Recommendation

Report

July 26, 2010

 July 26, 2010

Recommendation Report

Written By
Chris Pickett

At the Request Of
Michael Schuldt

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 July 26, 2010

Executive Summary
During the course of my research for this document I believe that I have come to a conclusion
on which we can both agree. This decision is to take the Software Engineering position at
Microsoft in Fargo, ND. I compared and contrasted each of the three companies and positions
and also the communities in which you would be living. The position at Microsoft seems closest
to your skillset and desires and seemed to be the one rated the highest when it came to third-
party opinions. This location is the nearest to your family, which is something that you
expressed interest in. Also, the community was acceptable and since you have already lived in
the area and are comfortable with its shortcomings then it is a non-issue.

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Table of Contents
Section Title Page

Executive Summary 2
Table of Contents 3
List of Figures 4

Introduction 5
Company Overviews 5
Company Comparisons 7
Community Overviews 8
Community Comparisons 10
Recommendation 10
Conclusion 11

Works Cited 12

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List of Figures
Figure Name Page

Figure 1: Basic Company Information 5

Figure 2: Pro/Con List for the Communities 10

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Introduction

This is a report detailing which job I, Chris Pickett, recommend to you, Michael Schuldt. You
have been given the pleasant opportunity of have your choice of positions between the three
different companies that have given you offers. It is understandable to have a certain amount
of hesitation when it comes to major decisions in your life and I am pleased that you have asked
me to do the research and write this report. I am here to tell you that I have done the research,
taken what I have found in our interview into account and made a decision on which position I
feel would best fit you on a personal as well as a professional level.

Company Overviews

Let’s start by going over the research that I conducted on the different companies. The three
companies that you received job offers from were from Microsoft, TEKsystems, and
FurnitureDealer.net. I will go over each of them in some detail.

Company Location Company Size Median Year

Tenure Founded
Microsoft Fargo, ND 91259 3 years 1975
employees
FurnitureDealer.ne Eagan, MN 20 employees 1.5 years 2007
t
TEKsystems El Segundo, 2500 employees 2 years 1983
CA
Figure 1: Basic Company Information

Microsoft: Microsoft is easily the largest company out of the three and one of the major names
in the computer industry. This company is on the 2010 FORTUNE Best Companies to Work For
list at number 51 and has been on the list since 2006, when the list was started. Microsoft was
established in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The operating system series Microsoft
Windows has dominated the market shortly after Windows 3.0 arrived in the market in 1990.
The office suite Microsoft Office has also been a market leader around the same time.

While Microsoft headquarters are in Redmond, WA, this position will be located in Fargo, ND.
The job that you were offered from Microsoft is a Software Engineering position.

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Responsibilities include developing test design specifications for product features, creating and
executing test cases, writing automated tests, and other test related tasks. Some of the
requirements for the position include the ability to work on project teams and across project
groups, excellent written and verbal communication skills.

According to Glassdoor.com, the average starting salary for a Software Development Engineer
in Test was around $73,000 for the offices in Fargo, ND. This is very good as compared to the
national median salary of around $56,500. Microsoft is the only publicly traded company out of
the three. According to Google Finance, Microsoft’s stock has fluctuated between $23 and $31
per share over the past six months and has held relatively steady since the end of May 2010.
The current stock price is $25.48.

FurnitureDealer.net: While Microsoft was the largest of the three companies,

FurnitureDealer.net is by far the smallest. According to the LinkedIn company profile,
FurnitureDealer.net has a total of 20 employees. Their own website boasts a rise from one
client in 2007 to over 150 clients today. FurnitureDealer.net mainly helps furniture stores
command an online presence, creating and servicing websites for furniture stores all around
the nation.

This job would be located in Eagan, MN, which is a suburb of Minneapolis. The position that
was offered to you was that of an Information Technology Associate. Responsibilities for this
position include managing the company’s public relations, managing databases and digital
website content, helping the clients in a customer support-type function and designing new
website features, technologies and user interfaces. Some of the requirements include juggling
many different projects and delivering against tight deadlines, willingness to work on tasks
outside of your defined role, a willingness to be “on call” for troubleshooting emergencies and a
high attention to detail.

The average starting salary for a web designer, according to PayScale, is around $40,000. I
could not find any information related specifically to FurnitureDealer.net, but as most
companies have web developers, this number seems to be reasonable and accurate.

TEKsystems: TEKsystems is a mid-sized technology staffing and services company, basically a

hiring agency for technology-based positions. With around 2500 employees working for
TEKsystems, there is plenty of information online detailing the pros and cons of working for
TEKsystems. One site that I found, JobVent.com, people come to the site to either vent
frustration or praise the company for which they work with a score ranging from -45 to +45

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with zero being average. TEKsystems received an average score of -17.16 points which is well
below the average job. The worst three categories were Respect, Job Security and Benefits.

