Hi,

I need your input on this guys. I'm currently a Lead Auditor of ISO. Please help me determine what are the advantages/disadvantages of shifting to SQA?

My supervisro advised me to shift to a career path which is SQA.


Thanks

I'm assuming here that SQA = Supplier Quality Assurance vs. IQA = Internal Quality Auditor. Is this correct?

Kitty,
Being a SQA is a good move in my mind, because I personally enjoyed that job more than any I have had so far. The advantages of a SQA job can be numerous depending on what you like. If you like to do some traveling, meeting people, and learning some new skills (Evaluating things like SPC, continuous improvement projects, maybe PPAP, FEMA,etc.) then it's great. You will be looking at these things from an entirely different prospective. I also think it shows that your boss must have confidence in your abilities.
Mooser

I'm assuming here that SQA = Supplier Quality Assurance vs. IQA = Internal Quality Auditor. Is this correct?

Hi Marc,
SQA=System Quality Assurance

mjfkitty,

I'm sure there will be a need for internal auditors but in MHO SQA with Supplier Development would be the way to go. This is a solely subjective opinion based in auditor saturation levels and proactive development activities being driven by customers.

Al...

Thread title changed to reflect SQA definition here.

Hi,

I need your input on this guys. I'm currently a Lead Auditor of ISO. Please help me determine what are the advantages/disadvantages of shifting to SQA?

My supervisro advised me to shift to a career path which is SQA.


Thanks


I have found that SQA (as defined here) takes a more global view of a company and its objectives, than that of the internal auditor (where your objectives are typically limited in scope to certian processes, systems, or products).

You will find your auditing experience valuable, but viewing the overall system can be an eye opening (and exciting) experience.

Go for it, and have fun!
:yes:

I believe an SQA position gives greater visibility within an organization as well as a better "big picture" of operations. The combination of those two will open more opportunities for advancement within most organizations.

Hi,


Guys, Thanks for all the support. Another quick question before I decide.

Will you go for a job that is not inline with the course you studied during college with a low compensation

or will you go for a job that is not inline with your college degree but with a well- compensated position?




Thanks all!
kitty

Hi,


Guys, Thanks for all the support. Another quick question before I decide.

Will you go for a job that is not inline with the course you studied during college with a low compensation

or will you go for a job that is not inline with your college degree but with a well- compensated position?




Thanks all!
kitty
I think you need to revisit and rephrase - as stated, choice is merely between high pay and low pay.

Guys, Thanks for all the support. Another quick question before I decide.

Will you go for a job that is not inline with the course you studied during college with a low pay

or will you go for a job that is not inline with your college degree but with a high pay?

Thanks
kitty

I think that was a double post repeating the high vs. low pay 'option'.

Personally I'm not doing anything related to my degree and haven't for years. And it wasn't because of money - I just 'ended up' with different jobs due to happenstance (fate, whatever). And I will say I would rather be doing something I enjoy doing at lower pay than doing something I hate at higher pay.

I think that was a double post repeating the high vs. low pay 'option'.

Personally I'm not doing anything related to my degree and haven't for years. And it wasn't because of money - I just 'ended up' with different jobs due to happenstance (fate, whatever). And I will say I would rather be doing something I enjoy doing at lower pay than doing something I hate at higher pay.:lmao: :lmao: You're probably not the only one. My dissertation was "The Physiology and Chemistry of the Trail Laying Organs of Myrmicine and Formicine Ants in North America"

That and about five or six bucks will buy me a coffee in most Starbucks. Maybe I could get a job with Terminex. [heavy sarcasm]
I'm pretty sure I'm not doing what I expected to be doing 45 years ago.:bonk:

I wonder if it's worth a poll to see how many have diverged from their original plans. How would we tie that into consideration of Quality and Business Plans that diverge from original plan?

I sure wish I had a golden parachute when I left academia like Carly Fiorina got when she left HP.

I think you need to revisit and rephrase - as stated, choice is merely between high pay and low pay.

