At a crossroads between choosing jobs

[Winzer]

So I was originally interviewed by a massive Telecommunications company. I made it to the final round that
composed of me and another candidate. They chose the other candidate over me. About 4 months later I was hired by another company; not exactly in my field. I really like this company since it is small and I am
involved in every aspect of the projects we work on -- the pay could be better. About 2 days ago this Telecom. company calls me out of nowhere; they are interested in offering me a job. Apparently, the candidate they chose didn't work out for them.

I am at a crossroads. The Telecom company offers much larger pay, benefits, diverse stock options, a big name, and products that have a reputation around the world. My company is small, has considerable lower pay, and no stock options. However, the people the employees their have really grown on me, even though it has only been 3 months. I would feel somewhat bad telling my manager that I am going elsewhere, since he invested his time training me.

At the same time I am still a little bitter about being turned down by that Telecom company; I hold nasty grudges. I feel like I am in the perfect situation to say "NO" to them. Actually expanding the word NO into some nasty expletives would be rather satisfying.

I guess it all comes down to what I value. Obviously I am looking to vent my thoughts out and see if anyone else has been in this situation, what they chose to do, why, and what was the outcome.

 

[StatGuy2000]

I am not certain how much experience you have in your field, but given that you have only been with your current employer for 3 months, I would recommend against leaving immediately, as this may indeed reflect poorly on you not only in the eyes of your current employer, but on future employers as well (this would not apply to summer internships, of course).

Of course, the decision to leave will depend considerably on how stable your current job is (i.e. how profitable is the current company you are employed in, any rumours regarding potential layoffs, etc.)

My general advice would be to stay with your current employer for at least 6 months to perhaps 1 year before considering leaving, as this would more likely burnish your resume.

One other piece of advice -- if you decide to turn down the offer from the other Telecom company, make sure you do so in as courteous a manner as possible, and do not under any circumstances vent or use expletives, no matter how much you may be tempted to do so. Burning down bridges is always a very bad idea!