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Comp Q & A with Karla in Trying Times

Sep 08, 2010 / Job Seeker / Trackback

Question from a job seeking social networker today in my LinkedIn inbox:

What do you do when a recruiter calls and says you would be a great candidate for the position they are looking to fill, saw my resume on line….You ask what the job pays and the answer is $11.00 to 13.00 a hour. What do you do or say?

Karla says:

I guess it depends on what you are prepared to do. From our conversations I think I know what you are looking for but the truth is, that type of job is few and far between here and everywhere.. and candidates with competitive experience are rather abundant. The job market is not going to be well for a very long time.

So, if you need to get back into the job market and it is a job you would like, you could just be honest and say that it seems very interesting and a great match for your experience and either:

A) Go through the interview and take it if offered to you, to get back to work and stop the gap from growing on your resume. When offered the position, try to negotiate a little more (but not more than 10-15% is advisable) and pick up some freelance work on the side to pick up the slack in salary, make yourself very valuable in the company and grow the position and your worth and hopefully in a couple of years you’ll be right back up to where you were before.

B) Say that it sounds great however, your salary requirement is X…. and see what happens.

B rarely if ever works out, especially these days.. there is a line behind you that will take what they offer. People’s unemployment checks are running out and $13. is a lot more than $0. People are managing more than one job to make ends meet.

I’m sorry, I don’t have anything rosier to say. I hope it puts things in perspective and helps you reflect to form a strategy. Too many people went to school for communications, most don’t actually work in it. That includes me anymore. It’s highly competitive due to the gross over saturation of candidates.

As always, I wish you the best.

Karla

PS. Your question is EXCELLENT. I am going to use it and my answer without your name or any way to identify you, in a blog post.




Responses

Kelly
Sep 08, 2010 at 5:35 AM

It is an excellent question and excellent answer! You are spot on, Karla! Option B rarely works because there are 10 people standing in line behind you who are qualified and willing to do the job for x dollars. I know this as a Recruiter and as a job seeker (for my husband). He had to take a drastic pay decrease even though he has years of experience, training and education. But in our market (Las Vegas) and in his industry (construction) there aren't just 10 people in line behind him, there are hundreds! And you are right….x dollars is better than 0 dollars!

Option A isn't as bad as it sounds. I tell candidates not to just focus on the $$ right now but what the growth potential is for the future. You may be looking at an opportunity that starts out low but once you get in and prove yourself you will have better footing to approach your manager with your successes in hand and discuss a salary increase. If you see long term potential or other inciting benefits (such as great medical plan, commission potential, promotions from within) …why not give it a second thought?

And going back to reflecting on my personal experience, my husband took that job at a (much) lower salary. He received a raise two weeks after he started and has found the company to have a less stressful and more productive work environment. It turns out there is growth potential and he loves his job. In the end, I am glad we chose Option A.


Karla Porter
Sep 08, 2010 at 5:44 AM

I'm glad to read your comment Kelly – I was a little worried I might have been a tad to frank. Sometimes people don't want to hear that, they want me to wave a magic wand and tell them a secret that will get them what they really want. Only Batman my cat gets magic treats.


donnatalarico
Sep 08, 2010 at 1:14 PM

Don't want to disclose the dollar value, but Joe just had this same situation at a local Intermediate Unit. He was appalled by his offer – but he HAD to take it. He needs a foot in the door in the special ed (or any education field) for that matter. It's sometimes sickening to think of the wages the educated and talented are making, but the bottom line is, some jobs aren't as in demand anymore because so many people are saturating the marketing – education and specialized niches of communications are very hard to get into. Paying dues. That's what it's all about. Is it unfortunate? Yes. But, we need to realize this is the reality and just suck it up. Tough love when you have to drill that into someone's head, too. Secondary English didn't pan out for him. Here's hoping special ed will.


Karla Porter
Sep 08, 2010 at 6:38 PM

Donna – I do hope it works out spectacularly for Joe and that he falls in love with working with students with special needs. You know the old saying – when one door closes another opens. Sometimes we can be happier through unexpected events. ~Karla

P.S. Thanks for your visit.


Brenda
Sep 08, 2010 at 7:55 PM

Karla,

Well said, as usual! What else can you say? It's the truth!


Karla Porter
Sep 08, 2010 at 10:04 PM

B- Today I met with an HR Director who took a much needed opportunity (apparently) to deviate from the conversation at hand to tell me how tough it has been and continues to be for so many who have and are about to exhaust their unemployment compensation. I commiserated and was happy to listen and be a comrade who cares in a profession where we often deliver the news that disrupts people's lives.

Sometimes I don't think people really realize that when someone has invested in their future, studied a career, worked hard to build it and then ends up underemployed just to have some type of basic income – that they feel a “loss” that it's a personal tragedy for many and telling them to suck it up is rotten. This isn't supposed to happen in the land of milk and honey.


donnatalarico
Sep 09, 2010 at 7:20 PM

I feel awful for using the words “suck it up” in my reply above. I was much more graceful with my actual words to Joe. : ) That was just me typing away… My heart goes out to him and so many others. I agree – to build a life and work so hard and invest in an education to have it taken away… In some cases, like Joe's example, he didn't even START his career. He feels very strongly that colleges shouldn't be pushing majors that aren't in demand. What are your thoughts? I disagree with him, but agree in some ways.


Karla Porter
Sep 09, 2010 at 8:09 PM

Oh my goodness Donna – never in a million years would I expect you would speak to Joe like that! When I posted my reply to Brenda it was completely coincidental I used those words. Do not feel awful- it wasn't on purpose and the truth is that this whole unemployment and underemployment era sucks.. no mincing words about it.

I'm upset with colleges for not being as relevant as they could be. But it's complicated. Who would think philosophy would be something a reasonable person would pay to study and then end up working in retail? Some people have passions they wish to pay to explore. It is clearly a case of “consumer beware” when it comes to education – because higher education is a big business. When I see that between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton we pump out about 60 surgical technologists per year and have openings for about 2 I think of all the thought and decisions that have to be made pre-education (and as we all know, life changes on a dime in a split second so often). Students need to decide where they want to go to school and where they want to live and work. It's important to study the possibilities of where you ultimately want to live – unless your passion of a profession is so strong you are willing to go wherever the job is.That's often not possible or people don't think of it. I wouldn't advise studying teaching if I planned on living here because of the challenges associated with getting a teaching job in this area (you know what I mean).

I dunno… I'm just rambling now. It's all so very cosmic and complicated.


donnatalarico
Sep 09, 2010 at 8:16 PM

GREAT points. I figured your mention of that phrase wasn't geared toward my reply, but it reminded me to choose words carefully when dealing with sensitive issues like this. I totally agree – I am so pro-education it's not funny. I think of college as more of a life experience than a piece of paper to get a job, whereas others I know think that's all college is. You make a good point about surgical tech grads vs. jobs available. Some people come to NEPA to go to school from all over the country and world, so it doesn't matter to them that the job market isn't vibrant where they go school. I don't think guidance counselors or anyone involved in the decision should ever deter someone from a path of study — not everyone can make a decision at 18, so going in undeclared is good advice. I am rambling here too, I guess. I just think that when someone decides at 18 what they want to major in – so much can change in four years – the economy, technology (will people be replaced), and even goals – someone may decide they want to go to grad school… I think its best for people to enter college with an open mind. If we focus too much on Labor and Industry's report on careers in demand, I don't know – we'll get a lot of people in jobs they don't like and doing things not out of passion but necessity. It's such a blurred line. Rambling ending… sorry… I was all over the place here.


Brenda
Sep 09, 2010 at 11:50 PM

Karla,

You are right, this is not supposed to be happening in the Land of Milk and Honey, and our home values are not supposed to go backwards either! It's sad to see things go backward, no progress at all. Reading the comments about colleges pushing programs that are not in demand reminds me of the education blogs you've written this year. Re-structuring education would be more important now than ever. It's a big personal loss for someone to spend thousands $$$ on an education, just to have it pulled out from under them by the economy. I know young people who owe major bucks on student loans and cannot get a foot in the door anywhere close to what their actual studies were.

Horrible words, “suck it up” – but what can you do? You have to go out there and try your best to make something happen. Underemployment numbers are hitting up there with unemployment numbers.

Donna, I feel your pain. My husband has been in the same boat for a long time – having to accept a position at 1/3 the level and pay of his former job. The good news is that he is happy to be working again.


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