Just a $1

Ten years ago, I got my first technical writing job: a paid internship with a software company. I was over the moon.

Last week I spoke to a company here in the US. The company in question submitted me at a major national bank for a rate that was my 5 year all-time low. But since I just want to get back to work (or, as I told one recruiter today, to "close the gap in my resume already"), I had no qualms about the rate.

Then this morning I heard from the company: my resume had been rejected because my rate was too high! The bank was only accepting resumes for a rate that equals $1 more an hour than I had made 10 years ago during my apprenticeship. I sucked it up and said submit me.

This afternoon I heard from a Canadian company. They wanted to schedule an interview with their client. I said "Great! Please send me the full job description.". That's when I discovered that:

1. The job was a contract, not a permanent job as had been indicated during our previous correspondence.
2. The "pay range" was $1 to $3 more an hour than my apprenticeship.

After a few emails wherein I asked about how flexible the terms of employment were, I declined to continue with my candidacy. After all, the position wasn't really something I would relocate for, if you will.

I certainly understand that companies want to cash in on the current economy by hiring people who are advanced in their career for peanuts. Still, the blatant highway robbery that both companies were performing was shocking to me. To be honest, I don't see the value of such tactics; Ultimately, the given hire would feel under appreciated, which in turn would hurt their job performance.

Here's hoping that companies start looking beyond the bottom line, and recognize that paying for talent means good performance long-term.

Happy job hunting!