Unemployed Candidate Is Told At The Job Interview That They Should Happily Accept Any Offer Above $0, They Just Stand Up And Leave
A job interview is usually the moment when both parties seem to like each other. The applicant talks about their talents, the recruiter tries to brag about the advantages of this particular company – especially if the applicant’s skills are well suited to the position. But this, of course, is in an ideal world, and reality is like the night in “Game of Thrones” – dark and full of terrors.
Among such terrors are definitely stingy business owners. How many times in world history has stinginess been punished, and very severely – these lessons, unfortunately, few people learn. Indeed, why think about the financial benefits that a new, talented employee will bring to the company if you could save a couple of dollars on their salary here and now?
In the story we are about to tell you, the company owner turned out to be not only stingy, but also rather rude, and the post in the Reddit Antiwork community, where the author described what happened to them during a job interview, has already gained almost 14.5K upvotes and over 500 different comments. And yes, judging by them, rude and stingy bosses are a trend nowadays. But let’s just talk about everything in order.
More info: Reddit
The Original Poster left their job in June and had been searching for a new one for two months
Image source: Oregon Department of Transportation (not the actual photo)
So, the Original Poster left their previous job in June and started looking for a new one. They successfully passed the first interview in the company and moved on to the second, which was supposed to be attended by the owner. According to the OP, everything started very well – the superiors noted that the applicant’s skills and competencies even exceeded their expectations for this position, so they would be a valuable asset for the company.
Image source: Jasoncav82
Everything went well during the job interview – right up until the wage negotiation started
And then came the very moment when it was necessary to determine the salary. It must be said that the OP had not updated their CV, so the employers did not know that they were currently unemployed. And when the recruiter asked how much the OP wanted to make in their company, they simply named the amount of the advertised compensation for the position.
Image source: Jasoncav82
When the managers found out that the applicant was jobless at the moment, they offered an incredibly low salary
There was an immediate question as to whether the job seeker was currently working, and the OP admitted they had been looking for a job for two months. This obviously had a big impact on their perception from management, because the OP ended up being offered a salary that was about $6K a year less than the lower end of the range in the job description.
Image source: Jasoncav82
Of course, the OP didn’t agree, so they asked for a larger amount in response – but still within the lower end of the range. They referred to the fact that literally just now, the company’s superiors highly appreciated their work skills. In the OP’s own words, they understand that it takes time to get more, but they are willing to work hard.
Image source: Jasoncav82
The company owner claimed that the OP should be happy to get literally any offer as any amount is higher than zero
And then the owner of the company showed themselves in all their glory, saying that since the OP had not been working for two whole months, then literally any offer would be much more than what they make now. Therefore, according to the owner, the OP should be just happy to receive this particular offer – and not a cent more!
Image source: Jasoncav82
The OP just stood up, replied that in that case, they would be better off spending their own time going back to school to finish up their degree program, and left the room. According to them, company representatives have already called twice after this conversation, but the OP hasn’t picked up the phone. Now they are back to studying and no longer want to be toyed with and undervalued by any employer.
Image source: frankieleon (not the actual photo)
Most people in the comments slammed the stingy and rude boss, though admitting that such situations are, alas, rather common
We must say that most of the commenters were literally delighted with the OP’s smart decision, and even thanked them for the excellent solution to this situation, which will definitely help many job applicants. And, of course, according to people in the comments, behavior like this from bosses during job interviews is a fairly common thing.
In addition, people were completely outraged by such the company’s management using tactics like this – after all, the fact that an applicant is currently unemployed does not mean at all that they are apparently worthless. The boss probably just thought the OP was in a financial bind and decided to save money by taking advantage of it.
By the way, stranger things often happen during job interviews – for example, no one even bothered to meet this applicant, who arrived right on time, and they had to wait for a whole hour. And whilst you open this post to read it, please write here in the comments what you personally think about this story.
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As someone who has been an interviewer for multiple job types, what this company did was bad for both sides because they wasted their own time too. Gaps in resumes are fine as long as there is an explanation. I only ask about them because sometimes people do brilliant career helping things but don’t think they’ll help so leave them off. I’ve only ever marked people down for not having the required experience or knowledge, not for their current employment status. That said, if they’ve done nothing but sit on their butt for years and didn’t bother keeping up with their area of expertise then they’d be marked down a lot for that. Years, not months.
Is two months even a "gap" at all? Two months is a long vacation, and I wouldn't even ask about it. I might be curious about a gap of several years, but only if it was recent.
Load More Replies...
Should have clowned that man in front of his employees. "Oh you sound mighty desperate. In light of this new information, I'll be rescinding my previous offer. I'm now asking for 10,000 more than previously asked. Can't afford to pay an employee what they're worth? I'm sorry, but I'll be looking elsewhere for a company whose quality and ability matches my own. Good luck in your search!"
