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LPT: Howto tell your future employer is going to be a cheap-@$$

I've worked at big corp's for years and also for small mom-n-pop shops as well. I had been in I.T. support for up until 2011. I had worked for some large companies (IBM, AT&T, and GM) and the perks were great. In the mom-n-pop shops it was feast or famine. If you are in I.T., or even if you're not, if you can see if all the technology in the place is up to date or not that is a big telltale sign if they're going to be cheap with pay (let alone any benefits, or not…). The technology I was specializing in was the larger IBM servers and I could tell if a client was going to be cheap AF, just by looking at their equipment, or looking at the software they were using. One insurance company I applied for had servers that were SEVEN years old and about…


I've worked at big corp's for years and also for small mom-n-pop shops as well.

I had been in I.T. support for up until 2011.

I had worked for some large companies (IBM, AT&T, and GM) and the perks were great. In the mom-n-pop shops it was feast or famine.

If you are in I.T., or even if you're not, if you can see if all the technology in the place is up to date or not that is a big telltale sign if they're going to be cheap with pay (let alone any benefits, or not…).

The technology I was specializing in was the larger IBM servers and I could tell if a client was going to be cheap AF, just by looking at their equipment, or looking at the software they were using.

One insurance company I applied for had servers that were SEVEN years old and about three versions of operating system levels behind the current one. (In PC terms, for example, it's like walking past a PC today and seeing WindowsXP on a screen.) I was a bit concerned, but since I needed a job at the time, I interviewed just fine, but the resulting offer was about -20% of my last position. I said no.

The pattern was pretty consistent.

The most extreme correlation was interviewing with a large clothing manufacturer. Their server OS was at least 4 years behind and most of the PC's in the office were two levels of Windows behind. They liked me, but offered me 50% BELOW my current position at the time.

I could also tell it was going to be cheap as the cheapest companies would NOT pay for service contracts or any support. When something absolutely broke to the point of where it REQUIRED a technician, it would be extremely costly. In the 1990's, IBM would charge $225/hour (USD) to come out to fix an out-of-support (outdated) system. It was even worse if the company went real cheap and got used and/or 3rd party hardware. I actually accepted and worked for one of these companies ONCE. The owner of the company would be PISSED every time I called IBM for assistance. The pay was 25% of the previous position.

TL:DR: If a company runs old computers and equipment in the office, it's also very likely they'll be cheap with pay and benefits.

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