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Comment by uncertain | Hacker News Reader

I was given a very good job offer from Yahoo around the same time Carol Bartz was fired. I have yet to sign anything yet because of what I've been reading about Yahoo's condition. I get the feeling that most of the news about Yahoo's demise are just being sensational, yet at the same time I can't ignore the fact that Yahoo employees have been leaving the company every other week (according to my friends who have worked there).

My worst fear is relocating and then being totally screwed over. I don't know what to do.

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I don't know what your current gig is like, so it's hard to advise. But there's nothing wrong with taking this job with an eye toward moving on, as long as you work honestly at it while you're there.

My wife was in a similar spot when the company she was working for started to decline and experienced people started to move on. She stuck around and took a new position within the company in a different field she wanted to crack into. She was still very early career and saw an opportunity to get some good experience.

The company did tank, but she got at least a year and a half of experience, and later she got interviews/offers afterwards and built a network that is still active a decade later. She never would have been hired directly into one of those jobs in a new company, but she did get a chance at it in an existing company that wanted to keep her. She wasn't surprised that more senior people were leaving, because they had the background and network to generate comparable offers elsewhere, something she wouldn't have been able to do at that point in her career.

So much depends on your current situation, what kind of risks you're willing to take, what experience you think you'll get...

If the experience is awesome, and if you already have savings, and you're an American citizen, then you have nothing to lose. Chances are you can leverage the experience to get a better job if you get laid off. Make sure you save as much money as possible to tide you over in case the worst case scenario occurs (the economy double-dips and you get laid off with no job prospects).

If you are H1B, then don't do it.

Where would you relocate to? I'm assuming that if Yahoo gave you a good job offer, you'd be able to find other employment in the area without too much problem.

Santa Clara, CA. I'm just worried that if I move out there I'll be left hanging while I have expenses to keep up with.

Are you interviewing anywhere else?

You could probably use the off as leverage. Yahoo's engineering core is still well respected in the industry.

Everybody just knows that none of the people in charge have a clue as to what to do with all of that talent.

I am planning to interview with several other companies. But by then I will need to decide whether I want to stick with Yahoo or not. I've heard great things about working at Yahoo (and the downsides) and the offer is fantastic, but my gut instinct is telling me to reconsider..

I interviewed with them 2 years ago, and got an offer, and my gut instinct told me the same thing back then.

I liked the people I interviewed with, thou'. That seemed like a fun team.

Oh, well, life goes on.

If you are in love with the group or project that much maybe it will be worth the risk.

But also keep in mind that alot of software shops around the country but especially in hot scenes like the Bay Area, NYC, and Austin,TX are searching far and wide for as many qualified applicants as they can get.

If you can/ are willing to avoid the risk of getting caught up in the Yahoo drama I think it will be wise.

Why not take the job, and then continue interviewing? I know it looks bad to leave a job early, but I think most people in the valley are aware of Yahoo's situation, so I wouldn't be too worried about how that'll be perceived.

I really would rather avoid this option. I'm not worried that it'll make me look bad to other employers, but how it will reflect on the team that I was signed up for.

If they can't afford you, it's economics, nothing personal. Nobody works for free.

Ask for a signing bonus of n months expenses (where n is how long you think it will take to find a job), and then put that in a savings account. Problem sovled. And if Yahoo ends up being okay, you have a big chunk of money you can apply to the down payment of a house (or fund a team of pro bike racers, or wahtever).

This is the best option. If you're good, then you can easily get a job very quickly in today's conditions. So a signing bonus, of, say, 3 months salary is ample.

Also: Yahoo is known for _very_ generous severance benefits. Typically you'll get 3-4 months of salary.

So if you're even half-way decent, you should be OK.

I joined and thus relocated cross-country to work for Yahoo in mid-2008, when Microsoft was surely going to screw my life up. If you'd like that perspective, shoot me an message: my email address is in my profile.

I just joined Yahoo a few months ago. Would love to chat with you and give you a perspective (see my other comment on this post)

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