I was offered $30 an hour, up from my current $22, to be the only in-house IT person supporting six car dealerships. The company described three immediate priorities: replacing outdated cameras and fixing their software issues, configuring a phone call tree, and upgrading alarm panels. Beyond that, they were vague. The general manager and maintenance director said I would be my own boss and could contact the director when I needed help.
They already use an outside provider for help-desk tickets and field issues, so I would not be handling most traditional desktop support or infrastructure work. The camera system uses GeoVision cameras and NVRs, the phone system already exists but is poorly configured, and the maintenance team currently handles alarm-panel replacements while leaving the wiring in place.
My concern is that these may mostly be one-time projects. Once they are finished, the company could decide it no longer needs the position. I also do not know whether I would be installing everything myself, managing vendors, or gradually taking over more responsibilities from the outside provider. The pay increase would help my family and make future plans more realistic, but I do not want to accept a job with no long-term direction. What questions should I ask, and how would you evaluate this opportunity?
5 Answers
The pay increase is meaningful, but do not treat it as a secure long-term position automatically. Take it only after understanding the employment terms, travel between dealerships, overtime or on-call expectations, and who is responsible for low-voltage or alarm work that may require qualified contractors. If you accept, keep building your skills and continue watching the job market rather than assuming the company will create a permanent role once the projects are done.
You can also use the interview to propose a broader role. Explain that after the immediate projects, you could review dealership workflows, business applications, inventory systems, phone performance, endpoint management, and vendor costs. If management is genuinely interested in retaining you, they should be willing to discuss measurable goals and a path toward a more formal IT operations or manager position. If they only want three projects completed cheaply, they will probably stay vague.
Before accepting, ask them directly what happens after those three projects are complete. Find out whether you are expected to install equipment, manage contractors, select products, maintain the systems, or simply coordinate vendors. Also ask who handles workstations, user accounts, networking, cybersecurity, servers, software, and outages. Get clear budgets, travel expectations, mileage reimbursement, tools, certifications, and success criteria in writing. It may be a legitimate in-house project role, but the vague description is a warning sign.
This sounds less like traditional IT and more like an on-site technology and facilities project technician. That is not automatically bad, especially with a substantial raise, but make sure the title and responsibilities help your future career. If you take it, negotiate a title such as IT Operations Specialist or Technology Manager and discuss what the role becomes after the initial projects. Supporting six locations could give you plenty to do if you are allowed to improve business systems and reduce reliance on the outside provider.
The outside provider may be the reason they are hiring you. They could want someone local for projects and hands-on work while keeping the provider for help desk and specialized support. Ask whether the long-term plan is to keep that arrangement, reduce it, or replace it. If you can document faster fixes, lower vendor spending, better phone performance, and fewer camera or alarm problems, you can make yourself valuable beyond the original project list.
That is my biggest concern. I like my current job, but the extra income would help my wife and me move forward financially. I am leaning toward asking for a clearer long-term plan before making a decision.