A job offer, what would you do?

I recently was offered a position at a local hot rod shop in my area and I am wondering what you guys think of the situation.

The machine shop that I work for now (me in particular) does a lot of one off parts and machine work for said hot rod shop and I always grab those jobs when they hit the door. The owners of this shop always have nice things to say about me and my personal projects and I respect them for that and the business. But I hear good and bad about these guys all the time.

About a month ago, I started hearing rumors that their head chassis and engine guy was going to be leaving and that they were on the hunt for a new guy. My name kept coming up and i heard more than a handfull of times that they were going to make me an offer.

Well that day came on Tuesday. I have an interview with them today and im up in the air about what to do.

Would you do it for a living? Pros and cons? Im all ears.

Thanks,
Hack

 

is it a better gig, i don't like lateral moves.
balance risks to benefits
follow your gut

 

How long have the rod shop and your machine shop been in business and what are ages of owners of both? These types of shops tend to go away when owner tires or retires.

 

Sometimes a change is a good as a rest. Applies to a lot of things in life

 

alot of factors here

and alot of un answered questions ...

what are the benefits n hours like .....???

how long have they been in business ( and the history of them ) and what kind of rep do they have ... ??

how do they treat their employees .... ??

and so on

 

More than what you'll be doing, consider who you will be working for. Has your current situation treated you right? It might not be a guarantee in the next. There are certain guys that run shops that would make me hate Hot Rods if I had to work for them...

 

Life is full of risk. You're leaving out a lot of information. Things to ask yourself include, does the new job come with a raise? Are their benefits better than what you have now? Is the new company established or will they fold next year? Is the company where you are now established? Does the new job offer advancement or will you be stuck in a permanent position? How long is the commute to the new job? Are the management and employees cool or buttheads? Are they cool when they visit and turn into buttheads at their shop?

Lot's of things to consider, when thinking about a change. But if you do switch, and this advise applies to every job you'll ever have, NEVER leave your present job on a bad note. Don't burn bridges. And if you do leave your present job, don't talk shit about it or give away trade secrets. You may find yourself wanting to return and no one rehires an asshole who can't keep his mouth shut.

 

Are they going to offer you more money?

I work in the automotive aftermarket- and used to make calls on everything from muffler shops to hot rod shops to general repair shops nation wide- up until I moved departments I had visited 70 shops a month for about 10 years

This is what I can tell you about the state of the hot rod shop

The well established shops seem to be sticking around- but a lot of smaller shops have seemed to be going under the last 5 years

Or when the owners retire- the kids mess the business up-

So questions-

How long have you been working where you are now?
If you needed to switch again are jobs relatively easy to come by?
Are they going to offer you more money?

Questions you will want to ask yourself- and maybe them

Is the owner a young guy?
An old guy?
If he is an older gentleman- who will take over the shop next should something happen?
How long have they been in business?
Is overall car count increasing, decreasing or staying steady?

If you have been at your job now for 20 years- I would make sure the long term viability of the shop is there

If you are like most who jump around every 4-5 years- I would look at how much more money they are going to offer you

Are there any potential skills you could lose out on by only building car parts? Will you back yourself into a corner career wise because future employers will look at you as being in a niche? (sorry- Im completely uneducated to what a machinist does (outside of work done on cars : ) )

Last Ill say this- working in the automotive aftermarket......well I love it. There is nothing better then waking up each morning going to work and talking about nothing but cars all day- seeing nothing but cool cars all day- Im sure I could make more doing other things but I dont care- because I love what I do.

 

Everyone loves to gossip about the businesses and people in the industry, things get really twisted, the BS I have heard is amazing compared to the truth.
If there are rumors that are an issue for you, get to the source and figure it out for your self.

Don't listen to ol T-Bucket Mcgee

On another note, how is the shops workload, has it slowed, is the shop well established with good tools. Ask how there finances are, are they in the green or constantly chasing their tail stealing from peter to pay paul.

 

I'd track down the head chassis and engine guy who's leaving and ask him.

