6 month review 4

[ttuterry]

So my boss just comes to me and tells me that he would like to talk to me before the end of the week about my being with the company for 6 months. This is my first job out of college, and to put it simple, i do not like it. I am the ONLY Civil Engineer here. There are Mechanical and Electrical's but i never work with them. There are only a few PE's here (i think 6), but I haven't had the opportunity to work with them and not sure if i ever would. I do have goals of being a PE. Another thing is that i hate the town I live in. I have been looking for other jobs in other locations, although i have only sent in one resume so far. It just hit me by surprise when my boss came up to me today. He said that we would talk about what I have done so far, and the future. So should i be honest with him and tell him how i feel about everything? I obviously don't want to do that but I can't tell him I plan on being here another 6 months or a year, because I don't plan on being here that long. I was thinking maybe telling him I am exploring other opportunities because I don't work under the direct supervision of PE's. Hell, even my boss isn't a PE...Well if anyone has some advice i would appreciate it! Thanks.

 

[MadMango]

Tell him about your desires within the company and your goals, your desire to achieve PE. Do not mention that you are looking external to the company unless you really want a lot of free time to look for that other job.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[TStaples]

ttuterry,

You need to be tactful how you approach this with your boss. If you are as abrupt with him as you indicated in your post, you might be shown the door; either today, or in the near future. You need to voice your concerns in a more positive manner. You want to communicate to your boss your desire to gain PE registration, and he may be able to adjust your work assignments to assist with that. You need to voice your concerns, and you might be surprised to see some changes, where feasible.

A 6 month review is a 2-way street. Your boss will use it as a means to provide you with project feedback, constructive criticism, etc . . .. You need to do the same, but it won't be constructive if it comes across as "whining." I suspect that if your feelings are that strong about the work environment, that your boss (assuming he/she has some people skills) already has sensed that, and may even want to discuss how that may be impacting your work.

It's all about attitude. If you have a negative attitude, it usually comes across to others, even if it's only subtle. Even if you have decided to move along, you need to demonstrate a positive, professional attitude towards your work, so long as you want to continue accepting that paycheck!


-Tony Staples

http://www.tscombustion.com

 

[ctopher]

Forget the end of the week ... let's talk now!
Your boss!

Chris
SolidWorks 07 2.2/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 02-10-07)

 

[nise56]

I don't think that you need to say that you're looking for opportunities else where until you have a job offer in writing or at least lined up a second interview, then give two weeks notice. If you are hating your job now it might make it worse (resentment on their part). Use the review to let them know in a professional manner how you are feeling. It might make work environment a little better until you find something else.
I thought I was doing horrible and was ready to leave too (remember my thread "getting the hang of things" you responded to). After my review I realized that I was on track, not at the point I would personally like to be at, but was meeting and exceeding my supervisors expectations. It turned things around for me. I still get frustrated and overwhelmed but like they told me at work and this website just keep asking questions and nobody expects me to know everything.

 

[michfan]

Unless you have a nice comfy cushion in the bank to live off of if you lose your job, I wouldn't say a word about looking for a new job. What time you remain with the company could be hellish if you do say anything. You don't need to lie about liking every part of your job, but you don't need to go into your review being all doom and gloom either.

Ethical considerations aside, this is a tough economy right now and you are lucky to have a job. I know a lot of college educated people who are working in video stores, supermarkets, etc. and falling further and further behind because that is all they can find for work right now.

That said, if you aren't happy, you should always be looking to better your situation.

And it is much, much easier to find a job if you already have one.

Just like winning the lotto, you can't win if you don't play. You won't find a job if you don't send out resumes.

Start by putting your res up on the big boards - monster, careerbuilder, etc. That's easy and doesn't require much effort. I get 3-4 emails a week, still, about potential positions. You never know what will come in your email. You can hide your current position and contact info so your boss won't find out you are looking. You hate the town where you live? So search out jobs in other towns. Go online to the yellowpages and search for civil firms in a town you do like, and go buy a box of resume paper. You need to start somewhere.

