Office newbie needs career help

[CheckCheckFold]

Background:
I just got my masters in Electrical Engineering and just started a job in a 500 employee software company a couple of months ago in tech support.

Tech support engineers are like the backbone of this company. We learn the product really in depth and then usually transition over to development in a year or two. We're part of the engineering department which is the biggest in the company.


Questions: A Manager in Order Processing with 3 employees (All have engineering degrees and masters, 90% of the company are engineers) working under him is in desperate need for staff. He asked me to join his group and I have no idea which would be a better career path for me.

I am more interested in the business side as I think the skills I'll learn is more transferable than product details. But order processing sounds really boring. I don't really know what order processing is...any OOTer can shed some light on this?

Also who at the office knows your salary? Your manager? I know HR knows...is there some system where the manager recommends your salary and HR approve? Who has the power to give you raises?

[[Phill]]

Ask what the job and department does exactly. They wont think it rude, and im sure it isnt a company secret known to only 4 people.

The process of giving raises depends on the company itself.

[RacersEdge]

I would stay put for a year anyway - get a feel for the company, your job, working life,etc - then you will naturally find out about other departments, managers, career paths and can decide what to do later.

In my case, my manager has been the one to make me the job offer, and I would think they would always at least know what you make.

[Blarg]

Ask why the orders department is understaffed now. Sometimes a company will purposely keep a department perpetually understaffed, and just work to death the people in it. Alternatively, it could be that a bad boss makes people quit or rotate out of that department ASAP, and you don't want that environment. Alternatively, the boss could be okay but the working conditions bad for other reasons.

One that you should consider seriously is where the job leads to. People may be leaving the department because it is turning out to be a dead end. Could be the way it's structured, could be because the boss claims all credit for himself or has toady who tries to badmouth everyone and make it so that only he looks good, and the boss chooses to believe him/her.

Bosses/interviewers often ask things like, "Where do you intend to be in five years?" You should turn it around and ask, "Where do you think this job is most likely to lead in X years, or however long it takes to get it pretty much wired? What are your standards for judging accomplishment in the job?" Many bosses will have no answer and be pretty startled, which shows that they haven't pictured you or maybe anyone else going anywhere, and perhaps that there is no place for you to go. You should always be thinking of your long-term prospects and making your boss aware that that's the way you think. You don't want a boss who's happier with an employee who has no plans for advancement and isn't looking for clarity about his future, anyway. Even if the future isn't at all clear yet, the boss can still tell you that and it's good to know.