I thought I was your guy?
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 12:28:04
About a decade ago, I interviewed at a small company in a large town. They wanted a tech, and called me via a recruiter. They wanted me to do a test, which I declined at first, but eventually said “yeah, ok, why not.” It was a basic electronics test, and I passed 100% with one question that we had to discuss. We eventually came to the conclusion that yes, their document was rather poorly copied and my interpretation of the symbol used was acceptable because it looked like that.
The interview went well. I was able to competently talk to them about products and technologies, about what they were doing, and how I could possibly integrate myself into that. They stated that if I wanted to explore other avenues of experience, like PCB design or circuit analysis, then they were more than happy to allow that. It really seemed to be a good fit, and I went away feeling good about the interview and my prospects.
A few days go by, and I’m called and offered the job. I’m told the pay rate - base is a few cents more than I made at the time, but that’s not worth the longer drive and hours the company would need, nor did it take into account other payments my current employer gave (and had given) for many years, payments that I could reliably count on and they offered right up until the day the owners had to retire because they couldn’t do it anymore. Things I had mentioned during my initial screening with the recruiter. I was being offered about $1.70 less an hour for this job, and it didn’t include that this company had a higher insurance premium.
I turned it down at that rate but said can we talk about that? No, that was the offer. Take it or leave it. I left it. There was no arguing, no crying, no nothing from the employer. Not even a chance to negotiate. I did end up speaking to the employer a few months later when some things changed in my situation, but they were frosty. No problem, I understand, thank you for taking the time to talk with me.
Fast forward to 2025. A friend and I are going to a hamfest in Southern Ohio. This guy knows people at the company in question, I believe he went to school with some of them. He had done some consulting work for the company, so he was familiar with the people and the owner and talked to them at times. For some reason, during our drive the company came up as in they didn’t offer anything. I can’t remember how we got started on that but this is something on how it went:
Friend: They were mad when you turned that down.
Me: What do you mean?
F: Just that, they were totally p**sed that you didn’t take that job. They were mad. You were their guy, and when you didn’t take it, it really made them angry.
M: I was their guy?
F: Yeah.
M: You know why I didn’t take it.
F: Yeah, it didn’t pay anything. I told them that too.
M: What did they say?
F: They said “That’s what this job pays.”
M: Really?
F: I told them “Well, that’s just not enough, is it?”
The conversation kind of continued along the fact that friend couldn’t get them to move off that “this is what we pay” line of thinking.
So I was their guy, but “that’s what the job pays?” So even if I wasn’t their guy and was just “Hey, I think we can work with him” I’d get the same amount? What? I don’t understand that. I was ready to step into that role, but the company was just “Well, we have a set rate and it doesn’t matter if you’re the god of your discipline or if you’re just some dude.”
It’s probably for the best that I didn’t take that role. It would have been a lateral move for the most part, with company conditions essentially trading like-for-like. It probably would have been interesting, but I wasn’t willng to take a time and pay cut for the job at the time, even though I think we might have been able to work together later. So there’s not many tears shed here, just a “Hmm. What if?”
But the thing I still can’t get over is that attitude. Why even bother if you’re not going to negotiate for the things you want? Why not tell me this up front if you have a set number already chosen? I would have said “No, I’m sorry, I make more than that and we shouldn’t waste our time,” but…time was wasted and people got mad, all because “their guy” decided that being that guy didn’t pay enough - or even what he had at the time.
C’est la vie. Life moves on and we learn what to ask and when. I know they hired someone, but I wonder if they learned what to ask.
I know I did. 🐗