So I had a job interview that went very well, however.

[88keys]

Last week I posted a resume (link) on a local recruitment website and had an interview last Friday.


The interview went well, but i was caught off guard in regards to what they are actually considering me for. This is a small shop that makes precision CNC components (which I have minimal experience with). One of the people I interviewed with used to be a manager at a former employer of mine which is an automotive supplier and also happens to be my first job in QA and in manufacturing in general. I started when I was 19 and worked there for almost 9 years and it happens to be where the bulk of my knowledge and experience comes from. Though we worked there at different times, we happen to have alot of mutual acquaintances, so we hit it off pretty good.

He gave me a tour of the facility and explained that they didn't have much of a Quality Management System in place and hence had no ISO certification and that they are looking for someone to roll this out along with the AS9000 certification which would certify them to manufacture parts in the aerospace market. He also explained that they have issues with their PCs running metrology software and interfacing with the hardware.
So to put it simply what they are looking for is a Quality Assurance Manager which pays about $80k/year on the low end. They are very close to MD where wages are higher and an abundance of defense contractors in a time when there are alot of positions opening up so we could very easily be talking 6 figures here. But they are a small business looking to grow, so it is understandable that they would seek a less than qualified, but competent person who can do the job for less. Not to mention that smaller outfits tend to value actual experience over college degrees.
As the interview went on, the conversation shifted in a way that sounded like I already had the job. They were explaining my first tasks, and describing the people I would be working with and such. This is when things started to settle in and I got a little bit of anxiety which I'm sure changed my composure a bit. I didn't have a nervous breakdown or anything, but I'm sure that I was noticeably caught off guard. I'm generally pretty good with interviews because I apply for positions that I know I'm capable of doing. I'm not the type of person who oversells himself simply because I can't.
To be sure they weren't thinking that I was trying to oversell myself I explained to them that I had no formal training (college) in this stuff, but assured them that I would take any steps needed to full my role and complete the necessary tasks. I didn't get any sense of disappointment and they began asking me about vacation time etc, and then finally my salary requirement. I paused for a bit, and I just went with my current wages at $50k/yr because I had (and still have) no clue what to ask for.

The interview was over at this point and they told me that they would contact me on Monday (didn't get a call or email, but I'll get back to that later). The whole thing has given me a sense of anxiety and excitement and I just have no clue what to think. I don't know if I hosed the interview at any point or if they clearly understood my capabilities. I also had a sneaking suspicion that the person primarily interviewing me may be less knowledgeable than myself in regards to Metrology and I know how that kind of disparity in knowledge can make people think a person is a guru when they are just better than average (just think of how your non computer savvy friends see you and how you see yourself). And then there is the aspect of this being a machine shop that makes precision components, a field in which my experience is limited. I saw some of the prints and I didn't see anything that would phase me, but I do know how crazy some prints can get and the level of skills needed to interpret them correctly and I would expect to see them in a place like this.

I could be blowing things out of proportion which I tend to do when I'm not in my comfort zone, but I've had alot of thoughts racing through my head all weekend, and I just don't know what to think or do. Debating calling them today, but felt it was better to wait until the end of the day tomorrow. It could be them trying to see whether I'm really interested. If they noticed my change in demeanor during the interview, they might think I was scared away and my salary demand was a sign of that. The primary interviewer could be contacting our mutual professional acquaintances which doesn't bother me, but I would expect this to take time because many of them are either retired or really close to it.
However despite all of my qualms, I fully understand how big of an opportunity this could be for me, and that I would be a complete fool for passing it up, even if I had to take a pay cut from my current job.

So I'm open to advice and suggestions from anyone here, because I feel like I'm lost.

 

[MrSquished]

if you knew the low end of the job position was 80K, why did you say 50K?

 

[Carson Dyle]

As the interview went on, the conversation shifted in a way that sounded like I already had the job.

Try not to get caught up in that. It's extraordinarily easy to do and I think many interviewers just find it easier to pretend you have the job and that's how they describe what your duties would be. How many times have you heard someone claim they nailed the interview, they loved me, etc.? And then no job offer.

If they don't call you, they're assholes that you wouldn't want to work for in any case. Yeah, if you don't hear from them, give them a call tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

[88keys]

if you knew the low end of the job position was 80K, why did you say 50K?

