Job Hunting

I'm assuming Principal is going to net you a nice raise (I wouldn't take that title for anything under 120) but are you going to take it regardless of raise or not?

So when I interviewed the position was principal but they never said this interview is for principal so it's a little up in the air. They could very well spin it as a senior engineer role, although he did say he wanted me to come on as an expert to replace my boss (so he can move up, something he's never been able to do because no one else will take his place). My goal is 120+ to move, but if it's a little less I'll still go. The reason being is this radar stuff isn't really my jam but the job at dell emc is 100% what I want to do for a career (firmware, bios specifically). If the offer is exactly what I make now or less it'll be a tough call. Obviously my first rule is never accept the first offer unless it far exceeds what I thought. Raytheon offered me about 10k more than I was expecting so I didn't negotiate, but wish that I had.

I've always rehearsed giving my two weeks notice and it never pans out like I thought. Akamai begged me to stay. It was very fucking weird and he made me list out reasons I was quitting beyond what I said. Basically offered me anything I needed to stay. Didn't go to plan and it made me feel like a real shitbag. When I quit another job they were like alright thanks for working here, sad to see you go.

I'm curious if I accept the Dell offer if Raytheon will walk me out on the spot given I have clearance. I've actually never seen a single person quit. I think defense is a trap.

I've gotta call tomorrow to find out what they're offering. Never had to do that, but oh well.

I have never written a cover letter. With my wife when she was applying to very general and lower skill jobs would write them.

That's odd no one uses cover letters. As a systems guy I've been told more than once that they really liked my cover letter. I find that they are the best way to give life to an otherwise boring resume. I definitely don't do the cut and paste template cover letters though.

I find that software engineers are in such high demand that it's really just a matter of submitting your resume. That's just my experience though, and it's limited.

First offer about 10k below what I expected. Hoping that isn't heart burn for them

I wrote a cover letter for my current job. I usually read cover letters when I'm hiring as well, but they can hurt just as easily as they can help. I emphasize communication skills a lot so I like to see at least a hint that the person is more than just a technical fit. Obviously the interview helps with that aspect a whole lot more but I get 100+ applications for each position so anything that has a candidate stand out is helpful to get them at least to a phone screening.

TJT said:

I just cant justify it. If you write a sincere, custom cover letter its going to take like 20 minutes or more not including some research into the company. If you're applying to multiple jobs a day via LinkedIn/Indeed the time adds up extremely quickly.

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Yeah I only use them when it's a job I really want.