My current company is not what I need it to be, so when I had a recruiter call me saying that they had a company that was looking for my skillset, I was happy to field the offer. I went to the interview, and while they liked me and had only good things to say, they were looking for someone who could be promoted to the department head in 6 months. They referred me to their parent company, who is significantly larger & had immediate openings for exactly my skillset. I attended their interview, which they insisted on setting up with 24hrs of receiving my resume- extremely short notice. The interview went really well, they gave me a salary range right out of the gate, but when we discussed the fact that I would need to start in 6 weeks due to a project that I am ethically compelled to complete, they said that they would only allow me 2 weeks after receiving an offer. The VP I spoke with changed tone immediately from amicable to “hard ass” upon mentioning this and it raised a red flag, but I said I would consider it.
The recruiter called me the next day to say they were going to give me an offer at a really awesome salary, but then dropped the bomb that they required Livescan Background Check, DOJ Background Check, and full-panel drug test AND they will be requiring the 2 week timeline. I have a squeaky clean record, but I have thc in my system that likely wont leave for another 30 days (I quit 2 weeks ago).
After talking with my former boss & mentor, he agreed that these were red flags, and sets a tone for what I could expect in my career with them. He reminded me that our industry is absolutely booming (construction) and that his new company (larger & much more employee centered) had none of those requirements and was willing to give him 3 months when he left my current company. He's going to try to get me an interview.
This gave me a bit of an epiphany, that this is the employee's market! If you have a skillset that is sought-after, know your worth!
The company that is giving me the offer & playing hard-ass even told me in the interview they were struggling to find qualified people. Every single company similar to them, are also hiring, with what I am assuming are similar salary ranges.
Remember that you have the power these days. Will the market flip one day? Sure, but know your worth, and trust your gut!
I'll post back with an update.