Offered new job, but no pay increase

astrogeek

I was offered a job yesterday and came in to their HR department this morning to sign the new hire papers. Up until this point I was under the impression this company was accepting the rate I had asked for, which is $55k/year or $26.44/hr. However, after given a book of papers to read through and sign I was told the position only pays $21.84/hr, a far cry from what I thought the pay was. I'm currently making $21.44, so this new job would only be 40 cents more an hour.

The new position would offer a lot more to learn. The position will not only be responsible for upgrading and monitoring the network of 3 different sites, but will be maintaining their VMware and SQL database servers. Right now my current job is only dealing with networking. I don't touch any of the servers, or get involved with the VMware environment. Basically I'm bored out of my mind at my current job and I'm really not learning anything new anymore.

The main problem with the new job is that because it's a much further drive the extra .40 cents an hour isn't going to make up for the extra gas I'll have to spend. I'm struggling financially as it is and I don't think I can afford this change. I asked for a day to think about accepting the job before signing anything. In short here are some pros and cons I'm seeing with the new position:

Pros:

• I'll gain experience in designing a network from the ground up
• I'll gain experience with the company's servers; VMware, SQL, etc.
• After 2 years I should be able to command better jobs with better pay than if I stay at my current job for 2 years

Cons:

• Same pay as current position
• Longer, (and more expensive), commute
• They weren't exactly upfront about the pay rate. I didn't find out they weren't accepting my asking rate until I was about to sign the new hire paperwork. To me this is coming off as a big red flag.

My gut is telling me to decline the offer unless they bump the pay up significantly, but the reality is that the experience alone might make the change worth while. What is really worrying me is that in my interviews they never seemed to have an issue with my asking rate, and I find it a bit disingenuous that they never said they had a problem with it. Honestly, if this all came up in one of the interviews I probably would have been okay with the pay, but the way they handled this is coming off as a big red flag that is giving me some deep reservations.

I need some advice, I don't want to turn down a good opportunity, but I'm not exactly desperate for a new job either.

Expect

It would be easier to give an opinion if you listed your current years of experience & field of experience.
If you are currently working at some place else, then you don't have to rush and sign anything.
one of the main reasons for a job change is to increase the salary, if you feel unsatisfied, that is not the right way to start a new job role.
Think about it some more.

networker050184

I'd agree that the way things were handled would have me weary of accepting the position. Did they actually tell you they were going to pay your asking offer or did you just assume? Seems like they would have extended an official offer with a dollar amount before you ever were asked to sign anything.

I'm not sure why anyone would willing want to work with servers but if that is what you want to do this definitely seems like a step in the right direction career wise. If you are already struggling financially I probably wouldn't take a cut to your income while also increasing your financial output. That certainly isn't going to help your situation.

I'd respond with a counter offer and see what they come back with. If they don't want to pay you what you want then keep looking.

astrogeek

I have 3 years of experience, I've been with the same company for that time too. Before that I was a truck driver so that doesn't count for much I did make the mistake of assuming they were accepting the rate I was asking, but I thought that one of the people I interviewed with would have brought up what they were willing to pay if it was going to be significantly less. I'll probably just chalk that up to a learning experience for interviewing in the future.

As far as working with servers, I just want to get more experience to be a more well rounded network tech. Most companies I apply for want server experience, but I would like to work more with VMware and possibly start picking up some VMware certs.

I'm thinking of countering with a lesser amount than I was asking and see what they say, but I did call the hiring manager and he didn't sound like he could offer any more. He said the company goes by a base salary of how many years of experience someone has. Honestly I didn't expect what I was asking for originally anyway, but I would need a little more than where I'm at currently. With only 3 years of IT experience I can't really demand a particular pay rate, but I don't think I'm really asking for that much in the first place. To put it in perspective I made more driving trucks than I'm making currently, and this is southern California so I don't think $55k is really that unreasonable for where I'm at in my career.

NetworkVeteran

astrogeek wrote: »

The main problem with the new job is that because it's a much further drive the extra .40 cents an hour isn't going to make up for the extra gas I'll have to spend. I'm struggling financially as it is and I don't think I can afford this change.

Have you run the numbers? 0.40 x 8 = $3.20. That covers an extra 20-30 miles of driving, depending on your car. The first and most essential question is, can you afford this change, with some minor changes and/or a relocation?

I'll gain experience with the company's servers; VMware, SQL, etc.

Your certifications are in networking. This would give you a broader background as opposed to a deeper one. Whether this is "good" or "bad" depends on what you want to be doing. This would be a terrible job for me.

Honestly, if this all came up in one of the interviews I probably would have been okay with the pay

It sounds like you can afford this and the experience is worth the pay cut to you.

They weren't exactly upfront about the pay rate. What is really worrying me is that in my interviews they never seemed to have an issue with my asking rate, and I find it a bit disingenuous that they never said they had a problem with it.

If they were never, ever open to $26.44 and you stated that as a requirement, I'd have problems with how they approached this. If you only stated that as a wish/preference/desire, or if they were open to for the right candidate but decided your skills/background were only worth a little more than your current employer pays, I see nothing wrong.