Like I said, I just had no idea what to say. Nobody actually said Quality Manager and I had no idea that's what I was interviewing for, but what they ask is an exact fit for that position. Knowing that I don't exactly meet the qualifications seriously makes me uncomfortable asking much more, especially from a small business. I still wouldn't know what the right answer to the question would be if I were asked again today.

 

[88keys]

Try not to get caught up in that. It's extraordinarily easy to do and I think many interviewers just find it easier to pretend you have the job and that's how they describe what your duties would be. How many times have you heard someone claim they nailed the interview, they loved me, etc.? And then no job offer.

If they don't call you, they're assholes that you wouldn't want to work for in any case. Yeah, if you don't hear from them, give them a call tomorrow or Wednesday.

Yeah, but I know alot of people who tend to be overconfident (i.e. "yeah that chick was totally into me!!" -- typical male behavior) and I'm not that person. I could be wrong, but my personal experience in interviews tells me that this kind of talk generally leads to some sort of offer.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Yeah, but I know alot of people who tend to be overconfident (i.e. "yeah that chick was totally into me!!" -- typical male behavior) and I'm not that person. I could be wrong, but my personal experience in interviews tells me that this kind of talk generally leads to some sort of offer.

I'm with you. I have a hard time overselling myself. I've seen the other side, and interviewed way too many of them. Took me a few years to detect the bullshit, I'm sorry to say, and I hired a number of sellers that weren't doers.

Not much you can do now, in any case. They either call you, or you call them. I don't think it's overstepping to call them in a day or two. I take it you haven't turned in your notice yet at your current job, so just chill out. You'll know soon enough.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Order them all lunch...such as Pizza to make them happy!!

 

[zCypher]

It's hard to say based on the info, especially that I can't relate to that field. But it sounds like you passed a good interview, but possibly lowballed yourself if you're right about what type of position it really is. They should be able to clarify what the actual role/title is though no? If the low end for that role is $80k, it might be OK for your answer to the "what's your salary requirement" to be less than $80k, but I feel like $50k is just way too much lower and may work against you. I hope I'm wrong though! Good luck.

 

[Carson Dyle]

If the question was whether you "low balled yourself" by stating your salary requirements, I feel pretty confident that THERE IS NO SUCH THING.

Like "Here's Josie Dumblefuck" from Iowa and all he wants is $50k!!! Can you believe it? We pay these guys $90k out of high school. What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

Never happened. EVER.

 

[88keys]

If the question was whether you "low balled yourself" by stating your salary requirements, I feel pretty confident that THERE IS NO SUCH THING.

Like "Here's Josie Dumblefuck" from Iowa and all he wants is $50k!!! Can you believe it? We pay these guys $90k out of high school. What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

Never happened. EVER.

There is even the possibility of offering training which may be needed to get me up to speed on all of the fine details of the ISO9001/AS9000 certification process. The certification process in itself is a big task because it would greatly expand their business opportunities as many customers won't do business with a company without these certifications. It would be a MAJOR career milestone for me if I am successful in making that happen. Getting a company ISO9001/AS9000 certified is something that people in this field would kill to have on their resume.

The thing is that alot of this stuff is really not that complicated. It's people who make it complicated and create unnecessary paperwork which somebody needs to maintain and control, and having alot of this crap floating around inevitably bites you in the ass when the auditor comes. Generally speaking, it should be easy for anyone who fluently understands the manufacturing processes, the certification criteria, and has good communication/writing skills.

 

[Murloc]

there are several mistakes in the resume so I'd correct them before using it again.

Even if you possibly low-balled yourself, considering it's a small business maybe they wouldn't have been able to pay someone much more and maybe that's the reason they're not hiring someone who has already done this stuff, so maybe you didn't actually low-ball yourself much.
You can always ask for or jump away to higher wages after you put this on the CV, how long would it take anyway?

 

[iroast]

If the average for QA Manager in your area is 80K/yr, that's for someone with experience. If they offer the job to you, say that you would accept the job, but say that you didn't know what the starting salary was for such a position. Request $65-$70k to start and once you've finished your training, you can renegotiate your salary based on your performance and certification.

Something like that.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

If the average for QA Manager in your area is 80K/yr, that's for someone with experience. If they offer the job to you, say that you would accept the job, but say that you didn't know what the starting salary was for such a position. Request $65-$70k to start and once you've finished your training, you can renegotiate your salary based on your performance and certification.

Something like that.

I'd go with this as well.

