Sympathy from employersI sometimes hear workers ask if you are currenty working or not, and I wonder if they sympathize, and think to themselves, "I' ll help this guy out, he needs work" Also, as the applicant, after the employer asks that, throw in, "Yes, and I also ran out of unemployment." I wonder if playing the sympathy card to a certain extent might help? I' m not talking about playing the violin here, but you know what I mean. Maybe I' m just bitter, but I think they use it to gauge your desperation, then lowball you. I won' t answer any questions like that unless they' ve already sent me a job description. I' ve had 3 barely intelligible Indian guys call me (end of month, I guess) and the first question, after a hurried, mumbled "we have some job requirements" is, "Are you working?" I tell them to send me a job description and if I' m interested, I' ll respond. They persist. After the third time I go all Judge Judy on them and hang up. Why not say that you' re between contracts and you' re also negotiating a couple of permanent offers? Let them think you' re in demand. I think you give these guys too much credit. After all, how many ugly girls are invited to the prom out of pity? (Back when you actually had to have a date, and of the opposite sex.) Well, if a company that's asking you this question has a "flat starting pay rate" ie a govt job, where anyone who is anyone is required to start at a certain payrate (non-negotiable). And I usually do have a job description by the time they ask me that at the interview. I would fail to see how they could low-ball you. In the job hunting process I never let employers know about my finances or come across desperate. Even if one is in dire financial straits, employers aren' t going to care. What employers are going to care about, is "what can you do for my company". As far as salary goes, I try to avoid discussing anything about salary until the interview process. Remember, the first one who discusses salary loses. Employers pretty much expect that the applicant will negotiate their salary. Oh, you' re talking about at an interview. They always ask me that as one of their first questions. Sometimes it IS the first question. The second one is, "How much were you making?" Then they decide how much they' re going to offer. If you' ve been out of work 6 months they figure you' re desperate, hence the low-ball. It' s not that hard to figure out. | |
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