As to your six-month review, keep it positive. Let your boss set the tone - you don't want to go in with a whine in your voice and a bad attitude. Your boss will want to know how things are going, so start with what you like about the job. Say something good, and then say "and I'd love to do more like that because that is one of the best things about my job..." Again, you don't have to lie - keep it honest, but positive. I ended up with a 10% raise after my first review and I believe it's because I agreed that I'd like more responsibility and I kept the review positive. My boss was a schmuck and the work sucked, but after that things really improved. At 11 months, my salary was up 15% from where I started and I had two people working under me by that point. You just don't know where you might go in the company if you show the interest, and you may never know if you start things out negatively.

When he gets to the part about what you don't like, stay positive no matter what! You could say something like, "well, eventually I'd like to get my P.E. and I'm a little worried about how that will work since I'm not working under a P.E. What would you suggest I could do in order to make my efforts here count as experience?" Get the conversation started on a positive bend and don't mention leaving the company - you haven't made any definite plans yet, so why open that door until you have to?

If the review goes well and you get a raise, you may decide you want to stay with the company a little longer. If it doesn't go well, you can start putting a little more effort into your job search and you will still have a job (and probably a little more money) while you do.

Your boss isn't a mind reader. Let him know what you like, enthusiastically! Let him know what you would like to see changed (no P.E.? Maybe he knows someone outside of the company who will mentor you and provide you with the supervision you need for your P.E. experience) and let him help you with that.

If he completely blows you off, despite you showing interest in a future with the company, then push your job search to the top of your priority list. But don't get fired til you find something!

Good luck with the review. Be grateful you are even getting feedback so fast - the last few places I've worked have no review system at all.

You are going to work at good places and at rotten places throughout your career - but a lot of it will depend on your own attitude.

 

[futebol3]

I had to corner my boss at 1 year and basically request an annual review. Its nearly two years since I've started and there has been absolutely no one else who even got a review. I was the first in the company history and probably the last to actually get a review.

At least feel lucky that you have a boss who is motivated to talk with you on a periodic basis (I only communicate with my boss once a week through emails...fun).

Anyway, as everyone else has said, stay positive. It does no good to even go down the negative route. I learned that one, too.

I recently came across a book that has helped me drastically with corporate politics, which is essentially what a review comes down to: Conduct Expected by William Lareau. Its an easy read, costs $15 on Amazon and lays out a lot of ideas on how to handle yourself and not get fired especially if you do not enjoy your job. Its very helpful for those right out of school on their first real job.

Something else, a lot of people have told me that you should try to hold down a job for at least 2 years. This demonstrates to future employers that you wont jump ship early even if it gets tough. Jobs arent fun and most of the time we dont get to work on what we want, but having solid experience pays off big in the end.

Good luck.

 

[michfan]

Exactly. If it were fun, it would be call "fun" and not "work". I agree with the 2-year rule. It's hard explaining why you want to leave after 3 months on the job by saying "I don't fit in" or "I don't agree with how they do things". Sorta makes you look like trouble... I'm going thru that right now. I want to leave - they do things here that are really questionable - but I'm more afraid of what my next interviewer might say as to why can't you hold down a job for more than 3 months?

I once went 22 weeks without talking to my boss. I was at a jobsite and I probably got 2 or 3 emails from him during that entire time. I also got reamed by him at my next review, so even a good first review can lead to a 2nd (or later...) bad review. You won't be the same you in a few years - you will have more knowledge and a better understanding of how things work at your work. Some people even develop tact and learn to get their point across to their boss without blowing their lid, yelling, crying, or hitting something. And some of us just sit and seethe, knowing we could do such a better job at it then they are!

Another good book is "How to Work for An Idiot". I got that off Amazon, too.

 

[clandry]

"this is a tough economy right now and you are lucky to have a job. I know a lot of college educated people who are working in video stores, supermarkets, etc. and falling further and further behind because that is all they can find for work right now."

ttuterry-

If you like heat and humidity, South Louisiana is ABSOLUTELY BEGGING for civil/ structural engineers- no matter your level of experience. You will probably get a nice raise, and I am hearing of companies giving a signing bonus, relocation expenses and housing allowances. These are large corporations dealing mainly in the chemical and refining industry, as well as small local firms doing smaller projects for the same clients. I guarantee you will be able to find a new career path within a month...

I am speaking from experience. I changed jobs at the first of the year and ended up being in the middle of a bidding war between two small firms. I ended up getting about a 20% raise with much better benefits.