On a personal anecdote, I once had a job interview for a 'systems administrator' position. Wasn't sure what it was for (that's what the first interview was going to be covering for my end of things), but wanted to find out so applied/got interviewed. It ended up being for a storage admin, which I have some, but frankly limited experience with. My 'interview' was with some higher-up who had no real knowledge of what I'd be working on, except for who I'd be working with. He proceeded to spend a half hour talking about his family, and how great things are in VA before finally giving me a verbal phone offer. I literally had no opportunity to even talk to him about what experience I have in storage administration. Could had my cat take that interview and get the job for all I put into that phone call.

 

[88keys]

there are several mistakes in the resume so I'd correct them before using it again.

Would you mind pointing them out?

 

[88keys]

I'd go with this as well.

On a personal anecdote, I once had a job interview for a 'systems administrator' position. Wasn't sure what it was for (that's what the first interview was going to be covering for my end of things), but wanted to find out so applied/got interviewed. It ended up being for a storage admin, which I have some, but frankly limited experience with. My 'interview' was with some higher-up who had no real knowledge of what I'd be working on, except for who I'd be working with. He proceeded to spend a half hour talking about his family, and how great things are in VA before finally giving me a verbal phone offer. I literally had no opportunity to even talk to him about what experience I have in storage administration. Could had my cat take that interview and get the job for all I put into that phone call.

Yeah, sometimes being liked is all it takes to get in the door.... Happens everyday and far more often than it should. I spoke to them over the phone today and they explained that they were still evaluating things and that I'd hear from them toward the end of the week. I suppose this means that I'm still in consideration and if I were to make an educated guess, I'd say that they are looking over options, and evaluating costs, etc. As I said earlier, a qualified person to do this job won't be cheap and your only other option aside from that is a remote consulting service in which case you would need someone on the receiving end who knows this stuff well enough to have it all put together. I do know that if I were in their shoes that I would be thinking this over very thoroughly because these certifications are very important and for all I know they could have a pending contract that that depends on this.


As for the timeframe, I would say that ISO9001 alone is probably about 6 months or so in most cases. Small business could take less time though. But I really am not sure about the latter certification, AS9000. To put it simply, these certifications are just augmentations of the ISO standard that are geared to specific manufacturing fields and are often very similar to one another. AS9000 is for aerospace, TS16949 (the one I'm familiar with) is for automotive. At the end of the day, it's a checks and balances system focusing on proper documentation, verification, and traceability. TS16949 (and I would assume AS9000) focuses heavily on traceability. Whenever there is automotive recall, the TS16949 standard is what allows them to specifically pinpoint which vehicles have that defect. That in essence is why these certifications are so important because many of them are intertwined with federal and international laws and so many big corporations aren't comfortable doing business with companies without these certifications.

If the timeframe for AS9000 is anything like TS16949, it could very well be a few years before it's all said and done.

 

[Svnla]

First of all, never never ever give out the exact salary, ONLY the range from x to y plus benefits.

Secondly, the QS/ISO9000 certification is not hard. It is mostly about how you (manufacturing firms) do businesses from step 1 to 2 to 3 and so on and not step 1 then 3, then 2 ie. you must follow the same processes over and over and over again, how you control those processes and how you control the documentations of those processes, and all of your parts must be within specs (not easy if your parts are outsources from different vendors). It is not rocket science. I was the QS/ISO9000 Champion for a very large well know manufacturer and we did pass with flying color (2nd place in all of our locations).

It is up to them if they think you will fit within their company. Live and learn.

 

[88keys]

First of all, never never ever give out the exact salary, ONLY the range from x to y plus benefits.

Secondly, the QS/ISO9000 certification is not hard. It is mostly about how you (manufacturing firms) do businesses from step 1 to 2 to 3 and so on and not step 1 then 3, then 2 ie. you must follow the same processes over and over and over again, how you control those processes and how you control the documentations of those processes, and all of your parts must be within specs. It is not rocket science. I was the QS/ISO9000 Champion for a very large well know manufacturer and we did pass with flying color (2nd place in all of our locations).

It is up to them if they think you will fit within their company. Live and learn.

QS9000.... I was trying to remember what we had before TS16949. I was just getting into QA during the transition over to TS, so I don't specifically recall how they differed from each other. My specific recollection is just greater emphasis on cross referencing documents, objective evidence, etc.The company I now work for got their TS certification last year. Didn't play a large role in that, but I remember from the meetings that they initially got a "provisional" (don't know if that's the right word) certification of sorts and they had a specific in which they had to make certain improvements before they got their "non-provisional" TS certification. In hindsight, the fact that it took a few years might be because of mis-management. In the midst of all of this, our QA Director was let go and a new one was hired. Our new QA director had us strip out alot of the documentation in favor of a more basic and direct system which proved to be successful with the auditors.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Would you mind pointing them out?

