I have a job, but I am casually looking for better compensation (and not retail). I mention this to a friend, and he says his job is hiring. It’s warehouse order fulfillment, so it’s not my cup of tea, but I would only have to travel ten minutes to work instead of half an hour. I tell him I will look into it, but the next day, I get a phone call.
Me: “Hello?”
Recruiter #1: “Hi, this is [Recruiter #1] at [Company]. Can I speak to [My Name]?”
Me: “Speaking?”
Recruiter #1: “Hi, thank you for taking my call today…”
He goes into a speech, talking about the great opportunities his company provides, the benefits, the hours, and so on.
Me: “That’s great. So, it’s full-time?”
Recruiter #1: “Yes! We work up to sixty hours per week.”
Me: “That’s a lot. I do have a job right now, so—”
Recruiter #1: “Oh, we were under the impression that you were unemployed.”
Me: “No, I have a job. I’m just seeing what else is out there to decide if I want to switch career paths.”
Recruiter #1: “Well, great!”
The next part of the conversation is what feels like an interview. He asks about my previous job experience, how I handle pressure in the workplace, and whether I can lift up to fifty pounds.
Recruiter #1: “Well, this has been great! Do you have any questions for me?”
Me: “Could you tell me the pay range for this position?”
Recruiter #1: “The… pay range?”
Me: “Right. Like, [Local Gas Station] has window clings saying they pay $13 an hour to start. What is your starting rate?”
Recruiter #1: “Oh. Um, I’m not sure. We can discuss that during your interview, though.”
Me: “I thought we just did the interview?”
Recruiter #1: “No, this is just the initial contact. We can set up an interview for [time and date] if that works for you.”
Me: “Okay…”
The interview time comes, and the conversation is much the same: employment history, conflict resolution, and so on and so on.
Recruiter #2: “Well, I think you would be a great fit for [Company]. If you can come by today, we can get your drug test done, and as long as everything comes back clean, you can start next week.”
Me: “I’m sorry, what is the starting wage?”
Recruiter #2: “Oh, [Recruiter #1] should have told you.”
Me: “He said that would be discussed in this interview.”
Recruiter #2: “I see. Well… I will have to get back to you on that. Are you able to come get your drug test paperwork today?”
Me: “I would like to know the pay before continuing any further with this process.”
Recruiter #2: *Getting annoyed* “That’s not something we discuss outside the company.”
Me: “But you just said [Recruiter #1] should have told me. How can—”
Recruiter #2: “I will have to have someone call you with that information. I don’t have it on hand.”
Me: “Okay. Once I have that, I will decide if I want to join [Company].”
He hangs up without another word. I have basically decided that I’m not taking this job, but I still want to know the pay; their avoidance of the subject just makes me want to press harder.
A week goes by before my next call. [Recruiter #3] goes through the same interview questions, talks about the same benefits… and avoids the same question.
Recruiter #3: “We offer a lot of great benefits, and—”
Me: “Look, I am not going to go forward with this until someone tells me the pay range.”
Recruiter #3: “I don’t have that information on hand.”
Me: “Your team has called numerous times, and I’ve answered the same questions time and again, but nobody there can tell me what the hourly rate will be. If the next person to reach out doesn’t have the answer, I will not be taking the job.”
Recruiter #3: “Okay. Well, thank you for your time.”
They did not call again. I asked my friend what he started at, and he told me it was a dollar above minimum wage.