- 2023
- Nov
- 30
I didn’t take it because it’s not enough money…
I have enough time in the industry to comfortably “sit back and reflect on things that have happened over the years,” and one of those things that came up in conversation recently was why I turned down some positions that I applied and worked towards getting.
It took me some time to come up with a reason for this, but I read a short article about the same thing and that described it very well. It helped me put into words what my reasons are - that all of the positions I’ve been offered and turned down were either lateral or downgrades, pay wise.
There are a number that were serious downgrades in pay that just got tossed by the wayside because the company had not been truthful about what was being offered at the start. These places generally had a bad company attitude as well, and it’s probably for the best that they revealed their hand before I took the offer.
There are two that really stick out in my mind, however. One was a company looking for an engineering technician. This person would be entering a “Now apply what you learned” situation. The company offering this knew what I made currently, and knew I would be picking up and moving. I had a good feeling about this one, and assumed that because of the increased skill level required it would be paying accordingly.
“Accordingly” was a number based on some people I knew doing similar work at comparable companies.
They didn’t offer that number, and offered somewhat (not a lot) less than I told them I made currently. I turned it down. I received a call later from the company asking what they could do to make me interested. It’s the money, make me a reasonable offer for an engineering technician. You’re not giving me any reason to be attracted. I know the job is longer hours and more intellectual work, pay for that.
I never received any further contact, so I have to assume that they either went with their second choice or started interviewing again to find someone that would take their offer. I found their HR person on LinkedIn years later and extended a “Can I talk about that?” but never received a contact.
The second was more of a plain lateral move. The company did offer slightly more than I was making at the time (about $0.24 / hr more) but their benefits structure would have eaten up considerably more than that. It would have turned out to be a net negative with a longer drive. Again, the contact asked why I was turning it down.
It’s the money. It may be a bit more gross, but the net is less and you’ve not given me any reason to be attracted to your company - make me a better offer. You know what I said I’d like to see. I’m not leaving this job for that job when I’m not gaining any benefit. You seemed very pleased that I could pass your test and talk shop with you. You want my skills, how about a bit of compensation for them?
That didn’t go anywhere either. I did contact them later when some stuff happened, but they weren’t interested in talking anymore. No big deal there, I understand.
The takeaway here is I’ve had plenty of offers over the years, but in almost all cases it was the exact same thing I had or less, even if the position was a step or two up. At no time did I feel the company recruiting me understood that I wasn’t going to leave something for something identical, that I wasn’t going to take less. They just knew I wasn’t taking their offer but were unwilling to offer more.
It’s all kind of frustrating, but I’ve since read other’s accounts of the same thing. Someone wants them, but offers essentially the same thing they have and wonders why they don’t come running. We’re not in this for our health, it’s the money. If you want a special skill or years of experience, offer the holder something that attracts them.
If you don’t - you don’t get it. That’s all there is to it.
I’ve talked in depth about some of those experiences. If you’d like to read them, you can find them here: https://wereboar.com/stories/