Life Musings

I am so glad that I didn't jump on this employment possibility which came my way a few months ago.

I was working temporarily, on a part-time basis, and barely getting by. I knew that I would need a real job soon, and nothing was coming my way. Sometime in October, the manager of a company in San Jose (let's call him "Mr. Singh") contacted me about a job possibility. A big semiconductor firm (let's call them "Company A") needed a C++/VxWorks programmer for a few months, and they asked Mr. Singh if he had anyone whose services they could contract. So Mr. Singh asked me if I could come in for a preliminary interview with his company first, after which I'd be interviewed by Company A.

This didn't sound like a great opportunity, but I was desperate for employment, so I met with him anyway. During this interview, I noticed a lot of things which made warning bells go off in my head.

- First, I noticed that there were several people in the office, but Mr. Singh was the only one who was involved in my interview. This looked suspicious, since most companies will have at least two employees conduct the interview, just for the sake of caution. This made me wonder how serious they were about searching for a new employee.

- Second, before the interview, he asked me to sign a non-disclosure agreement which described me as "Employee." I gently pointed out that I wasn't an employee yet, and that I was only a prospective employee. He said, "No problem. We can always change that"-- and then just sat there. I asked myself, "Okay, then what his he waiting for? Why doesn't he change the text, then?" This made him seem dishonest -- or at the very least, unmethodical. When he didn't respond, I asked for permission to replace "Employee" with "Prospective Employee" so that we could proceed with the interview.

- Third, Mr. Singh didn't seem terribly interested in my skill set. He only asked a few basic (and vaguely phrased) questions, such as "How do you build a linked list?" and "How well do you know C++?" This made me suspect that he was only concerned about finding someone that he could farm out to Company A, and that he wasn't thinking of me as a long-term employee.

- He assured me that his company was always profitable, and yet it seemed like a rather ramshackle operation. They were sharing space with another firm, they had cramped quarters, and they didn't have the company's sign on the door or in the building directory. Their break room was tiny and poorly stocked, without even a coffee machine. (Instant coffee? Blech!) Now, I don't want to conclude too much based on this evidence, but it did seem suspicious.

- He said that if Company A approved of me, he would offer $50,000 a year -- a paltry sum. He said this without batting an eye, and without a hint of sheepishness. (As an ex-boss of mine said, this was an insulting amount for a senior programmer, especially given the high cost of living in California. Even a junior programmer in the Bay area should be able to command more than that.) He topped that off by saying, "... and you'll have to pay for your own work visa expenses." Now, I can understand if a company can't offer much, but you'd think that they'd admit that, and assure the job applicant that this isn't a reflection of his skills or worth to the firm. (To be fair, he did say, "... and we might raise that in the future," but that's a very vague non-promise, and I didn't hear a dint of apology in his voice when he said that.)

- He told me that after my contract with ABC was up, they would find some other project for me to work on -- but didn't elaborate. When I asked what other types of projects they worked on, he gave me a vague answer: "Oh, software development, turnkey systems, stuff like that." In other words, no specifics. Once again, this made me wonder if he was sincere about keeping me on a long-term basis.

- He assured me that he could get my work visa transferred within a day. This immediately made warning bells go off in my mind. I've been involved in visa transfers before, and I know that it takes at least a day to prepare the paperwork alone. It sounded like he wanted me to start, even without the proper work authorization. It sounded like a mark of desperation.

- To top it off, he flat-out asked me to like to company ABC. He said, "I want you to tell them that you're already my employee. If they like you, they'll want you to start in two days." He didn't even beat around the bush. He didn't feel me out, to see if I'd feel comfortable about stretching the truth. No, he just asked me to lie, and assumed that I'd be okay with that. This made me wonder if I should trust anything he said about the company's profitability, or my future with them.

After leaving their office, I had a deep, sinking feeling about them, but wasn't prepared to walk away yet. As I said, I was pretty desperate for employment. I hoped that things would just fall through, so that I could put them out of my mind.

The following morning, as I was going to work, he calls me and says, "Okay, your interview with Company A is at two o'clock today. Please show up there on time." I exclaimed, "What??? That's only four hours from now, and I have a job to go to. I told you that I have a part-time job. I can't just drop everything for the sake of this interview!" Mr. Singh urged me to show up anyway, so I grudgingly said, "Okay, I'll do it. I don't like it, and there's a risk that it'll make my boss very mad, but I'll do it."

I was about to put on my interview suit when I realized this was a foolish endeavor, and decided to back out. I called Mr. Singh's office and left a message, explaining that I had a good relationship with my current employer and that it would be unfair for me to just leave him in the lurch. If I had some advance notice, that would be different, but I couldn't just abandon him at the drop of a hat.

After about 30 minutes, Mr. Singh called back, with desperation in his voice. He pleaded, "You say you have a good relationship with your boss. Well then, that means he can spare you for just an hour. An hour is all it'll take." By then, I knew that Mr. Singh was being a weasel. First off, this interview would have taken more than just an hour. Heck, the driving time alone would have taken 40 minutes each way -- and that's not counting the time it would take for me to drive home and put on my interview clothes. No, this would have required my entire afternoon.

At five o'clock that day, Mr. Singh called again, and said, "Okay, I rescheduled your interview. You're on at three o'clock tomorrow." I said, "WHAT?!?!?! I can't make it. I have a medical appointment at that time, one which was scheduled weeks in advance. I'll have to pay a $75 fine if I break this appointment." Singh said, "Oh, come on! This is our only chance left. Please do it." Sheesh. The guy didn't even ask if I was available at that time. No, he simply set up an appointment on my behalf, without bothering to consult me first.

There's a lot more that went on after that, but I think you get the drift. This guy gave every indication of being a sleazy, dishonest operator. He lied to me, made promises to me, and asked me to lie on his behalf. He was was prepared to get me in trouble with my then-employer, and he urged me to break a medical appointment despite the $75 fine. (Did he offer to pay that fine? Noooo.) This was all for a job opportunity with lousy pay, in a crummy office, and with a questionable future.

I am so glad that I walked away fro it.