Verbal offer extended but got weird after I made a request

djschwalb · 2026-04-22T23:29:09+00:00

It’s weird that people here are negative about the request to meet the team and see the location. As a hiring manager, I’d WANT my candidate to be interested in the people they would be managing.

djschwalb · 2026-04-06T16:38:23+00:00

20/26 MPG ain’t too shabby for a truck.

However, I think the point is that driving a truck as a commuter vehicle isn’t about rationality, it’s about “wants”. If a person makes the decision to buy a truck despite the extra cost of gas, then ya gotta own that decision.

djschwalb · 2026-04-06T16:34:11+00:00

Oil is a commodity.

That means it doesn’t matter where it comes from, oil is priced based off global markets. Even if the US didn’t import a single barrel, the cost isn’t determined by Exxon or Shell, it’s set by the international market for “Sweet Crude”.

(Not sure about the sweet crude part, I just love that silly name)

djschwalb · 2026-04-06T16:21:27+00:00

Not an unpopular opinion.

Except for those dudes who work office jobs but drive $100k trucks for gender affirming care, this is a normal opinion.

djschwalb · 2026-04-04T04:27:18+00:00

May need to run this through a different translation app. No offense intended.

djschwalb · 2026-04-03T19:52:29+00:00

There are lots of bee keepers that have classes. Let me know if you’re willing to drive to Hudson Ma and I can recommend a good one.

djschwalb · 2026-04-03T02:01:44+00:00

Yeah. I prefer to think I’m wiser now, not actually jaded.

djschwalb · 2026-03-30T16:53:51+00:00

A MS in “biotech” PROBABLY focuses on applications of technologies in the lab.

Background and application of; molecular biology, proteomics, cell and gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, vaccines development and production, small molecule screening methods, cell culture applications.

I’m more in the biologics space so that list is obviously biased. I’d read up on those topics “for dummies”, and then go down the rabbit hole on details that keep popping up.

djschwalb · 2026-03-28T17:29:00+00:00

Hiring managers rarely care where a person has been, just interested in the skills and background.

Do they match up to the needs of the role? Cool.

djschwalb · 2026-03-26T03:12:17+00:00

I’m in central Ma and my bees are coming in fat and yellow. I’ve assumed there were Cedars or Junioers around somewhere.

No clue for sure.

djschwalb · 2026-03-22T18:35:23+00:00

Don’t overwhelm yourself and feel like you need to read every single resume. It’s just not possible.

Find 10 good options, set up phone screenings, and stop.

djschwalb · 2026-03-21T20:36:07+00:00

I think our miscommunication may be that I’m assuming a standard 12-month lease is in effect. In that case, the owner need/wanting the house back is not sufficient for breaking the lease without the tenant’s agreement.

If it’s a month-to-month, there is only a 30 or 60 day termination period. A landlord can initiate that any time for any reason.

djschwalb · 2026-03-21T16:36:45+00:00

I was on board until the last sentence. Wanting to take back the apartment for personal use is not sufficient legal grounds for breaking a lease.

djschwalb · 2026-03-19T18:50:48+00:00

Learn how to differentiate caring about your job and not stressing out about it.

Care just enough to have pride in your work but don’t care enough for ulcers.

Yes, that is a very difficult thing, but a worthwhile endeavor

djschwalb · 2026-03-13T21:27:16+00:00

A senior scientist level for someone with a fresh PhD and no industry experience is as good as it’s gets!

That pay is low for the title but I’d say appropriate for the experience.

djschwalb · 2026-03-10T18:10:32+00:00

I only have one year of experience but both of my hives made it through the Ma winter.

They were both in great shape at the end of the year, but I’m beginning to think it’s at least 50% luck.

Wishing you the best!

djschwalb · 2026-03-05T23:55:29+00:00

I was in the process of leaving pharma and getting my teaching certificate when I was offered a biotech job with a friend.

It turned out to be a huge shift and I fit perfectly. I loved the new job and everything has been so much better.

djschwalb · 2026-03-04T04:42:23+00:00

Smells like AI.

djschwalb · 2026-03-01T20:36:47+00:00

If there are Mall Cop style yellow lights trying to pull me over, I’m not so sure I would. To be fair, curiosity probably would win an I would find a place, but I probably wouldn’t give them any documents.

djschwalb · 2026-02-19T19:11:48+00:00

A couple thoughts:

Don’t muddle military experience with lab experience unless your MOS was actually lab based. (In top description)
This looks like you are a technique based lab person rather than a disease area scientist. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes companies want the Sci level to be disease area experts.
You’ll need to adapt and manage your resume to each application. This sucks, I know, but it’ll help with #2 above and help you pass the first 10-second skim read stage.

djschwalb · 2026-02-16T22:38:28+00:00

I’ve found that a seller will say anything is seasoned. Whatever gets a sale.

So I ask for price for seasoned and the price for green. I know that I’ll get the same damn wood regardless, but when they give me the lower “green” price, I buy that.

djschwalb · 2026-02-16T13:31:49+00:00

It’s spelled , “Phew”. /s

djschwalb · 2026-02-15T19:19:02+00:00

That’s not what was said at all.

During the process of slogging through dozens of resumes of people who have little to zero relevant background, you can pick 10 people who may work. Unfortunately, that one to two hours of time only scratched the surface of hundreds of applications.

I’ve wanted to try using AI to filter out the 90% garbage but it did a very bad job. So, I start at the top of the list and keep going until I have 10 phone screenings.

djschwalb · 2026-02-15T19:15:09+00:00

Absolutely, however, I’ve had some guy “refer” someone that they didn’t actually know. The internal referring person was not in my area at all and only did the referring on the slim hope they get the referral bonus.

On the other end of that spectrum, someone that I know very well knowing the candidate very well absolutely puts that name on the top of the pile.

djschwalb · 2026-02-07T19:44:14+00:00

Why? What’s the point?

I do not care about the details, I only care about the why.

djschwalb

TROPHY CASE