I've been on the job hunt recently after leaving my position in June. I was in a second interview meeting the owner and upper management and all seemed to be going really well. They liked that I brought more to the table than the job description required. I didn't update my resume to show an end date for the job I had left 2 months prior.
When it came time for them to make an offer, they asked me what I was making at my current job, I told them I was making within their advertised compensation for the position. They immediately questioned my past tense, and I stated that I left the job in June to explore other options where I could use my skills more.
After knowing that, they made an offer that would have meant $6000/yr below their advertised range. I countered with a number that would have still put me on the lower end of the range.
I referenced the experience they just gushed over and said that I understand I have to prove myself before I would be able to earn on the higher end of the salary range. The owner immediately cut me off and said “This isnt negotiable. You haven't been working for 2 months. You should be happy to get an offer willing to pay you anything. It's infinitly more than you're making now.”
I told them if $6000 under their own advertised range was the best they could do that it would be a better use of my time to go back to school to finish up my degree program and I walked out. They've called twice already. Didn't even listen to the voicemail before I deleted it.
My first day of class was today. I'm done being toyed with and undervalued because I'm not desperate.