New job red flags - am I overthinking things?

[slackerinabox]

I have a history of overthinking things so I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by quitting after my first week, but what are your thoughts?

I'll stick to the cliffs:

1. I've had a series of IT jobs that I've hated - decent pay but didn't get those juices flowing. I got into real estate a few years back and have loved it, from sales to property management.

2. I managed over a dozen properties freelance but thought I should get a 9 to 5 gig with a commercial firm - freelancing it prior made it difficult to get loans, etc. since it's not technically a stable paycheck

3. I interviewed at a small firm as an property manager knowing i lacked some of the accounting skills, and am now taking a book keeping course to fill in the blanks. My boss was ok with this, and I accepted a $15k paycut over my last 9 to 5 because this was a new career path and it would be worth it if I were learning something.

4. I come to the job and there's zero training. My first day? Scanning over 1000 pages and noting constructive. I felt like an intern. My supervisor literally was trying to just make up work for me.

5. i just signed up for an accounting class but the ceo (small company) knows this and gave me pop quizzes in accounting on my first day. So i was sitting there scanning a huge pile of busy work and nervously answering pop question quizzes for material I have not learned yet (i start my class next week).

6. He lied about the bonus structure. When I negotiated up his laughable initial offer he then deducted the compromise from my bonus, and did not tell me this until i saw it on the offer letter

7. He saw that I have it skills and gave me a laundry list from upgrading all of the routers to enterprise class ones, replacing all the locks with smart locks (i'm not a locksmith!!), to maintenance tasks. Again, me accepting a paycut was because this WAS NOT an it job.

8. It's a 2 hour roundtrip drive, 3 with traffic.

The old school father figure in my brain's yelling at me to pay my dues, another part of my brain is saying that I could take the paycut somewhere closer and not have to be an IT monkey on the side too.

 

[Ns1]

Sounds like you're the jack of all trades new guy at a small firm. What did you expect from a small firm, documented policies and procedures with a 12 week training program?

 

[slackerinabox]

Sounds like you're the jack of all trades new guy at a small firm. What did you expect from a small firm, documented policies and procedures with a 12 week training program?

Well, none of this was part of the job description. I also would have appreciated a sit down with my prior going over some of the software packages proprietary to the company, but this was not even on the agenda. Also, the accounting includes managing all of his personal accounts too (dozens of them). It feels more like a personal assistant gig than one that would prepare me for a career outside of this small company.

 

[deustroop]

You have to first do the cost/benefit : weigh the fucking-over the boss is giving you against the benefits the employment will bring either with this employer or another down the road. That's cost benefit. Another way to decide is straight emotion--how large is the FU feeling ?

 

[Ns1]

Well, none of this was part of the job description.

that's small company life bro.



to answer your original question, if I needed the experience I'd probably just suck it up for 6 months - 1 year and then move onto greener pastures. It's clear that this is not the right fit but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[vi edit]

You are managing a property. It just happens to be the office.

 

[Capt Caveman]

that's small company life bro.

Yup, not sure what the OP is expecting from working at a small company. He's a facilities manager and bitching about changing the locks? Oh, being a Facilities manager, you're just going to be doing crap work.

 

[slackerinabox]

You have to first do the cost/benefit : weigh the fucking-over the boss is giving you against the benefits the employment will bring either with this employer or another down the road. That's cost benefit. Another way to decide is straight emotion--how large is the FU feeling ?

Good advice. The fuck you feeling was strong when he said "you should see the jungle in the basement - we'll have you redo all the wiring and tidy up the place." That's not what I signed up for.. Again, it would all be worth it if education was part of the agedna, but its not

 

[deustroop]

Good advice. The fuck you feeling was strong when he said "you should see the jungle in the basement - we'll have you redo all the wiring and tidy up the place." That's not what I signed up for.. Again, it would all be worth it if education was part of the agedna, but its not

Ok so practice this in the mirror : Sayonara Muthafuka

 

[Hugo Drax]

Damn 2 hour round trip drive 3 with traffic? Wow is it that hard to find work locally? Thats a long ass commute. I guess they must be paying a good wage for that kind of commute.

 

[Rifter]

i draw the line at my boss openly lieing to me. Id be out.

 

[slackerinabox]

He's a facilities manager and bitching about changing the locks? Oh, being a Facilities manager, you're just going to be doing crap work.

No, I'm not a facilities manager - property manager. Property managers handle billing, rent collection, collection activity, hiring contractors, finding new tenants, etc. etc. I'm not a super nor do I want to be one. i took the job because I wanted the challenge of managing 4 office buildings, it looks like my job is more office manager.

 

[Ns1]

No, I'm not a facilities manager - property manager. Property managers handle billing, rent collection, collection activity, hiring contractors, finding new tenants, etc. etc. I'm not a super nor do I want to be one. i took the job because I wanted the challenge of managing 4 office buildings, it looks like my job is more office manager.

You're a scrub on your first week. What exactly did you expect at this point?