TEKsystems has offices all around the country and this position would be located in El Segundo,
CA, which is along the Pacific Ocean just outside of Los Angeles. The position that you were
offered is that of a Secret Cleared Help Desk Support Representative. Some of the
responsibilities include administering network and system accounts and managing file systems.
The requirements for the job are all technical and they prefer at least two years of help desk
experience supporting over 200 users.

The average starting salary for a Help Desk Representative, according to PayScale, is around
$45,000. I could not find any information related specifically to TEKsystems, but as most
companies have Help Desk Representatives, this number seems to be reasonable and accurate.

Company Comparisons

These three companies basically couldn’t be much different. In Microsoft we have an extremely
large international corporation that has its hand in many different markets.
FurnitureDealer.net, on the other hand, is a very small, very new company that is focused
mostly on sales and their client base. TEKsystems is a staffing and services company that fits
right between the other two in terms of size. Microsoft is the only company not located in a
large metropolitan area (at least this location is not). The median tenure for each company is
under five years, which either suggests that there is a high turnover rate or they have a
relatively high hiring rate. The year founded speaks to the longevity of the companies, with
Microsoft being around for the longest and TEKsystems surviving for almost three decades.
FurnitureDealer.net is a new company, but according to the company website has grown from
one client to over 150 in the past three years, suggesting a high rate of growth. Each company
represents a different market and are not competitors in any way.

The Microsoft position seems to be the most technically challenging but also the most
rewarding. Group and team work will be the most plentiful at Microsoft. FurnitureDealer.net is
a very small company and you will most likely need to start and complete projects by yourself
and deal with many more tasks than are outlined in your role definition. As TEKsystems is more
or less a contractor for other companies, this work will be very individual and more of a support
position rather than a design position as the other two companies offer.

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Community Overviews

All three of these companies are in different communities in the United States. Microsoft and
FurnitureDealer.net reside here in our own northern Midwest, although in different
communities, and the TEKsystems position is in El Segundo, CA, which is on the Pacific Ocean
just outside of Los Angeles. All three of these communities have different amenities to offer
and I have compiled a pros and cons list for each, dealing with six different topics: location,
weather, night life, outdoor life, cost of living and safety.

Fargo, ND:
Location: The location of Fargo, ND, is in the northern Midwest on the border of North Dakota
and Minnesota. While most of the nation would see this location as a bad thing, since your
family is so close and you have expressed an interest in staying relatively close to them, then
the location is a very good thing. I would list this as a pro.
Weather: The weather is hot and humid in the summer and frigid and snowy in the winter.
According to Weather Underground, the average highs in the summer are in the low 80’s but
can reach into 100+ on especially hot days. The lows in the winter average around -5 and have
reached as low as -50 or so. I am going to list this as a con.
Night life: Fargo is a relatively small town with few night clubs and late night activities. College
students are prevalent during the school year, however, due to three colleges being in the
immediate area. While there are many bars located around town, that is about all Fargo has to
offer in terms of a night life. This will be listed as a con.
Outdoor Life: As Fargo is not near a large metropolitan area, hunting and camping grounds,
lakes, rivers, forests and all other kinds of outdoor activities are readily available and are within
a close proximity to the city limits. You stated that you enjoy being outdoors and wish to go
hunting and camping and hiking in your free time, so this is a pro.
Cost of Living: According to BestPlaces.net, Fargo is average or cheaper than average when it
comes to its cost of living. The overall score is a 90 where a score of 100 represents the average
for the United States. This is a pro.
Safety: According to BestPlaces.net, Fargo gets a score of five (out of ten) in each category of
Violent Crimes and Property Crimes. The national average is four for each category. While
these numbers are close to the national average, they are still both above said average, so this
will be listed as a con.

Eagan, MN:

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Location: The location of Eagan, MN, is in the northern Midwest and is in the southern suburbs
of Minneapolis, MN. This is still a relatively close distance to your family in Valley City, ND, and
as you stated in the interview is still acceptable. This is a pro.
Weather: The weather is roughly the same as it is in Fargo, hot and humid in the summer and
frigid and snowy in the winter. According to Weather Underground, the average highs in the
summer are in the low 80’s but can reach into 100+ on especially hot days. The lows in the
winter average around 3 and have reached as low as -40 or so. I am going to list this as a con.
Night life: The night life in Eagan itself is relatively lacking, but as stated previously it is in the
suburbs of Minneapolis, a large metropolitan area. As this region is one of the most densely
populated areas in the northern Midwest, the night life in Minneapolis and St. Paul is much
better than most other places in the general area. Because you stated that you would like a
vibrant night life in our interview, I will list this as a pro.
Outdoor Life: While Eagan is located in a large metropolitan area, Minnesota still has a lot of
outdoor activities to offer that are still very close to the city. You stated that you enjoy being
outdoors and wish to go hunting and camping and hiking in your free time, so this is a pro.
Cost of Living: According to BestPlaces.net, Eagan is slightly above average when it comes to its
cost of living as compared to the rest of the nation. The overall score is a 103 where a score of
100 represents the average for the United States. Since this is so close to the average, I will list
this as a pro.
Safety: According to BestPlaces.net, Eagan has a score of one in the Violent Crime category and
four in the Property Crime category (both out of a possible ten). The national average is four
for each category. These numbers are better than or right on average and therefore I will list
this as a pro.

