New Job
 

So, I had my interview at WestJet Airlines today for Ramp Agent. It went very well, there wasn't a question that I couldn't answer. Although, I wish I had brought shiny new pair of shoes the day before but the one I had was good enough. The interviewer told me that WestJet was shortstaffed badly and were looking to hire more agents right off the bat, so I'm pretty much hired now.

I'll break down what FedEx and WestJet has to offer to me:

Pay rate
FedEx: $16.42 hourly
WestJet: $10.45 hourly

Winner: FedEx

Hours
FedEx: 5pm-10pm weekday, 1am-5am and 6pm-10pm Sunday (Minimal 17.5 required, Max 32)
WestJet: Flexible ranging from 4am - 2am daily (Minimal 25 required, Max 40)

Winnter: WestJet

Shift Trading
FedEx: Allowed with limits
WestJet: Allowed with no limits

Winner: WestJet

Pay raise
FedEx: Every year depending on performance review
WestJet: 9 months after first hired date and every 6 months after that (I think)

Winner: WestJet

Student Benefits
FedEx: 1500 yearly
WestJet: N/A

Winner: FedEx

Benefits
FedEx: Reduced rate for sending package, discount with different airlines, medical, dental, yearly bonuses, and contribution to CPP
WestJet: Pay only tax on WestJet tickets, medical, dental, eyewear, stock plan, peak period bonuses, and contribution to CPP

Winner: WestJet

I plan on working for both company (WestJet during the day, FedEx @ night) for the summer but once school starts again in the fall, I'm gonna have trouble deciding which company to stay with. Both has its benefits that I like and dislike and I'm kinda bent toward to WestJet to that end because of its flexible schedule that can work well with my school schedule. At some point time when I get my degree, with WestJet, I'm more likely to land on IT job than FedEx since WestJet's headquartered here in Calgary while FedEx is in Memphis.

Thoughts? Opinion?

I think you're just going to have to play it by ear. If you plan on working both jobs through the summer, by the end of summer you'll have a good idea as to which job to go with. Sometimes your coworkers can make all the difference, or a good supervisor or what have you. Sometimes what's on paper makes little or no difference when it comes to the benefit you receive from a good working environment.

You'll know.

Benefits are only benefits if you actually use them...

both jobs would look good on a resume...

yah i'd say the decision will make itself for you after working both jobs for a period of time. I personally would find it hard to justify the pay difference provided the actual job is about the same. I wouldnt use alot of the benefits to make an actual difference and for roughly 6 dollars an hour more i'd be inclined to go fedex if i was making the decision based on numbers alone, but i'd be willing to bet you'll figure out which one is an overall better job just by seeing how things play out at both this summer.

Well, if I was to make the decision based on how much I'm getting paid alone, then FedEx would be the way to go but if I was to include when I would be able to work, it'll be WestJet because of their flexiability, especially with my class schedule potentially anywhere from 8am - 6pm which wouldn't work very well with FedEx.

I had to make a deal with my manager prior to the start of this semester because my school schedule would've forced me to work under the minimal allowable. So, the deal was that I pick up both of the sunday shifts (shitty hour and I need my beauty sleep) and I was able to meet the minimal hours required to work every week.

One other thing that you should consider is the longterm stability of WestJet. I honestly have no idea what it looks like, but if you plan on staying there longterm, you should make sure that they're going to be around in 5 years, especially in a volitile industry like air travel.

Congratulations, though!

If I had to choose between the two, I would choose WestJet based on the growth potential and therefore the stock plan. I haven't followed the company too closely, but they seem to be adding more routes to more American destinations with some frequency. International would seem to be the next logical step.

If I had the option to work there as a student I would take it over FedEX, but it sounds like you've got the best of both worlds. You can try them both out and see which is better.

-Tamerlain

Since you're having a tough time deciding, here's more possible criteria. What are your long-term goals and how does one job help you accomplish them over another job?