Sounds Good

I would hold out for a better job. I don't know your location, but with 3 years of exp and CCNA/NA:Sec, I'm sure there are a lot more opportunities out there than $21/hour.

TechGuru80

Completely up to you. It is possible the paperwork had an error...let's be honest it's HR lol. Bring that concern up instead of ranting about it online because maybe it's not even an issue. If it's not much better than your current position in the short term and long term...then pass.

astrogeek

I did check with the hiring manager, (the person that would be my boss), and he confirmed the pay is correct. He did say he would see if he could bump it up but he didn't think that would be possible.

NetworkVeteran - Yea your right, I could grind through and accept the pay being offered. Perhaps this is just because I'm relatively new and not used to how IT interviews go, but the whole thing just feels like it was a bait-and-switch kind of thing. If during the interview they said they couldn't pay what I was asking for then I'd be much more comfortable accepting a lower rate. The question I'm now asking myself is if this company is worth the change after they weren't exactly upfront with what they were willing to pay.

If I didn't have a job, or I was desperate to change I would have probably just gone ahead with whatever they were offering. But I have a job, a good one. Even though I don't get the experience I'd like, it's a good company that is stable. So I'm not exactly in any rush to **** what I have for a company that seems a bit lacking in integrity.

I do appreciate everyone's advice and suggestions. With the little experience I have new job offers don't come often, so I want to make sure I make the best decision for my future!

NetworkVeteran

I'm also touchy when it comes to integrity. Best of luck to you, whatever you choose to do.

ratbuddy

Personally, I would tell them it would take $26.44 an hour to get you to accept their offer of employment. If they pass, it's their loss and not yours.

santaowns

I guess I might be only one who thinks the pay is a bit low. As a comparison Im in nor cal and only monitor servers and facilitate bridges and make as much as you do. I would of expected you to get paid more. I do however work for a fortune 15 company, maybe that's where difference is. I know our Windows admins start at 63k and range up to 90k

blargoe

You said that your understanding was they accepted your salary request. Did you ever get a formal offer letter from them? That is usually where these terms are defined in my experience. I don't think I would just "let it go". You requested a certain salary, and either weren't told one way or the other, or they led you to believe you would be getting what you asked for.

It might be a legitimate misunderstanding, but I would just be honest with them - you had an understanding from prior conversation that the pay would be higher, and based on that understanding, you were willing to accept the longer commute.

This is the time that you work out details like this, not after you start.

ptilsen

Forgetting all of the stuff about communication, the bottom line is that this is probably not the career move you want. Unless you want to make a lateral move because there's no other way to get the experience you want for your career, doing so makes very little sense. No pay increase is generally a pay cut, since you'd likely get a larger annual raise by not changing jobs, and in this case the commute alone makes it a pay cut.

I've yet to quit a stable job for less than a 20% effective pay increase, and I doubt I ever would for less than 10% other than to do a major career/specialty change.

Zartanasaurus

astrogeek wrote: »

Pros:

• I'll gain experience in designing a network from the ground up
• I'll gain experience with the company's servers; VMware, SQL, etc.

I think these are good pros, minus SQL stuff (yuck).

Cons:

• Same pay as current position
• Longer, (and more expensive), commute
• They weren't exactly upfront about the pay rate. I didn't find out they weren't accepting my asking rate until I was about to sign the new hire paperwork. To me this is coming off as a big red flag.

I think these are acceptable cons if you were coming from a helpdesk job. The pay there wouldn't matter so much as the bump in experience. However, you say you're currently in networking now, but bored because you've learned everything there is to know about your environment. So my question is.... what DO you know now? Or maybe a better question is, what can you do? Could that get you the same job you're up for at the salary you want elsewhere? Not being desperate for a new job is always a good position to be in. If you feel confident you can do better, don't be afraid to say no. And then get the ultimate revenge, take that same job somewhere else for 50% more than they offered.

astrogeek

I just wanted to add an update that I declined the job offer. It wasn't an easy decision because I know the new job would have given me some great experience that I'm really eager for. But the extra commute would have cost about $2k extra per year, not counting vehicle maintenance. I can't afford that kind of a pay cut and I think my asking price was quite fair.

I even offered to come down some but the company doesn't seem to negotiate pay. The company goes by how many years of experience you have and it doesn't appear you can negotiate above whatever set rate they have predetermined to pay their employees, which isn't exactly a model that is appealing for a new hire! Any job I start I want to be able to stick around 3 or more years, so going into a job I already want to leave just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I know I made the right decision in declining the offer, but the whole thing is just a big kick in the gut. I went from planning where to get an apartment to planning for a new round of job searching. I think the main thing I learned is to avoid job postings asking for only 2 or 3 years of experience - because even though I fit that criteria, they aren't asking for more experience because they can't afford it.

srabiee

You made the right decision. They were asking you to make a lateral movement from one employer to another. Unacceptable.

N2IT

I've never been much on substituting pay for experience. That to me never sits well and I will never understand that strategy. Internships are one thing, but when it comes to promotions to what I perceive a higher level position pay should increase with it as well. What happens when they offer you a senior networking role however the pay is the same. Do you take the position because you are being compensated with additional experience? Now you have moved up twice with 0 pay increase. I agree with the poster above you made the right decision.