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Originally Posted by tickle

If you take their offer then you are basically downgrading yourself. Could be they are trying to see your worth and waiting for to say that isn't good enough. I would call their bluff and stick to your guns by telling them what they are offering is too low.

If they vacilate on this, are they really worth working for?

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I really have to point out, again, that today's job market is tough. The OP has stated that she's been out of work, unable to find employment, for the last year.

So to answer you last question, if they're really worth working for. I guess that depends. Does the OP want to eat, have a roof over her head, pay her bills? If not, then maybe they're not worth working for. But right now they're the only deal she has going. How badly does she want to work? That's really the only question she should be asking herself.

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Originally Posted by firefly101

Wondergirl you surely make a good point. TO be honest if they didn't ask me for a salary range I would have felt much better about it. The fact is they asked me how much I would like to be paid and gave them a range and they all nodded and smiled as if it were something they could work with. I will try to negotiate a salary of 5k more and see what happens. If they refuse to raise it believe me I will accept it anyway because as some have stated something is better than nothing and I am not completely unreasonable. But I will try to negotiate something better. It either works or it doesn't.

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You have to be careful how you say this. I would approach it saying, that the salary offer surprised you since you had discussed a range during the interview. So you were expecting a better offer.

Even in today's economy you can't allow yourself to be intimidated by an employer. If you know what your worth then stick with it. At a minimum accept the offer with 90 days for them to step up. If they don't put up then put them behind you. Skilled labor has a worth that can be compared to no other. Don't be bullied by tactics such as less money just so they can line their pockets. Stand up for yourself.

Cal, I agree entirely. Basically what I stated, only you said if better. I don't think OP should lower her standards for a job that doesn't really promise what she wants. Job hunting nowadays anywhere is stressful, but the market is always open to qualified people.

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Originally Posted by Tickle

Cal, I agree entirely. Basically what I stated, only you said if better. I don't think OP should lower her standards for a job that doesn't really promise what she wants. Job hunting nowadays anywhere is stressful, but the market is always open to qualified people.

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When was the last time you had to hunt for a job? I very much disagree with the above. I'm not saying the OP should sell herself short, but in this market, people need to to be very sure the job is not for them before turning it down.

I was out of work for 15 months, before I landed my current job, 2 years ago. In my field I am very qualified, but I wasn't even getting a lot of interviews, even though applying for jobs that I was qualified for. We don't know what field, expertise or other issues the OP faces. So I really have a problem with advice like the above.

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Originally Posted by ScottGem

When was the last time you had to hunt for a job? I very much disagree with the above. I'm not saying the OP should sell herself short, but in this market, people need to to be very sure the job is not for them before turning it down.

I was out of work for 15 months, before I landed my current job, 2 years ago. In my field I am very qualified, but I wasn't even getting a lot of interviews, even though applying for jobs that I was qualified for. We don't know what field, expertise or other issues the OP faces. So I really have a problem with advice like the above.

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That's my point exactly.

I don't think you are being quite fair. ScottGem, I was offering my opinion, OP can sift through all of this and make her own decisions.

I have been on the bottom rung of the ladder before and no one ever forgets hard times, I have had my share, but quite happy I have found my nitch and at 70 working way passed retirement because I have to.

I have never forgotten how hard it was at times over the last 50 years job hunting.

Tickle,

That's not the point. I'm very sure you have experience here. But this job market is different from anything since the depression. Unless you have experienced this job market and understand the skills the OP has, I don't think your advice is valid for her.

But yes, let her digest both our opinions and choose what is best for her.

Tickle, I think you're missing our point.

Right now there are people with degrees in medicine working at McDonalds because that's the only job they can get in this market. They have skills, but the jobs simply aren't out there.

The OP has stated that she's been out of work for a year. Obviously she's been looking, but this seems to be the only offer she's had in the year she's been looking.

She could be the top of her field. I'm not debating that. She could be the best of the best at what she does. But there are many people that are the best at what they do working in jobs far beneath their skills, because there aren't jobs out there right now.

I'm not saying that the OP shouldn't ask for more money. I never said that. If she feels she deserves more than she should ask. You can't get if you don't ask. But she has to be realistic. She's not the only person out there looking for a job, and if she pushes too hard she may well lose this opportunity. If that's a risk she's willing to take then she should take it. But this market is not like any other we've ever experienced. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people standing in line waiting to take this job for the price the company quoted, and they are probably just as qualified as she is.

Alty, I have to disagree. In the OP's words the company felt that she was qualified for the higher position. Its obvious that they too have been searching for the right person and hadn't found one. It is bogus to think that you have to work cheaper then the normal pay scale. Those that are working at McD's are doing so because of a place they have put themselves in. Its not a matter of the market so much as it is a matter of means testing. If your going to rebuild then your going to want the best. And if that best walks in the door you don't just shoot it down. If the company was a stand up company then at the interview they should have made a counter offer instead of trying to surprise the OP with one. Tickle has a very valid point. Its not about just money but about expectations. The OP has them and the company is hungry for them. This isn't a job at McD's. $8,000 a year is roughly $4.00 an hour. That is a large chunk of change. The company at a minimum needs to answer for that.

Alty, I assure you I am not missing the point. I just have a different viewpoint.

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Originally Posted by tickle

Alty, I assure you I am not missing the point. I just have a different viewpoint.

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And I just don't understand that viewpoint. I could understand if jobs were abundant, but in today's economy I don't understand at all.

But I agree that the OP should consider both points of view and decide for herself. Whatever decision she ultimately makes is up to her, and whatever the company decides is up to them. I just hope that things work out, that she's not searching for a job for another year without success.

Sorry Dad, but I still disagree. You are making an assumption here. You are assuming that the company is offering less than normal pay scale. I don't think that is a valid assumption. The fact is the OP came in for a position below her qualifications. The company felt they had a position she could fill. During the interview process they asked her what salary range she was looking for. It is very possible that the range she mentioned was above the pay scale for the position. However, since they knew she started looking for a lesser position then felt she might accept lower than the stated range.

Now it could be they are offering less then their scale for the position or it could be that her range was above the scale for the position. We DO NOT know. Frankly, I think she is dealing with a standup company because they saw the possibility of her fitting into a higher level position and offered it.

But the fact remains that they knew her expectations and offered less. There are two possible reasons for that. One is that, given the job she originally came in for, they felt they can get her for less. But the other possibility is, as I've stated, that the salary range for the position was below the range she specified.

In today's job market, one needs to be careful about turning down a viable position. It is not selling oneself short, but accepting the realities of the market.