When I woke up this morning, I had an email in my inbox from one of the new guys here at GenTechs. He had viewed this blog and decided that he wanted to contribute his thoughts. So I thought I would let him use this as an outlet for his thoughts.
Fresh out of college with a degree in Engineering, I felt that the world was my oyster. I, Erwin Llewellyn had a good degree from a reputable university, and the job-market in my field was in my favor. With a smile on my face and a kick in my step, I crossed the threshold of the GenTechs entrance looking forward to the interview I was about to have with a man called Robert David. I had three more interviews that day, but I was looking forward to this one the most. My other interviews were with larger companies, Intel, Black and Decker, the Navy, but I was more interested in joining a start-up. I knew the salary would be a lot lower, but the invaluable experience and the opportunity to get in on the ground level far surpassed any 60K job those other guys could offer me.
Fresh out of college with a degree in Engineering, I felt that the world was my oyster. I, Erwin Llewellyn had a good degree from a reputable university, and the job-market in my field was in my favor. With a smile on my face and a kick in my step, I crossed the threshold of the GenTechs entrance looking forward to the interview I was about to have with a man called Robert David. I had three more interviews that day, but I was looking forward to this one the most. My other interviews were with larger companies, Intel, Black and Decker, the Navy, but I was more interested in joining a start-up. I knew the salary would be a lot lower, but the invaluable experience and the opportunity to get in on the ground level far surpassed any 60K job those other guys could offer me.
Robert David, an on first impression friendly man, welcomed me with a hearty smile and a strong handshake. He showed me around the labs of the company and introduced me to his (somewhat less enthusiastic) employees. One person in particular, I believe he was the finance guy or the marketing guy or something, was busy watching a movie on his iPod. I also noticed a lot of equipment covered in aluminum foil. I have no idea why a power supply needs to be covered in aluminum foil, but I assumed they had a good reason and decided not to think of it any further.
After showing me the labs we went down to the cafeteria for the actual interview. An HR representative, who later explained he was also a researcher, joined us at that point. It was nearly lunch time, but we ended up just buying a cup of coffee (Mr David gracefully paid for mine). The HR rep. was not as enthusiastic as Mr David, but did have actual questions to ask during the interview. For example, he talked about what I hoped to accomplish in the next five years, how I valued my college experience, and also the usual questions such as describing myself, etc. Mr David, on the other hand, kept asking me irrelevant questions, such as 'How would you break up a fight at the company' and 'On a scale from one to ten, where would you place the way you wear your hat?'. I think they were impressed, because the conversation shifted to compensation. The HR rep. kept repeating the values one attains from working at GenTechs, without going into any specifics on payroll and benefits. I realised why when Mr David made me an offer ($18/hour without benefits). This was in sharp contrast with the other companies where I had been offered more than double the pay, with benefits.
Amusingly, my undergraduate degree was in something quite different to what GenTechs does, but they still wanted me there. I saw a future in the company that I felt could give me some great experience, and perhaps I could even help them make the company larger. Combined, I felt my business and engineering knowledge could be put to good use at the company, and so I gave it a try (continuing the job search just in case). A few days later I walked through the door as a GenTechs employee.
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