Dude, just go read your original thread about your resume.

Someone pointed out SEVERAL mistakes in your updated resume. Doesn't your MS word show the little red squiggly line under misspelled words? How do you just avoid those?

 

[Drako]

there are several mistakes in the resume so I'd correct them before using it again.

Would you mind pointing them out?

Dude, just go read your original thread about your resume.

Someone pointed out SEVERAL mistakes in your updated resume. Doesn't your MS word show the little red squiggly line under misspelled words? How do you just avoid those?

LMAO

Attention to detail.

 

[Murloc]

intuitivly
acheieve
acheivements (this one is written bigly too)
improvments
detetction
etc without a period (not 100% sure about this one and it's a style issue more than a spelling one)
is sufficive a common synonym of sufficient? I only found a mention as rare and nonstandard on wiktionary and nowhere else.
calender
oppurtunities

I don't want to offend but the density of errors, their type (phonetic, write-it-as-you-say-it kind of mistakes) and the repetition of some of them would give me doubts about your ability to write correct text, especially because a CV is supposed to have been reread multiple times given its importance in making a good first impression.
The weird part is that your posts in this thread have none of these mistakes, actually they have no mistakes that I can see at all despite it being more text than what is in your CV, and you even wrote improvement without skipping the "e" despite making this error twice in the CV. Reading this thread I'd trust you to reliably write correct text.
How can something like this happen?

 

[88keys]

Thanks, I've been looking at my pdf file, not seeing these mistakes, but I finally looked at the posted image and I think I know what happened.

I usually go about things a bit differently when I write things of this nature. I generally will write things as they come with an emphasis on carefully chosen words, and my typing gets sloppy as a result. So in this case, the final step is to tidy up the errors, typos, etc. Given the fact that I started out with censored version using the fake names/workplaces/addresses (this was to show the overall framework to get a better feel for the layout choices) I, in all likelihood captured the image with the fake info along with the spelling mistakes for sharing and then fixed them after the fact.


As for the sufficive/sufficient thing... It's not THAT uncommon, but I tend to favor the former in that context. However, I did not know that there was a debate on whether it should be recognized as a word. That being said, it's not the only non-word that I use. I say and write 'alot' all the time. I know that it isn't a word and I really don't care because nobody else seems to care and we use it all the time. Going off topic here, but the English language is filled with non and improperly used words that sooner or later find their way into acceptance. The word "like" was never intended be mean "similar to" and I think that was a fairly recent change if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Carson Dyle]

As for the sufficive/sufficient thing... It's not THAT uncommon, but I tend to favor the former in that context. However, I did not know that there was a debate on whether it should be recognized as a word. That being said, it's not the only non-word that I use.

I haven't looked at your resume, but you've gotta be fucking kidding. You don't think the use of "non-words" might be suspect? SMH.

Did they ever call you back?

 

[SearchMaster]

First of all, never never ever give out the exact salary, ONLY the range from x to y plus benefits.

Secondly, the QS/ISO9000 certification is not hard. It is mostly about how you (manufacturing firms) do businesses from step 1 to 2 to 3 and so on and not step 1 then 3, then 2 ie. you must follow the same processes over and over and over again, how you control those processes and how you control the documentations of those processes, and all of your parts must be within specs (not easy if your parts are outsources from different vendors). It is not rocket science. I was the QS/ISO9000 Champion for a very large well know manufacturer and we did pass with flying color (2nd place in all of our locations).

It is up to them if they think you will fit within their company. Live and learn.

I've always thought a range was dumb too. If you're going to buy a used car, and the guy says "yeah I was thinking of selling this car for $5000-$7000", are you going to offer him $7000? No, you'll offer him $5000 (or less).

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Want ot make real money?

Come up with your own certification process for an industry that doesn't have one. Then be the only company that can certify! That's where the money is at!

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Want ot make real money?

Come up with your own certification process for an industry that doesn't have one. Then be the only company that can certify! That's where the money is at!

You joke, I had an idea back in '07 to come up with a BS cert program to sell the Govt on to make phat cash. Then a few years later I heard about ITIL...