El Segundo, CA:
Location: The location of El Segundo, CA, is right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean just outside
of Los Angeles, CA. While this area is beautiful and ideal for many people around the nation, it
is very far from your family. Since you expressed a desire to stay near them, this will be listed
as a con.
Weather: The weather in El Segundo is very moderate, with a very low fluctuation in
temperature as compared to other places around the nation. The summers can get very hot
but as it is a dry heat it is much more manageable. According to Weather Underground, the
average summer highs are around 75 but can reach up to well above 100. The average lows in
the winter lay right around 50 and temperatures have never gone lower than 25. This is listed
as a pro.
Night life: The night life the Los Angeles is highly regarded as one of the best places to be at
that time of the day. Many celebrities and other famous individuals are out every night of the
week and you will never go bored while living in El Segundo. This is listed as a pro.

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Outdoor Life: El Segundo is deeply rooted in an immense metropolitan area and outdoor
activities that don’t have to deal with the ocean will be hard to find without a long drive to get
there. While plenty of opportunities outdoor activities present themselves away from the Los
Angeles area, they are not near El Segundo and will not be as easy to accomplish. As you would
like a place that has more outdoor connections, this is listed as a con.
Cost of Living: According to BestPlaces.net, El Segundo is extremely above average as compared
to the rest of the nation. The overall score is a staggering 195 where a score of 100 represents
the average for the United States. This is so far above average that this will definitely be listed
as a con.
Safety: According to BestPlaces.net, El Segundo has a score of four in the Violent Crime
category and six in the Property Crime category (both out of a possible ten). The national
average is four for each category. The violent crime rate is right around average while the
property crime rate exceeds the national average by around 50 percent. This is listed as a con.

Community Comparisons

Pros Cons
Fargo, ND 3 3
Eagan, MN 5 1
El Segundo, 2 4
CA
Figure 2: Pro/Con List for the Communities

It would appear that Eagan, MN, has the best community when put to my simple pro/con list.
Of course each of these different criteria that I judged on will have a different weight to them
(i.e., safety will be more important that the weather), and while this may change the overall
score slightly it would not be enough to change the outcome.

I know that you have lived in the Fargo, ND, area for many years now and are most comfortable
with living there even if the community does not rate as highly in my simple discussion of the
different communities. It is clear, though, that El Segundo is the worst community as defined
by the parameters that you set down in our interview.

Recommendation

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Due to my comparisons of all three of the companies and the positions offered, as well as the
communities in which these jobs are located, I am going to recommend the Software
Engineering position at Microsoft located in Fargo, ND. The community seems to fit your major
needs and is the closest to your family. Your skillset seems closet to this position and your level
of excitement during our interview for this job all seem to agree as well.

Conclusion

I hope that what I have laid out for you here will help you in your decision in this matter of
choosing a career path to follow. I have evaluated each company and position and compared
and contrasted them against each other. I also evaluated each community in which these
positions reside. I feel that I have come up with the best decision from my point of view and I
hope that you find some valuable information within these pages.

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Works Cited
"100 Best Companies to Work For 2010: Full List - from FORTUNE." Business, Financial, Personal
Finance News - CNNMoney.com. Web. 21 July 2010.

"About Microsoft: Your Potential. Our Passion." Microsoft Corporation. Web. 15 July 2010.

Best Places to Live | Compare Cost of Living, Crime, Cities, Schools and More. Sperling's
BestPlaces. Web. 21 July 2010.

"FurnitureDealer.net - Company Profile | LinkedIn." LinkedIn: Relationships Matter. Web. 14

July 2010.

FurnitureDealer.net: About Us. Web. 15 July 2010.

"Microsoft Corporation: NASDAQ:MSFT Quotes & News - Google Finance." Google. Web. 21 July
2010.

"Microsoft Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) Salary in Fargo | Glassdoor.com."

Glassdoor.com - Company Salaries and Reviews. Web. 21 July 2010.

Name, Company. "Working at TEKsystems - Reviews of Jobs at TEKsystems." JobVent - I Love

My Job / I Hate My Job - Reviews By Employees. Web. 21 July 2010.

"PayScale - Web Designer Salary - Average Salaries." PayScale - Salary Comparison, Salary
Survey, Search Wages. Web. 21 July 2010.

"Microsoft - Company Profile | LinkedIn." LinkedIn: Relationships Matter. Web. 15 July 2010.

"Technical Staffing Services and Technology Staffing Services from TEKsystems." TEKsystems -
the Leading Technology Staffing and Services Company. Web. 15 July 2010.

"TEKsystems - Company Profile | LinkedIn." LinkedIn: Relationships Matter. Web. 15 July 2010.

"Weather History for Fargo, ND." Welcome to Weather Underground : Weather Underground.
Web. 21 July 2010.

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