Unexpected TC from Bloomberg

Dec 13, 2019 60 Comments

Current TC: 160k
YOE: 4

I've had a verbal approval from Bloomberg for a few months, but have been shopping around and received 1 more (lowish) offer + another expected. I still have an onsite at FB to schedule, no availability til Jan. Bloomberg has been getting pushy about making a decision, but I didn't want to give up on these other places (I was about to apply to Twitter and Google as well) since the work/team at BB doesn't seem exciting to me (C++ monolith -> python microservices conversion). I had a call with the recruiter just now and he asked what TC I would need to stop looking. I threw out 270k, which I thought would be out of range for my 4 YOE, and he said he could maybe make that work, gave me the weekend to think about it. If I'm ok with it and he clears it, he'd put out a 270k offer with a short deadline.

The FB recruiter happened to call me immediately after and I explained the situation and she suggested come in for the interview in Jan and renege if I get it. Makes me very uncomfortable and I hate to burn bridges but obviously this is a huge decision and I really do think FB would be a better place for me. Focused on learning, career growth, being around smart engineers right now.

I was about to let BB go, but 270k is pretty massive, and there's the difference in WLB reputation between BB and FB to consider.

What would you do? Accept BB? Accept then maybe renege? Just keep looking?

Edit: Bloomberg team would be Data License, if that factors in at all, what's the reputation there?

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TOP 60 Comments
  • Accept BB. Leet for a year. Apply for FB again with your new TC as baseline
    Dec 13, 2019 3
    • Bloomberg / Eng
      leapfrog

      Go to company page Bloomberg Eng

      PRE
      CA Technologies, Bloomberg LP
      leapfrog
      Very solid advise here indeed. It's not as much legacy as you might think and it all depends on which team. You'll learn a lot regardless and the year goes by quick
      Dec 13, 2019
    • Oracle
      frktybg

      Go to company page Oracle

      frktybg
      Hey there! Would you mind sharing what teams have a good reputation for doing cool things?
      May 22, 2020
  • Any news, Sir? We are eagerly awaiting to find out.
    Dec 16, 2019 4
  • OP
    For anyone still following this: Official numbers they've offered are 250 (205 base + 45 bonus), have until Jan 13 to accept. Will think about it for a few days at least
    Dec 20, 2019 0
  • Bloomberg / Eng
    AMI<GO>

    Go to company page Bloomberg Eng

    BIO
    All opinions are my own and not my employer's. All advice is to be taken with a large grain of salt.
    AMI<GO>
    270k in all cash is substantially better than what I got with similar TC/YoE last year. I was given 215k after negotiation.

    What's your secret OP?
    Dec 13, 2019 2
    • OP
      I told them about my other offers and onsites, and I kept pushing for more time. They're probably pretty fed up with me at this point and willing to solve the problem with money. A few weeks ago they made it sound like they were going to have their team headcount filled by now but I guess not.
      Dec 13, 2019
    • Bloomberg / Eng
      AMI<GO>

      Go to company page Bloomberg Eng

      BIO
      All opinions are my own and not my employer's. All advice is to be taken with a large grain of salt.
      AMI<GO>
      I did so to though I heard HR is getting worried about attrition in the last year. This may be a knee-jerk response that benefits you
      Dec 13, 2019
  • Uber
    jei729bs6

    Go to company page Uber

    jei729bs6
    With 4 yoe, I would optimize on where you will learn the most. That will increase your earning potential for the rest of your career. Don’t ignore TC but if it’s within 20% or so I would optimize for learning
    Dec 13, 2019 3
    • Uber
      jei729bs6

      Go to company page Uber

      jei729bs6
      If You’re not that excited about BB, don’t go just because you have the offer. If you’re not excited, you won’t apply yourself and won’t learn/grow and won’t enjoy yourself. I’ve been there. Go where you’ll be excited. If you don’t get FB are there other opportunities that excite you?
      Dec 13, 2019
    • OP
      FB, Twitter, Google, Airbnb, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc - the bigtechcos that are creating tools that the rest of the industry uses, employ legendary engineers like Peter Norvig or Guido Van Rossum, etc. I'm under no illusion that they're going to be as easy to get into as BB though
      Dec 13, 2019