hand. How important is the quality of the work vis-a-vis the salary and benefits?  Interestingly, a poll of IT professionals revealed that salary and benefits rank 4th in their needs hierarchy, coming in behind 1) Learning opportunity,  2), company management, and  3), peers.   However, everyone has their own template, and you'll need to decide what's most important to you.  There's nothing wrong with asking the company if they are willing to improve the offer.   If you decide to take this course be prepared to suggest a salary or increased leave plan and tell the employer that you'll definitely accept their improved offer if it meets your stated request.  Employers don't like to improve offers to have them rejected, and they're right to expect that your request was made in good faith.  Good luck in your decision!   Tom