Hey all. Just to preface this may be a bit of a long post.
So basically I’m making a dollar above minimum wage at a data entry job but the gig can be pretty sweet because I have no supervision- when I get my work done I can do nothing & no one gets on my ass. However, my contract is ending soon. In response to this my supervisor recommended I apply to a position above what I currently do- it would require more responsibility but it is fully remote & I’d have actual benefits. Also I would be working with her. Because I feel like she gets my work ethic, I apply. She gives me good feedback so I have a feeling it should be a shoe in.
Enter the interview. So the person who interviews me isn’t my supervisor but someone from another department for recruiting. That’s how massive this corporation is for reference. I believe this person is also a temp. So I get average questions & it goes pretty well because I’m over qualified, then she asks me what I want to get paid. Note – I asked my colleague about how these interviews should go and she told me that they usually make an offer when they’re interested. So this question blindsided me. I did some research to prepare for this so I found a number that was from an online source that told me essentially what people would usually make in this position.
Note I am overqualified – this position requires a diploma, I have a BFA & AA from a high ranking school. It doesn’t completely require much experience, I have a year of experience with the company. Etc. etc. Also this is a multi million dollar company that has been able to afford me doing nothing for 3 hours a day for the last year.
So I give her the number and she pauses. Tells me that they’re looking for something that would be 8k less and essentially that they don’t want to hire someone out of budget and that I could be disqualified from the interviewing process.
I was dumbfounded. I honestly was so surprised I didn’t know what to say so I wasn’t in a “business” mindset anymore so I explained that I calculated the number based on the rates they said they set on the listing and she basically said that those numbers are more “Based on peoples rent in cities like NY and Los Angeles” – note, I live in PDX, a major metropolitan area. The interview ended shortly after that on an unsure note. But from what I understood it seems like I was rejected flat on the spot for my desired pay.
I’m honestly kind of panicking about this because I have to move out of my place in 2 months and was hoping I would have this job lined up & that I would be able to afford a 1 bedroom because I’d be working remotely. It feels as if everything has slipped through my hands, all because someone underhandedly asked me a trick question. This interview was probably a “game” to this person, and now I’m going to have to go shill my resume in this pandemic economy. Would love to hear any advice on how to proceed next.