Hi Wes,

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean.... :(

Hi Wes,

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean.... :(
you wrote
(1)Will you go for a job that is not inline with the course you studied during college with a low pay

or
(2)will you go for a job that is not inline with your college degree but with a high pay?

Thanks
kitty
Parsed, (1) will you work for low pay in a job different from the course you studied in college

(2) will you work for high pay in a job different from the degree you received in college

I don't see a difference in the two except for low pay versus high pay and course versus degree

I wrote:
I think you need to revisit and rephrase - as stated, choice is merely between high pay and low pay.

If it were I, I might have phrased it:
"If you had the choice, would you rather work for high pay in a job different from your college work or for low pay in a job similar to your college work?"
Alternately,
"Would you rather work for high pay in a job you hate or low pay in a job you love?"

In point of fact, both Marc and I have been working in fields far astray from the fields we studied in college. For me, after 45 years, I would probably have difficulty understanding my own dissertation if I could even find a copy. I don't miss the academic backstabbing from back then at all. So choice of jobs different from college work would definitely get high pay vote from me. (I DO use skills honed in college - research, debate, scientific method, work habits, mastery of English language, presentation to large and small groups.)

Choice between love/low pay and hate/high pay is pretty tough. Lots of folks go for the high pay and get their love from hobbies and social interaction. Hobbies and social interaction after work are hard to finance on low pay.

you wrote

Parsed, (1) will you work for low pay in a job different from the course you studied in college

(2) will you work for high pay in a job different from the degree you received in college

I don't see a difference in the two except for low pay versus high pay and course versus degree

I wrote:
I think you need to revisit and rephrase - as stated, choice is merely between high pay and low pay.

If it were I, I might have phrased it:
"If you had the choice, would you rather work for high pay in a job different from your college work or for low pay in a job similar to your college work?"
Alternately,
"Would you rather work for high pay in a job you hate or low pay in a job you love?"

In point of fact, both Marc and I have been working in fields far astray from the fields we studied in college. For me, after 45 years, I would probably have difficulty understanding my own dissertation if I could even find a copy. I don't miss the academic backstabbing from back then at all. So choice of jobs different from college work would definitely get high pay vote from me. (I DO use skills honed in college - research, debate, scientific method, work habits, mastery of English language, presentation to large and small groups.)

Choice between love/low pay and hate/high pay is pretty tough. Lots of folks go for the high pay and get their love from hobbies and social interaction. Hobbies and social interaction after work are hard to finance on low pay.

Hi Wes,

I'm so sorry. It's my mistake. You are right it should be:

"If you had the choice, would you rather work for high pay in a job but different from your college degree

OR

for low pay in a job but similar to your college degree?"

:magic:


And sorry if I double post . I thought it was not posted. I'm having an error with my connecion.

Hi Wes,

I'm so sorry. It's my mistake. You are right it should be:

"If you had the choice, would you rather work for high pay in a job but different from your college degree

OR

for low pay in a job but similar to your college degree?"

:magic:


And sorry if I double post . I thought it was not posted. I'm having an error with my connecion.
Hey. It's OK. It was a mistake. WE ARE QUALITY - we don't punish mistakes; they are "opportunities to learn and improve."

I only have a handful of classes from our local community college under my belt - but I didn't even start taking classes until I had been working in industrial environments for a while.

When I first graduated from high school, I went to beauty school part time while I worked various part time jobs. Because I was working 1 and sometimes 2 part time jobs and going to beauty school two nights a week and Saturday, it took about 18 months to finish - by which time I knew I could not possibly work with the general public for a living. So, I joined the Army - both for a skill and college money - I was a carpenter/mason.

I do not do anything in any of the fields I originally chose - like so many others, I fell into this. I'm basically a shop rat that made good.

To go incredibly off topic here.... but I agree maybe a poll would be interesting.

What did you receive a degree in?