Heh, I'd tell them that since they rejected my salary expectations, and then came back to me, I was the cheapest, so I can raise my expectations and they can pay me those $10000 more. On the other hand - with their attitude it would be very much *not* worth it.
Load More Replies... I wonder how long the position had been open - if a company doesn't fill a job in two months, that somehow doesn't get questioned. The same goes when there's huge staff turnover. If a business can't afford to pay (and treat) staff fairly, they shouldn't be in business. I really hope we're starting to learn that as a society.
Do not tell a potential employer about gaps in your employment history. It's none of their business anyway. Also, NEVER tell them your current or last salary. The only reason they'll ask is to see if they can low-ball you. When a position opens, the hiring manager and HR etc. will have a discussion about pay range to fill the position. Let's say they figure they can pay $70,000-$80,000. If they ask and you tell them you were making $45,000, you're not going to get $70-$80. They'll smile and tell you, "Well, you're in luck, because we can offer you $48,000! How's that sound?"
This is why I’m self employed. I used to work for terrible employers and I was never happy or treated with much respect. Now I’m much happier.
People don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses. I walked away from a job I absolutely LOVED because the owner was so toxic. So yeah, I quit a job & it was a few months before I started interviewing again. (Seriously, I felt like I had PTSD - she was THAT bad). Well, you can't tell that to a prospective employer. You never talk poorly about your former employer. If you cite illness (God forbid) they'll worry you won't last very long. You can claim caring for a sick parent/relative, but then if they're still living - again, how long will you last? It took us moving to a new city for me to be able to find a job.
I’ve had caregiver breaks that employers don’t criticize in an interview. But I once had a recruiter tell me that, based on my breaks and my resume at large, I was lucky to get offers for temp jobs and how dare I change my mind about an assignment!
Since early 2000 years a lot people in massive companies where CEO, Human Resources, Recruiters and Hiring Officials and Hire Person's have Lost Complete... Compassion And Empathy For Any Desired Unemployed Applicants Nowadays in 2022. Employers treat Resumes and Applications as if It's Slaves, Another # or You're Beneath Then.. as you have to Please Their Egotism To Be Hired On. Everyone on the Earth at some point took on maybe Family Members Obligations, Unexpected Illness or Maybe Took A Break from working. But these Employers Are Letting Your Break Of From Not Working Be More Importantly Than Who You Are As A Person.. Nobody's Desired Job or Career Position and Need For Any Desired Job shouldn't be Withdrawn Due To Unemployed Durations. As most CDL Driving Jobs are Allowing Insurance Carriers To Determine A Driver's Abilities and Potentials when they're Haven't Been Employed Within 1-3 years. As 2020 year COVID 19 Shutdown Entire World. How can anyone Get A Job if Negative Tactics
Which ROCK did you find this company under? That's a federal wage theft lawsuit waiting to happen. Report them to the federal dept of labor. Might be smart to start recording these conversations then submit an anonymous report. You should be able to report these bandits at no charge online. Google National Labor Relations board or "report wage theft."
Being in some bad interview too. If I am you, I will enjoy hearing their call to try to lure you in.
I had a similar situation, except I never made it to the interview. I had applied for a middle management position and was dressed to the hilt. Making my way out the door, I get a call from the HR manager of the company. She apologized and said the CEO would not interview me because I didn't have a college degree. I told her I was actually a retired CEO who was tired of being retired -- and that I wanted to get back to work. I then asked here to go to her CEO and ask him a simple question. What is a thirty-two year old college degree going to do for him and the company that 32 years of on-the-job experience would not. She replied, " Let me go discuss this with him and I'll call you back". I said, "don't waste your time, it was a rhetorical question. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't consider working for a gentleman that was so backward thinking."
In California: Effective January 1, 2018, Labor Code section 432.3 prohibits an employer from, either orally or in writing, personally or through an agent, asking any information concerning an applicant's salary history information, which includes compensation as well as benefits.
And this is why I dread applying for work, my health/mental health isnt the best, so I often need time off to deal with it. That doesnt make me a bad worker, in fact, when I'm not sick, I'm a friggin workhorse. Always have been. My health makes it hard, and employers make it harder than it has to be.
As someone who has been an interviewer for multiple job types, what this company did was bad for both sides because they wasted their own time too. Gaps in resumes are fine as long as there is an explanation. I only ask about them because sometimes people do brilliant career helping things but don’t think they’ll help so leave them off. I’ve only ever marked people down for not having the required experience or knowledge, not for their current employment status. That said, if they’ve done nothing but sit on their butt for years and didn’t bother keeping up with their area of expertise then they’d be marked down a lot for that. Years, not months.