 

[slackerinabox]

that's small company life bro.



to answer your original question, if I needed the experience I'd probably just suck it up for 6 months - 1 year and then move onto greener pastures. It's clear that this is not the right fit but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

I've worked at small companies and have NEVER minded helping out with things out of my job description. My problem is the laundry list of some pretty involved stuff (from multi day to week long projects). Unless he had me working 14 hour days, I don't see how I could do everything. he said i should be expected to stay late and was ok with that, but not when I have to stay late because I was working on a project not related to the career I want to build. if that's selfish, what's wrong with being a little selfish when it comes to careers? I understand your pro-employer corporate stance but sacrificing benefits my boss more than myself. My prior who I'll be replacing has been there for 32 years and drives a 98 nissan and still gets yelled at by the ceo like a bickering wife, I don't think loyalty would work in my favor.

 

[Ns1]

My prior who I'll be replacing has been there for 32 years and drives a 98 nissan and still gets yelled at by the ceo like a bickering wife, I don't think loyalty would work in my favor.

Well it sounds like you know what you gotta do, either quit now or quit in a year.

 

[vi edit]

Well it sounds like you know what you gotta do, either quit now or quit in a year.

Yup.

 

[slackerinabox]

Damn 2 hour round trip drive 3 with traffic? Wow is it that hard to find work locally? Thats a long ass commute. I guess they must be paying a good wage for that kind of commute.

I literally decided to try for a full-time job one week and got the job my first interview out - I honestly didn't explore my options but know that this market is less competitive than NYC (so it would be worth the commute). Also the $20k bonus that convinced me to take the job was not an annual one, but one split over 4 years, one $5k deposit deducted based on me negotiating for a higher base (meaning he's not really making a concession at all). He tricked me by wording it as an annual one initially ('your first year salary would be x+20k..' not 'you'll be making x with a 20k bonus split up over 4 years'). So 2 hour drive was worth it for a 20k bonus, not for no bonus year 1, and 5k bonus for the next 3 years, which would still be $20k+ less than the going rate for the title in my city. If that's confusing it's because he made the terms purposefully confusing and only disclosed those terms when I was signing a stack of new job papers. I accepted it then because of all the real world training promised, but they don't have an agenda, plan, or intention to actually train me. He sent me a googled link on accounting for dummies.. yay.. If I take a six month course in book keeping I'd learn more and earn more.

 

[slackerinabox]

Yup.

Yup. Thanks for the clarity guys.

 

[pauldun170]

6. He lied about the bonus structure. When I negotiated up his laughable initial offer he then deducted the compromise from my bonus, and did not tell me this until i saw it on the offer letter

I've worked at small companies and have NEVER minded helping out with things out of my job description. My problem is the laundry list of some pretty involved stuff (from multi day to week long projects). Unless he had me working 14 hour days, I don't see how I could do everything. he said i should be expected to stay late and was ok with that, but not when I have to stay late because I was working on a project not related to the career I want to build. if that's selfish, what's wrong with being a little selfish when it comes to careers? I understand your pro-employer corporate stance but sacrificing benefits my boss more than myself. My prior who I'll be replacing has been there for 32 years and drives a 98 nissan and still gets yelled at by the ceo like a bickering wife, I don't think loyalty would work in my favor.

Start job hunting.

 

[pauldun170]

Also the $20k bonus that convinced me to take the job was not an annual one, but one split over 4 years
...
He tricked me by wording it as an annual one initially ('your first year salary would be x+20k..' not 'you'll be making x with a 20k bonus split up over 4 years'). So 2 hour drive was worth it for a 20k bonus, not for
no bonus year 1,
and 5k bonus for the next 3 years

My guess is that you can expect zero bonus for year 1, zero bonus for year 2, a gift certificate to Arby's on year 3 and a $500 bonus on year 4.

 

[slackerinabox]

My guess is that you can expect zero bonus for year 1, zero bonus for year 2, a gift certificate to Arby's on year 3 and a $500 bonus on year 4.

I'm probably am in the minority on this one, but I love Arbys.. Regardless, my gut is that you're spot on. He had my prior bicker with the cable company for 40 minutes over a $3 fee increase - I suspect he's a nickle and dime sort and hoping for a raise in the future would be a bit naive.

 

[slackerinabox]

Job quit, his weird reaction - "I understand where you're coming from," as if he's aware that he was trying to screw me over... Oh well, plenty of fish...

 

[Genx87]

Job quit, his weird reaction - "I understand where you're coming from," as if he's aware that he was trying to screw me over... Oh well, plenty of fish...

Hahaha that is pretty much it. He was screwing you over and got called on it.

Anyways I hate to hear stories like yours. There are good employers out there. But the bad ones tarnish their name.

 

[purbeast0]

I have nothing to contribute other than that #8 alone would have made me not even consider even entertaining the company.

 

[purbeast0]

I've worked at small companies and have NEVER minded helping out with things out of my job description. My problem is the laundry list of some pretty involved stuff (from multi day to week long projects). Unless he had me working 14 hour days, I don't see how I could do everything. he said i should be expected to stay late and was ok with that, but not when I have to stay late because I was working on a project not related to the career I want to build. if that's selfish, what's wrong with being a little selfish when it comes to careers? I understand your pro-employer corporate stance but sacrificing benefits my boss more than myself. My prior who I'll be replacing has been there for 32 years and drives a 98 nissan and still gets yelled at by the ceo like a bickering wife, I don't think loyalty would work in my favor.

LOL @ the bolded. Another thing that would have me not even entertaining this job.

And LOL @ you being okay with it.