Career Questions for Experienced Actuaries

[ditkaworshipper]

Originally Posted by eagles418

Come'on you can't be serious, right? Goskins202 is obviously an alt of a frequent poster:
(i.) He had a business-like writing style with a good array of buzz words; a little too good for an astronomy major.
(ii.) He hit up on practically every frequently argued topic on AO; again, a little too good for an astronomy major.
(iii.) Do you read post number ones from college kids? Most of the time they look like confused text messages.
(iv.) The user name: goskins202 --> Redskins --> Donovan McNabb --> Eagles --> eagles418 --> another jackass poster people love to hate. It's a little too obvious for me. Fyi, the OP is not me.

possibly, but I don't think so.
i) No offense, but the business side is your weakness, so your relative knowledge of buzz words/industry knowledge to exam rate is pretty low. If you're around business all the time with your family, you know what to look for.
ii) fair point
iii) If you look at my first post, it was perfect grammar. Some people are inclined towards keeping everything professional.
iv) eagles418=goskins202? No, he's too much the opposite. It would be too obvious.

[goskins202]

Greetings, fellow actuaries. I've been very busy lately - both interviewing and studying for exam FM/2. Despite the frustration of several flaky interviews where I was not called back, I have managed to procure two entry level offers!!

The first offer is for an annuity-related position and is in a very desirable location. It unfortunately does not pay as well as offer #2 and the prescribed exam raises are considerably lower to boot. The second offer, while the salary is higher, is in a valuation role that I think would not be as interesting.

The question is this; earlier this week I sent a counter-offer to offer #1 expressing my desire for a slightly higher starting salary in light of COL and moving considerations. I did not mention the less-than-competitive exam raise structure. It is now several days later and I have not heard back from HR or the hiring manager. I am due to give an answer for offer #2 by tomorrow afternoon!!

What can I do to clear up this situation? Should I call the hiring manager at offer #1 or should I ask for more time from offer #2?

Thanks in advance.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Originally Posted by goskins202

Greetings, fellow actuaries. I've been very busy lately - both interviewing and studying for exam FM/2. Despite the frustration of several flaky interviews where I was not called back, I have managed to procure two entry level offers!!

The first offer is for an annuity-related position and is in a very desirable location. It unfortunately does not pay as well as offer #2 and the prescribed exam raises are considerably lower to boot. The second offer, while the salary is higher, is in a valuation role that I think would not be as interesting.

The question is this; earlier this week I sent a counter-offer to offer #1 expressing my desire for a slightly higher starting salary in light of COL and moving considerations. I did not mention the less-than-competitive exam raise structure. It is now several days later and I have not heard back from HR or the hiring manager. I am due to give an answer for offer #2 by tomorrow afternoon!!

What can I do to clear up this situation? Should I call the hiring manager at offer #1 or should I ask for more time from offer #2?

Thanks in advance.

I think these negotiations are more effective if nothing's written down until agreed upon. Nothing like evidence of your attitude toward money in your permanent HR file for seven or so years.
Call them, tell them the situation.

[goskins202]

What do you mean, Dr T Non-Fam? Are you implying that my negotiation will be taken to represent greediness and that will go into some sort of HR file?? I guess I assumed it would be taken more as evidence of the seriousness with which I am taking the offers.

I just left the hiring manager a voicemail and described the particulars of my time crunch - he already knows of the offer, but not the time frame of my required decision. I'm hopeful I will hear back by tomorrow morning.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Originally Posted by goskins202

What do you mean, Dr T Non-Fam? Are you implying that my negotiation will be taken to represent greediness and that will go into some sort of HR file?? I guess I assumed it would be taken more as evidence of the seriousness with which I am taking the offers.

Yes, definitely one of those two. It depends on the HR rep, which you and I don't know that well.
It's all a matter of how you present yourself, which I don't know as much as you do.
It's one job or the other. Better than none at all.

[tommie frazier]

can you ask? sure. they should know your timeframe. they might not consider your problem as their problem at all-they might have a viable fallback in place, bc I hear that entry level jobs are hard to find these days and ones in desirable locations might have a bunch of good people applying.

it could be taken as evidnce that you are taking the offers seriously-but it could also be taken as you just not getting it. i mean, what are talking about in terms of difference in starting salary? and a more desirable location is more...desirable from what I hear. and a valuations job is, well, potentially tedious as all hell from what I hear.

so weight these things carefully.

[JMM773]

i'm in valuation and i love it.

good for u for getting 2 offers, ya bas-tard!

no really, i don't like the way you presented yourself on here, but a congrats is in order for getting multiple offers!

[Vorian Atreides]

Accept offer #2. You most likely burned a bridge with #1.

Counteroffer for an entry-level position? What do you bring to the table that makes you any better than the next candidate in line? How do you prove it? You're apparently clueless about the current employment climate.

[goskins202]

So offer #1 has come back with their own clever counter-offer. Instead of giving the salary increase I requested, they countered with a slight salary increase plus a small "signing bonus" that I think is for the moving expenses. HR also indicated to me that this was "as high as they can go" both in terms of salary and bonus.

I really prefer offer #1, but HR today seemed very pushy regarding my start date. They want me to start ASAP, and HR lady seemed to balk slightly at my request to start in two weeks!! I still have to find a place to live and move. A short time frame seems to increase my moving costs substantially as I would likely not be afforded the time to coordinate a moving effort amongst my friends, instead having to hire professional movers. Additionally, I have an exam coming up and while the material is super easy (FM), I feel the stress of a hasty move could affect my outcome.

In general, are companies flexible on start date? They aren't going to rescind an offer if I ask for an extra week to move are they? I think that a few of you may be right that they are slightly annoyed that I'm not a pushover entry-level candidate and speak up for myself and what's best for me. I don't think I'm out of line here.

[Force of Interest]

Originally Posted by goskins202

I'm not a pushover entry-level candidate and speak up for myself and what's best for me. I don't think I'm out of line here.

You just answered your own question