The Interview

The interview is over. My trip to Pennsylvania lasted 39 hours from take off in Idaho Falls to touch down in Idaho Falls.

And the results of the interview really surprised me. But, before I get into that, it is important to say what happened in the week or two before the interview.

When I first found out they wanted to fly me in, Michelle and I took a good amount of time researching the amount of money they would have to pay us to move back. It took us a while, but we came up with a number, and added some on top of that. It was the "cake and ice cream" salary. We prayed about that number feeling it was an honest assessment.

The Westinghouse headquarters is huge. The drive up to the building reminded me of a college campus... trees and hills on both sides of the "driveway", which was about a mile long. The building is black glass. Huge foyer and waiting area. Everyone dressed really nice.

I was asked 5 questions in the interview. Surprised? I was. They weren't questions, really... more like "tell us of an experience where you did...." kind of questions. It took 45 minutes. Then I asked about 15 minutes worth of questions, and they booted me out of the conference room for a few minutes.

When I was called back in, I was surprised to hear them offer me the job, right there. Not only that, but the salary offer was... get this... EXACTLY the number Michelle and I came up with earlier and had been praying about.

To add to that is a nice signing bonus, money to help with the transition, and relocation money. And, a realtor to help in the buying/selling of the homes (we aren't sure at this point if that applies to our house in Idaho yet).

So, now we are in a dilemma. Great company, great salary, excellent opportunity and future... but, 1800 miles away, no one there we know, lots of crap and kids to move, etc. We are comfortable if we stay, but miserable in my job.

My title would be a Project Manager helping Westinghouse refurbish nuclear power plants across the US. I would be a protege for the first year, then manage my own projects after that. The growth of the company is on the rise... in fact, they are moving their headquarters from Monroeville (which I didnt care for) to Cranberry, PA, just north of Pittsburgh out in the country. That, I would like. I would join a team of about 20 right now.

Decisions, decisions...

New Move?

So, I have a job interview in western Pennsylvania on August 27th. The job is for a project manager position with Westinghouse Nuclear. They came to Idaho Falls on a recruiting mission, so I stopped in and talked with a couple of guys, and they called me 2 days later wanting to set up a telephone interview. Turns out the interviewer worked about a hundred yards away from my previous job... in fact, his boss at the time was my former boss. So, the inteview went well on the telephone, and now they are flying me out to Monroeville PA, which is east of Pittsburgh. We have mixed feelings about it. The opportunity for something new is exciting, but can you imagine moving a whole family and a house full of crap that far? Yikes. Good and bad about it, I suppose. But, nothing is set yet... will see what happens during the interview and, more importantly, what happens after.

Wish us luck!