> -----Original Message-----
> From: celiacurtis [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, July 29, 2002 8:35 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: Accepting a position
>
>
> I also had people (from the private sector) suggest that I take the first
> job and then leave if a better one came along. I would emphatically
> recommend AGAINST any such thing. The museum community is too small to
> burn
> your bridges like that. But, you probably already know that.
>
> Celia Curtis
> [log in to unmask]
>
I had a dilemma with this, where I was interviewing for my first position
out of grad school.  I accepted the only job offered to me, but expressed,
at the time, the worry that this would be a very difficult job for a
first-timer like myself.  They agreed it would be, but had no other
applicants they were considering, and between the two of us, I was persuaded
into thinking I could handle it.  Three weeks before I was to start, a much
better first job opened up, which was an entry-level spot, paid better, had
better benefits, and offered a better "support system" for somebody who had
a lot of learning still to do.  I asked my mentor, and other people in the
museum field, whether or not I could in good conscience, back out of the
original acceptance. They all agreed that the first job wouldn't be the best
place for me, and that there was no particular shame in having to retract my
acceptance.  I phoned up and did so, and proceeded to get a half-hour of
being lectured as to how I was a bad person.  Basically, it was an
all-around scolding.  Apparently the possibility of notifying their other
few candidates that the position had reopened was simply not acceptable to
them - they would have to readvertise, I had openly humiliated them, etc.

I cried for two hours, and then proceeded to begin employment at the second,
"better fit" job, and I haven't regretted my decision yet.  Yes, I probably
burned a bridge - I'm sure I'm still a story that gets told around the first
company.  But the worst decision I made was accepting a job where I would be
far over my head, and the only way to rectify that bad decision was to
retract that acceptance.    Sometimes, you have to take care of yourself.  I
know now that had I taken the first position, I would probably have been
miserable and ready to quit within the first month.  They have since found
somebody perfect for them, so in the end, things did all work out.

Arrgh, the pitfalls of the job search...

Genevieve

Genevieve Ellerbee
Associate Registrar
DAR Museum
Washington, D.C.

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).