Sitting here twiddling my thumbs...

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Contract to hire is about all I have been able to find.  Just about every company is shy of making a permanent committment so they do a "test drive" of you for 6 months before hiring.  Costs them a few bucks more up front but it's a lot cheaper than having to fire someone later on.  Good luck--keep looking and you'll find something direct-hire in time.

Greg

Greg, I feel your pain.  This contract-to-hire phenom is a sea change in the corporate world.  Really good companies seldom hire IT folks directly anymore; it's a bit of a 'try before you buy' for them with a carrot and stick for the contractor.  The premier companies I've interviewed with (two fortune 15's, and a fortune 100) ALL do that.  I took a position with one of them, and I'm currently a contractor.  It's the lay of the land, ESPECIALLY in RTP, Birmingham, Knoxville/Oak Ridge, or any area with large #'s of college grads who come and want to stay.  If you made the move for your wife and know that's the priority, take the $22/hr contract job for now.  Be happy.  Keep looking AFTER you get settled.

P.S. and see my sigline.

[TarpleyG]

If I could get the $22/hr job to call me back (call my recruiter back really), I'd be all over it.  No response as of yet though.  I really felt good about the interview too.

Greg

[TarpleyG]

I dredging this back up because I got some bittersweet news today.

Yesterday, I approached my boss about the possibility of doing what I do remotely, from NC, since I no longer have direct reports and what needs to get done can get done anywhere.  He was on board with the idea but needed to check with the big boss.  Well, she said no way so there goes that idea.

I the asked my boss if he would give me some time to go ahead and move and look for a job (since looking for one 800 miles away apparently doesn't work) and he said sure, no problem...take a month or two and do what you have to do and he'd even give me my two weeks of vacation that I have accrued ths far even though I already took 6 days or so of that.  Pretty generous.  I would still have to work remotely in the interim transitioning my resposibilities to a new-hire and help find that new-hire so I won't be bored.

So now I have to drive to Raleigh on Saturday and pretty much leave my near 10 year job behind and find someting new.  It's a scary proposition but not nearly as scary as what I was prepared to do--leave anyway on Saturday with no new job and quitting this one.

One question I had was should I get all this in writing from him?  He's a new boss to me but he seems like a stand-up guy and I have yet to hear of him not meeting his end of any bargains with anyone else.  I don't want to seem ungrateful because they could just let me go.

Greg

[TarpleyG]

Just an update for all...

I landed a contract-to-perm job (answering a "want ad" BTW) at NetApp.  I start on the 26th.  They seem like a great bunch of folks and it's a good company with a solid track record.  Hourly rate is a LOT better than the other job I was looking at last month (which was filled incidently...they finally called me back).

I went on 3 actual interviews over the course of 6 months.  One was the original job from my original post.  The other two were at NetApp and were offered only after I actually moved to NC from FL.  I had 2 phone interviews last week as well.  One was the NetApp job I was offered and another one from a pharm. co.  I was supposed to go on an interview there this week but cancelled because it didn't pay nearly as well and I had an offer.

So, there it is.  If you are looking for a job, start early and you may have to take that leap and move knowing good and well that you could be faced with unemployment for a spell.  That was the worst part of it--not knowing if I'd be waiting tables and working retail trying to pay the bills.

Greg

[K Frame]

Tarpley,

That's GREAT news! Congrats!

I got one job on a contract to perm basis.

Looking for a job when the pressure is on does suck. In fact, I think the only thing that sucks worse is knowing your relationship is imploding and there's nothing you can do about it except watch and wait.

Is NetAp the company?

[TarpleyG]

NetApp is the company I will be working at and Volt is the staffing company.

Greg

[Mannlicher]

Tarpley, I would not hesitate to make contact.  I full well know the angst that waiting for that call can bring.

heh, I guess I should have read all the way through.  DUH!!

at any rate, congrats on a successful ending