For me, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. At the time I thought I wanted to be a Federal Law Enforcement Officer (ATF, FBI, DEA) then after completing several interviews, physical quals, tests, etc. I was told I currently do not meet the hiring criteria (not the standards) that is currently available for Federal Law Enforcement (think EEOC)

Ok that is fine and I started down the manufacturing trail. I started as a line lead on the floor. Now after several years, several successes and several failures I am in senior management with a manufacturing company.

Another intersting rub, I have been discreetly looking for a more challenging opportunity. I was contacted by one company. The job description should have been titled, "My Job Description" as it fit me to a T. We went through 7 (yes 7 phone interviews) with various GMs and VPs. Things were going well, it was a "perfect" position for me, I fit their philosophical culture to the nines. Then some lowly little HR Specialist was conducting her standard background check and "discovered" I did not have a Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Degree. She called and said it was one of the requirements. I never said I did, it is clearly stated in my resume I have a BS in Criminal Justice. We never got into degrees in the interviews with the GMs and the VPs, I had experience over a piece of paper with a pretty seal on it and fancy calligraphy. That stopped me cold in the process. (think Mack truck hitting a brick wall) I could not get past this "gatekeeper" as Wes calls them. I tried emailing and calling the GMs and VPs I had bonded with to no avail, as all calls are routed through the switchboard. I had no emails to respond to, I tried several tactics outlined in here from Wes to no success.

I finally received an email from one of the VPs that I interviewed with and he said, "I am sorry you chose not to accept the position we offered, I thought we could have "taken over the world" together." Good luck and stay in touch. I hope our paths cross again, I enjoyed talking with you."

Talk about an internal communication problem. It is pretty sad when senior management gets bested by a HR Specialist.

Just some thoughts.......Sorry for the off topic :topic:

I sympathize with you for the shabby treatment you received. I regret you did not take the opportunity to set the emailer "straight" about the gatekeeper.

More often than not, the "gatekeepers" have a narrow understanding of the "rules" they are to follow. In my opinion, this is still salvageable if you want to make the effort. PM me for details if you still have interest.

For future encounters for everyone, let me state there are usually "front porch" clauses like the ME degree in the job description, which are initially put in as "screening" devices to limit the number of candidates a company has to "wade through."

If a candidate manages to get through the initial screening because of a "glitch" in the system, it behooves the candidate to trot the front porch clause out and ask that it be formally waived in his case. The vast majority of cases will turn out in the candidate's favor IF the one you ask is high enough on the totem pole to do it. Company size is no indicator of which way the decision will go (we have an interesting item elsewhere in the Cove about "monkeys and the way it's always been done" which illustrates the mechanism for not granting the waiver.)

There are numerous instances on record where the candidate plays the "don't ask, don't tell" card when hirers assume facts not in evidence. Sadly, some of these turn out to be PR nightmares with charges of lying and fraud. Rest assured, the higher the profile of the position, the more likely someone will ferret out the truth, either through innocent job performance like the clerk in IEGeek's example, or from "deeper motives." So, better to "immunize" them against the fact by disclosing while rapport with hirer is high. If they blow you off at that point, you at least have a good idea of the rigidity you narrowly escaped.

(I'm going to copy these two posts over to the "Gatekeeper" thread. IMO, they belong both here and there.)

When I did respond to the VP, he was shocked, however they had filled the position with another candidate. I made no misrepresentations about my background, it literally never came up and as I never saw the job description, I was in no position to bring it up. I have come up with a qualifier that I now send to recruiters and HR personnel that request my resume. It is not pretty and quite frankly some get offended, however, I aske these questions:

1. Have you actually read my resume, or was it scanned for keywords?
2. Why do you think I fit the description of what you are looking for?
3. What is the salary range? (this is becoming more and more important) or I ask if the company is paying the person or the position.
4. What is the company's timeframe for filling the position? ( I am not interested in stockpiling their resume bank)
5. Who exactly is the final decision maker?

AS I said most recruiters get incredibly offended and downright crappy about being put in the hotseat, but most HR folks are happy to answer. In any job interview, I feel that I am interviewing them as much (if not more) than they are interviewing me. Plus this helps me get an idea about the organization and the philosophical values of the company.

Just some thoughts.....