Is two months even a "gap" at all? Two months is a long vacation, and I wouldn't even ask about it. I might be curious about a gap of several years, but only if it was recent.
Load More Replies... Should have clowned that man in front of his employees. "Oh you sound mighty desperate. In light of this new information, I'll be rescinding my previous offer. I'm now asking for 10,000 more than previously asked. Can't afford to pay an employee what they're worth? I'm sorry, but I'll be looking elsewhere for a company whose quality and ability matches my own. Good luck in your search!"
Heh, I'd tell them that since they rejected my salary expectations, and then came back to me, I was the cheapest, so I can raise my expectations and they can pay me those $10000 more. On the other hand - with their attitude it would be very much *not* worth it.
Load More Replies... I wonder how long the position had been open - if a company doesn't fill a job in two months, that somehow doesn't get questioned. The same goes when there's huge staff turnover. If a business can't afford to pay (and treat) staff fairly, they shouldn't be in business. I really hope we're starting to learn that as a society.
Do not tell a potential employer about gaps in your employment history. It's none of their business anyway. Also, NEVER tell them your current or last salary. The only reason they'll ask is to see if they can low-ball you. When a position opens, the hiring manager and HR etc. will have a discussion about pay range to fill the position. Let's say they figure they can pay $70,000-$80,000. If they ask and you tell them you were making $45,000, you're not going to get $70-$80. They'll smile and tell you, "Well, you're in luck, because we can offer you $48,000! How's that sound?"
This is why I’m self employed. I used to work for terrible employers and I was never happy or treated with much respect. Now I’m much happier.
People don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses. I walked away from a job I absolutely LOVED because the owner was so toxic. So yeah, I quit a job & it was a few months before I started interviewing again. (Seriously, I felt like I had PTSD - she was THAT bad). Well, you can't tell that to a prospective employer. You never talk poorly about your former employer. If you cite illness (God forbid) they'll worry you won't last very long. You can claim caring for a sick parent/relative, but then if they're still living - again, how long will you last? It took us moving to a new city for me to be able to find a job.
I’ve had caregiver breaks that employers don’t criticize in an interview. But I once had a recruiter tell me that, based on my breaks and my resume at large, I was lucky to get offers for temp jobs and how dare I change my mind about an assignment!
Since early 2000 years a lot people in massive companies where CEO, Human Resources, Recruiters and Hiring Officials and Hire Person's have Lost Complete... Compassion And Empathy For Any Desired Unemployed Applicants Nowadays in 2022. Employers treat Resumes and Applications as if It's Slaves, Another # or You're Beneath Then.. as you have to Please Their Egotism To Be Hired On. Everyone on the Earth at some point took on maybe Family Members Obligations, Unexpected Illness or Maybe Took A Break from working. But these Employers Are Letting Your Break Of From Not Working Be More Importantly Than Who You Are As A Person.. Nobody's Desired Job or Career Position and Need For Any Desired Job shouldn't be Withdrawn Due To Unemployed Durations. As most CDL Driving Jobs are Allowing Insurance Carriers To Determine A Driver's Abilities and Potentials when they're Haven't Been Employed Within 1-3 years. As 2020 year COVID 19 Shutdown Entire World. How can anyone Get A Job if Negative Tactics
Which ROCK did you find this company under? That's a federal wage theft lawsuit waiting to happen. Report them to the federal dept of labor. Might be smart to start recording these conversations then submit an anonymous report. You should be able to report these bandits at no charge online. Google National Labor Relations board or "report wage theft."
Being in some bad interview too. If I am you, I will enjoy hearing their call to try to lure you in.
I had a similar situation, except I never made it to the interview. I had applied for a middle management position and was dressed to the hilt. Making my way out the door, I get a call from the HR manager of the company. She apologized and said the CEO would not interview me because I didn't have a college degree. I told her I was actually a retired CEO who was tired of being retired -- and that I wanted to get back to work. I then asked here to go to her CEO and ask him a simple question. What is a thirty-two year old college degree going to do for him and the company that 32 years of on-the-job experience would not. She replied, " Let me go discuss this with him and I'll call you back". I said, "don't waste your time, it was a rhetorical question. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't consider working for a gentleman that was so backward thinking."
In California: Effective January 1, 2018, Labor Code section 432.3 prohibits an employer from, either orally or in writing, personally or through an agent, asking any information concerning an applicant's salary history information, which includes compensation as well as benefits.
And this is why I dread applying for work, my health/mental health isnt the best, so I often need time off to deal with it. That doesnt make me a bad worker, in fact, when I'm not sick, I'm a friggin workhorse. Always have been. My health makes it hard, and employers make it harder than it has to be.
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