Dealing with a job rejection

Water Cooler Careers
#41

It’s like the 3rd question they ask me now a days phrased as “what are your salary expectations”. Well since you asked, Debbie, I wouldnt want to do this soulless job for for anything less than seven figures nor does anyone else. Why do you just save us both time and tell me the high end range of your budget since it’s already readily published on glassdoor along with that solid 3 star rating. While we are at it, why dont we continue this charade by you giving me an offer today, i’ll pretend to work while you pretend to pay me commensurate amounts to the company growth… Shadow growth that is, bc 10% of the company is built on a garbage island of utility and the other 90% is just government mandated to ensure the populus is busy for the majority of the waking lives and too tired for independent thought thus reliant on House of Cards (I wish I was immune) for some much needed R&R, bc you know, they day was so chaotic and important.

Fellow brother/sisters, i am on the precipitous of reincarnating a new revolution fueled by the utter bs of this job market. The fact that a farmer can hardly make ends meet and must grow shit we don’t even eat while a ohai like figure (no offense) is raking in endless money is the epitome of backwards society and must be stopped. Stacked side by side, what’s more important, quality food or some data monkey deciding whether 5% or 6% allocation to FANGS is prudent. How many of you drudge into work day after day, each day your energy depleting further and further while the permeation of the facade of importance of your job fills the void. What is it that most of you do hahah? “We are the machines that allocation capital efficiently. We ration limited supply of capital to those who deserve it most.” Right… but what does that entail? Updating a spreadsheet (little side note, why is the finance community so behind when it comes to adopting technology), completing god’s work by preventing fraud? Propping up the baby boomer’s portfolio and pensions?

The key being is i am on the edge, friends - but ill likely keep climbing the ladder of comfy jobs, buy a second and third house, continue to grow my 401k and then push this futile agenda on my genetically gifted offspring so thus, i will indeed be incarnating something.

#42

*slow applause

#43

haha its kind of funny though, that most the shit we do work on will not even see $$. but knowledge that something is shitty still has value! we are essentially decision makers! i cant find the quote, but some big shot tech guy commented on what c-suites are for. their purpose is not to make many decisions, but to make very few but meaningful decisions. anyways be careful what you wish for, apparently cramer claims that ceos are privately telling him that things have dramatically slowed and are at the verge of cutting jobs. unemployment is at 3.7%, a 49 year low!

#44

nailed it.

The employer has all the cards right up until the offer is made. Then it’s a game of poker to figure out the hand you’ve got when talking comp, ie are you their only candidate, are there others that you’re a ballhair above? Do they have a cheap internal candidate to fall back on? Do they have some niggling doubts about you to the point where they’d bail if you push too hard?

I usually try to remain keen but not too keen throughout the process and then pull back due to a smallish issue that you need to consider but this needs to be very carefully done and can only be pulled off if an opportunity for uncertainty presents itself.

Having been through multiple hiring processes I’ve concluded that it’s impossible to navigate the process and remain dispassionate.

#45

The value is education to you, as I hope that you will take this information to heart and ultimately succeed in your so far, unsuccessful recruitment process. Unless you have highly specialized skills, you have no bargaining power in this process. Anyone can be taught the job that you applied for. What they are looking for is someone who can be brought on quickly, who passes a personality test, and fits their parameters for compensation. By defying one of their parameters, you have simply given them a reason to move on to another of the many candidates that they have lined up for the position. The hiring process for low level, semi skilled roles is to find reasons to reject people, not to accept them. I’m not offended if you do not accept the advice of more experienced people, but it seems that it will probably work to your disadvantage.

#46

Is it just me or is Ohai turning into Itera?

#47

Nah Ohai gives good advice

#48

Oooooooh snap.

#veryspice

#49

And there it is, the blood squeezed from the stone! maybe that’s the trick to getting good advice from you, just try to insult you and boom there it is, high quality advice. haha. In any event, thank you for providing the info.

#50

Geez. What an experience. Well, better off on the last part, “reflect and learn” and move on.

#51

Very well said.

#52

suppygov, I had a similar experience albeit with much less invested. I would have been the number 2 at a firm for which I’m a great fit on paper and potentially taking over in 5 years or so. CEO said we should talk numbers when I get back from vacation. While I am on vacation, they call me internationally saying the firm was sold to a large, well known company, will continue to operate independently but hiring is on pause during the transition. Haven’t heard from them in a few months now…it’s hard, because you want to imagine what the role will be like, but it is important not to fully put yourself mentally in the role until it is 100% a sure thing.

That said, it sounds like you were working on compensation, so not sure if they actually extended an offer you were negotiating or if they were just seeing if they thought you were worth what you were asking. Either way, that’s a pretty unprofessional way to go about the hiring process in my experience. You may have dodged a bullet.