Job Dilemma

[DeltAlum]

AlphaChi,

Congratulations on the job. That's great.

Most of the advice you received was pretty good. As a former hiring manager, but more importantly as someone who has been in the workforce for many years, I must take exception to one thing someone said.

When you commit to a position, you have an obligation to follow through on that committment -- at least for a few months, maybe a year.

Remember this. If a manager offers you a job and you accept and then you back out, you have left that person in a bad position -- maybe in a real bind. And he/she will remember it. You never know when you'll run across that person again in your career. Maybe when he/she is in a position to offer you that dream job. Or maybe when that person becomes your immediate supervisor at the job you are in somewhere down the career path. Or maybe the next person you interview with is an old friend or professional pal of that manager.

Most industries are really very small in the overall scheme of things. Don't burn any bridges, because you never know who the gatekeeper at that next bridge will be.

Of course it is important to look out for yourself, but you can ruin your professional reputation very easily, and that will follow you for the rest of your career.

Stand by your committments.