Re: Being an Expert (was:I'm taking my marbles and going home...)

[Jo Francis Byrd <jbyrd -at- byrdwrites -dot- com>]

 And sometime it's not even the "hard" or "soft" skills....

True story:  Last week I interviewed for a job. Was quite ambivalent 
about it; the job description indicated they wanted a senior level tech 
writer but they were offering a barely out of school, still wet behind 
the ears entry-level salary. I mentioned my reservations about the 
company to the head hunter (and he was a head hunter rather than a 
recruiter), and he assured me the salary range was a result of ignorance 
on the part of the company - they had never had a tech writer, had only 
just discovered the species even existed - and not a deliberate effort 
to exploit the current buyer's market.

So, I went. The interview lasted four and a half hours. Their interview 
process consisted of interviewing with the HR gnome...er...person, 
taking a writing test - in pencil - interviewing with the company 
president, and if you made that first cut, you'd come back and do a 
short presentation so they could judge your training skills. They 
planned to call the candidates on the short list that night. They needed 
someone who possessed the skill set, would fit into the company 
environment - and would stay.

Fortunately, a situation arose that prevented me from doing any 
preparations on a presentation, because the phone call never came. I 
figured I hadn't, for whatever reason, made the short list.

Turns out, there WAS no short list. The next morning I saw an e-mail 
from the headhunter, time stamped the night before (at 7:30ish, to be 
exact), that they had made someone an offer, please call him. My 
reaction surprised me: I wasn't disappointed, not even a "rats!"  or 
"oh, well." Obviously I didn't really want it! :-/

I figured they'd pretty well made up their minds before I walked in the 
door, but no. The last person they interviewed (they were interviewing 
another when I left and one more person was coming after him), agreed to 
take the job at that appalling salary - and they KNEW it was appalling, 
because I told them that I understood them they wanted/needed a senior 
level tech writer, and this is the salary range for that expertise 
level. A mid-level tech writer should command "x" salary range. The 
salary range they offered was for a barely out of school, still wet 
behind the ears, entry-level. I figured that even if I didn't get the 
job - and I wasn't sure I wanted it - I could help someone else.

I have no doubt the person who agreed to that offer was desperate, and I 
am not criticizing that person in any way. However, I learned more about 
that company from those few words from the head hunter than that company 
EVER wants me to know. Despite all claims to the contrary, they are not 
ethical, not when they deliberately take advantage of someone in dire 
straits. They may call it a sound business decision. I call it unethical 
and despicable. And I hope, very much, that person keeps looking, finds 
something at twice the salary in a month or so and tells them to take 
their job and shove it and leaves them in a bind (yes, I have a touch of 
vindictiveness in my psychological makeup). They may have gotten the 
skill set they wanted, they may even have found a person who will fit 
into the environment - temporarily, at least - but they sure didn't get 
anyone who will stay unless that person is a real idiot.

Jo Byrd



letoured -at- together -dot- net wrote: