How I will encourage fair pay for all

I applied for a position with a business that services schools. I was excited because the educational experiences that the organization offers students is fantastic.

I received an email from the human resources coordinator asking me to call her back because she wanted to review my application with me. I eagerly called back and left a voice mail message.

When we finally got in touch she asked me a couple of questions that I was able to quickly answer and then asked me a direct question. She let me know that because I had not stated my salary expectations in my cover letter that she needed me to let her know over the phone.

I thought to myself that there must be a better way to negotiate salary. I had two paragraphs about the job description and although I had a chance to cruise through their web site I was still ill prepared to answer that question.

I let her know that I didn’t state my desired earnings in the letter because I was unable to research the position at a comparable establishment – there was no other company offering similar services. I said to her that she must know what her budget is and could let me know the salary range that they were offering.

She once again said that she needed me to state my salary requirements. While she laughed, she let me know that for the administrative position, that I could only imagine just how many applicants there were and that some people were saying they would work for $25,000 a year and other applicants wanted up to $50,000 per year. Is it necessary to laugh at someone looking for work during a recession and to be reminded that it’s an employer’s market? I already know that.

I said that I needed to have an interview and get to know more about the role and the company before I could offer her an answer. And then I couldn’t believe what she said next.

She said “I need to know the lowest that you will go.”

Really?

So basically you want to know the minimum that I will work for?

We didn’t talk for much longer after that, I got off the phone as quickly as I could because that left a bad taste in my mouth.

She wanted to know what is the minimum salary I will work for? My husband and I laughed as he phrased what I should have said as a come-back (hindsight is always 20/20 and it’s so much fun to play that game after the fact to get a little laughter back in your life). He said that I should have asked how little work am I expected to do and how easy is the work I’m expected to perform?

I think that it could have been more tactfully handled. Let them hire the $25,000 applicant – I’m assuming she’ll get what she pays for.

Also, I anticipate that if employers are going to use this tactic in their hiring procedures then they are going to perpetuate lower wages for all employees in the future by taking whomever will undercut their competition. And in the end, it comes full circle. When the human resources coordinator loses her job, or chooses to look for a new one she’ll find that she’ll have to state her salary expectations too and likely have to undercut herself as well, even if she was paid more by her last employer. I will not contribute to setting that precedent. I will encourage fair pay for all and fight for it because it is in the best interests for me and my family.

When I was taking self-employment courses we were told over and over again that if we were worth $25 per hour that we were not to sell our services for $10 per hour. If we undercut ourselves then we would undercut all the other people in the industry and then our work would begin to be expected to be offered for only $10 an hour. If established companies intend to attempt to use this trend of paying salaried workers who are willing to undercut themselves to get a job over their competition, then they are going to start problems in the workforce and concerns in regards to fair pay for work. I highly suggest that they think about this before they continue this approach.

And I needed an interview to find out what benefits were being offered (or not), what vacation time I would get, what the dress code was at work, was the outfit large or small, what the hours were like, and how much overtime was required. There were so many things that I needed to know.

I’m finding that this is not a one-time occurrence, and it’s happening to other job hunters as well. What are your thoughts on employers who state in the job listing that they want to know your salary expectations? Do you have any stories to share? C’mon don’t be shy about it. I find that it’s getting tough out there!

Salary negotiations

Three follow-up questions I ask

I ask three questions when I make my follow-up call:

1) Did you receive my resume?
2) Have you had a chance to review it?
3) Will I be granted an interview?

I call back and ask my third question more than once if the potential employer is not able to give me the answer the first time I touch base. Especially if it seems clear to me that an interview is potentially in the cards for a later date.

Why I choose to follow-up

Job Pursuer's Planner

I believe that if I want the job, that I may have to make a follow-up phone call. Even if the posting states that only those selected for interviews will be contacted – I choose to ignore that going nowhere, fast one-liner.

When I send off my resume into cyberspace, I expect it to reach the destination email, and then I cross my fingers that it gets put into the right pile. Am I sitting back with my feet up, waiting for the invitation to come on down because I’m the next person they’re so eager to hire on the spot? Because I’m absolutely certain I’m so right for the position that my blue pant suit will be out of my closet in a flash? My goodness, no! I could be waiting until all the icebergs melt because of climate change. (Please note: the icebergs are melting because of climate change, but that’s another story, for perhaps another blog).

Today, I made a handful of follow-up phone calls. I have an email account with a calendar feature and I schedule when I’m supposed to make a call to a company. Some I left voice mail messages for and two people I had a chance to speak with. The staff members I left a voice mail message with I’ll call them a second time one week later. The two prospective employers that I’m talking to I play it by ear when I will call them back next, usually once a week – but I always have something to say to move the discussion along, otherwise, why bother?

I have a rule that I like to use. Only make two unsolicited, cold calls to the company I’m interested in working for. After that, I move onto the next pursuit. I continue to search. I also need to chase down a new pair of interview shoes.

However, if I’ve touched base and I’m discussing potentially being interviewed, then I choose to follow-up once a week.

And I have to remind myself that when I’m not working in this recession and while I’m on the job hunt, although it’s full time sweat looking for my vocation, the employer that I want to work for is unlikely to have me at the top of their to-do list every day. So patience is important.

I’m calmly waiting to hear from a friendly HR professional in the educational field. We’ve spoken twice. The first time it seemed that I was encouraged to apply for an administrative position and so I took the hint and I did. I then used my internet skills and found a contact in the department that I am hoping to work in and left a little voice mail message there. That message was then passed back to my newly acquired HR contact and I received a second call with a comprehensive explanation of what the next steps are before the interviews begin. The kicker is that I was told that I will hear back from HR when there is more information. Now there’s my low-heeled pump in the door! I’ll wait just over a week and then speed-dial my way to say that I’m still interested and to move the discussion along I’ll ask if they are closer to being ready for interviewing.

Now this is why I love the follow-up phone call. Sometimes I get voice mail, and sometimes I make an accessible contact in HR.

Welcome to my weblog!

Welcome to my new weblog featuring my journey to finding employment with an established company. The challenge ahead is how to find a job in a recession. I’ve been searching since the beginning of September and find there are many job listings out there, but how many people are in line for each position? I don’t have the answer to that yet (I’m hopeful that I will get a grasp of that during my job search), perhaps an in-the-know HR person who likes to talk will fill me in on just how busy they are. And that is even if their company is hiring. Wish me luck. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey – are you ready to follow along with me? Here I go!