Got job, go to more interviews?

Tails142

Okay I'm looking for a little advice please.

I recently was finishing up a fixed term contract so I applied to a number of public sector jobs. Anyway, I succeeded and got a job with Department A - A for anonymous.

Now I've been working there for three weeks and I'm pretty sure I like it. Staff are pretty progressive as far as public sector goes and it seems reasonably upbeat.

However, I have since been contacted by another government department asking if I wanted to attend an interview for them.

This job pays slightly better, 34k versus 31k, but the work is more technical and more based on what I did my degree on. (Engineering based) If I ever want to do the work that Job B entails I will need to do it now, as if I want to do it in the future I will more than likely have to take a paycut due to lack of experience.

The work I'm doing now, while engineering based, is not in the same field. Bascially, if I continue on in my current job, I'll become unemployable in my main degree field. The work I'm doing now is so specialised that its unlikely I'll be able to move out of my current department, or at least the public sector for the rest of my career.

Now, obviously the advice will come that I should do as many interviews as possible to gain experience at them, and if I do get offered the job then I can mull it over at that stage. Unfortunately its not that simple as the Department I'm working in used to be a part of the Department that want to interview me, so its highely likely that the senior managers who will interview me will know my current senior management, or its even possible that my senior manager could be on the interview panel. So it could get back to my current manager that I'm attending other interviews and thinking of jumping ship. This could be detrimental as he might be hesitant to put me in charge of long spanning projects which could run over 4 years or more.

I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for me to attend for an interview so soon after being recruited and may hamper future relations.

So, I'm looking for advice... what would you do? Attend for interview and risk offending your new employer, or stick where you are for a year or so and then decide if you want to move on?

BillyGoatGruff

My advice would be simply to talk to your current manager if he is approachable and tell him your situation. Explain that you love the job you are currently in but that this will give you better opportunities in furthering your career. If he has any managerial skills he will see where you are coming from and should reflect well on you. (he should see it as you be determined to move up the chain)

BC

Do the interview - see if you get the job and then make a decision based on that.

growler

BillyGoatGruff wrote: »

My advice would be simply to talk to your current manager if he is approachable and tell him your situation. Explain that you love the job you are currently in but that this will give you better opportunities in furthering your career. If he has any managerial skills he will see where you are coming from and should reflect well on you. (he should see it as you be determined to move up the chain)

exactly, talk to your manager explain the situation, you're only there 3 weeks so your not that vital to the organisation ..yet .. and / or talk to the other department that want to interview you and explain the situation to them, if they all know each other then they may be able to sort out the politics between them, if the feedback from either suggests a possible sh1tstorm them you're in a tough spot, if you don't tell either of them and get offered the job you're still going to leave a burning bridge behind you which may come back to haunt you one day.

AARRRGH

Difficult choice, but I think you should go for the interview. Opportunities should always be explored, imo...