 

Ditto! If you have any concerns, then you need to talk to employees both existing, and past. They'll tell you what they think of the situation, before you make a commitment.

 

Too many unknown issues. But one issue I would recommend that you give some thought to is this: if you've been there a while and the owners like your work, etc, are there any plans in the future for you as a partner or eventual owner? Sometimes the longer view is the better one, even if it means less now.

 

I think he's mainly asking if it would be a job worthwhile working in a hot rod shop, he can figure out whether he wants to be paid more or less on his own and if he likes the benefits.

 

Edit: Mashed beat me to the punch while I was reading and typing.

A lot of great suggestions have been mentioned on here. Ones I thought of, and others I hadn't considered.

One that jumped out at me right from the start that I don't see here though:

Why is their head chassis and engine guy leaving? Maybe get ahold of him and see what he has to say first hand.

Is he leaving for a better job/family reasons/retiring, or is the shop itself the cause...

 

It never hurts to be reminded of aspects related to income and benefits...

I know a guy who changed jobs due to a pay raise. Turns out, his hours weren't guaranteed, and he ended up making less than his old job because he worked fewer hours.

I know another guy who changed from a job with benefits to a job with higher pay, but without benefits. He got injured (not on the job), didn't have benefits, couldn't work, and things went downhill from there.

Sometimes a pay raise can blind you to other aspects associated with it.

 

What if he was the laziest/incompetent guy in the shop and was asked or forced to leave?

 

Thanks for the thought fellas.

So they are a big money outfit. they own an oil rig moving company so money is no option. They pay good and their insurance is good as well. The shop is nice and well tooled as the money is not a problem. I would not do it without a pretty substancial raise. The guys I deal with I get along with. But like I said the guys I dont deal with I hear can be assholes.

The shop I work at now is in a bad spot. I always get paid and never have issues with my co workers. But the owner and I are hit and miss. He is aging and has prostate cancer as well as Parkinsons disease. I mean I love the guy to death but the future of the shop is uncertain. I mean heaven forbid he dies and were all out of a job. Its a tough deal.

 

Flip a coin. While it's in the air you'll know which way you want it to land.

 

There it is. It turns out hes in some big trouble. Like drug trouble and is losing his job. I was told he was stealing and hocking tools too. I met the guy once and wanted to walk away.

So they are looking for a fresh start its sounding like.

 

Sounds like a no brainer to me. Better pay, good benefits, probably more stable in the long run. The only negatives sounds like their someone else's opinions. You might end up getting along with everyone.

 

Buy the machine shop.....maybe the owner will make you a heck of a deal.

 

Check out the financial condition of the prospective shop. See if you can get a gauge on the lifestyle of the owner. If the financial condition does not appear to be dead-sound, or the owner appears to be living a life that is outsized for the revenue stream, walk away. Not all shops are legitimate, or legal. Even some big names you have heard of are pretty damned sketchy.

 

I would ask if they are looking for someone to do really crafty time consuming stuff, or just pound through a ton of jobs? Either way it might be better than a non Hotrod job!

 

One other point to consider. Is the rod shop bringing you in to do the custom work in-house, and if so, if you DON'T go there, will they look to do that with someone else? Can the shop you're at now (and your current position) be secure with the loss of work from them producing in-house?

 

X2 on that!

 

X2. A good idea if you can handle paperwork and budget money.

 

Turns out quite a few details necessary to give good advice were omitted.

In light of the updates I'd say go to the interview.

Good call, Fred.

 

Not to sound like a dick, but no one else can do this kind of stuff locally.

So thats exactly why they want me there.

 

Don't wanna rain on your parade, but sometimes turning a hobby into your career, will wear on ya and take the fun out of it all. If you have a decent job that you don't hate, and time to do your thing on hot rods at home, well that's not a bad setup. Just my .02. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

I like the idea of trying to buy the machine shop if you can. Maybe you can work a deal with the hot rod shop to make it happen, especially since you say they have deep pockets.