Employment

Well, nuts (and no, that's not what I really want to write)!

Just got a call from UHG regarding a position they offered to me last week. The salary they offered last week was 7.5% less than my last permanent position, and 14.5% less than my last contract position. I asked for a 3.75% increase in the salary component, all other things remaining equal.

They didn't call Monday, so I left a message on Tuesday asking for them to call. They didn't call Tuesday, so I left another message for them today asking for a call. They called at 5:10 PM to advise they were withdrawing the offer!

And I got a call earlier today from an agency in TX advising that they had nothing definitive to tell me about an offer extended by a company in Oklahoma City over two months ago. They could not definitively say even that the offer had dissolved -- only that it wasn't yet in writing.

So although I've had lots and lots of great interviews, I have no real possibilities on the table and it is frustrating - and scaring - the snot out of me! We've done a pretty good job of using a lot of our overdraft protection, so I'm going to have to transfer that balance to a lower-interest credit card in order to stay afloat. We should be good for a couple of months before we'd have to start making emergency withdrawals from our retirement savings (401k).

So here are some lessons for you, readers: number 1, and most important, because this is what got me into this situation in the first place: do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever resign from a position without first signing a contract to take another position as of a specific date.

Secondly, take recommendations in job searching guides regarding negotiating salary with a huge grain of salt. The offer I got last week was 7.5% lower than my last permanent position, and over 14% lower than my last contract position, and I asked them to increase only the salary by 3.75%. They withdrew the offer rather than discuss it.

So keep praying for us. We need and covet your prayers.

Best regards,
P

Hi there. Happy New Year.

Kids and I went to California for a few days last week, mostly to visit family but I was able to sneak in a couple business calls while there.

Had a great time -- till the day we flew home and I lost my camera on BART. If you find it, I'm offering a reward. It's a Kodak DX7630 with a 512MB card in it. Had all of the photos of the week including my son playing piano with my mom, a family reunion with 24 people attending, Jelly Belly factory tour, etc.

I subscribe to a daily reminder service called Simpleology. They've asked me to include the following on my post; here it is for your review:

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Hope all is well; I haven't had much time to blog as I've been beating the bushes trying to drum up business. I'll keep you posted on developments.

Blessings to all.

P