I interviewed with a company that likely would be higher pay and a better skill builder. I don’t think they would offer it to me, but if they did, I wouldn’t take it. It was a small business and the owner asked if I would work overtime to handle projects getting behind schedule. I said yes but would prefer not to. Maybe not the best response in an interview, but his snarky response was, “I prefer not to get behind.” At that point I just wanted to be done with the interview.
I was reminded of a terrible job I used to work (also a small business) where I was screamed at frequently when schedule slipped, and I was really depressed the whole time I worked there. The owner was also adamant that the fast pace is usually too much for people and they wanted to make sure I understood that.
My view on overtime is it doesn’t benefit me at all (even if paid). I make my living in 40 hours, and overtime only benefits the employer at the expense of me enjoying my free time. I’ve also witnessed employers overwork employees for years without thinking about hiring more hands or planning their work more effectively. I was done with working to fix employers’ shitty planning a long time ago.
Long story short, I’ll happily pass on the higher pay if offered.