The value of a good employee

I am about to go off on a tangent. Consider yourself warned.

With the impending move (Yes! We are moving! Post to come on that), I have been doing a bit of job searching so that I can get back into the saddle and start working on my career. I'm not sure if my situation is the norm, but I have had pretty decent luck in terms of receiving calls back.

As I have been going through the interview process, it has been very apparent to me that companies are starting to lose sight of compensating an employee based on their value and skills versus having "the lowest bidder wins" mentality. For this reason, I have turned down three job opportunities so far.

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I am fortunate enough to be able to bargain quite a bit when it comes in terms of my salary because I don't have to return to work, at least just yet. Bargaining has allowed me to see the true colors of a company and I have seen firsthand how a company could try to take advantage of the unemployed so they don't have to compensate them fairly.

Example One
Several months ago, the week before we found out we would be moving, I was one of 40 people who interviewed for a position out here in the Valley. It seemed like fate really - I hadn't even applied for the position but the employer had received my resume for someone else and wanted to have me come in. I was elated after reading the job description; I would basically be running an entire marketing department and spearheading the re-branding of the company. They would not readily offer up a salary but said that it would be competitive so I trudged on through the interview process, completing a competency exam, 1-hour design of a flyer test and a presentation in front of several employees.

I was offered the job the next day.

Adrian and I had determined what I would ask for - what I would accept - in terms of a salary and I was shocked when that number came in SIGNIFICANTLY lower. When we found out we were moving, that solidified the deal. Had they offered me what I wanted, I would have considered commuting to take the position. However, they were very aware that they had 39 other interviewees that were ready and waiting to snag this job up. Unfortunate.

Example Two
A few weeks ago I applied for another job, this time in the nonprofit sector, working at an organization that did refugee resettlement. Now before you start saying NONPROFITS NOTORIOUSLY DON'T PAY WELL, remember, this is my background. I have only worked in nonprofit organizations (aside from retails stuff, anyway) so I am well aware of how they pay. Anyway, the job didn't have a salary posted so I went blindly into the interview. When they said they would be offering $12/hour in the interview, I mentally checked out and and picked at my fingernails until it was over. They called me back SIX TIMES. I thought for sure they would take the hint after two no-call-backs.

I called back and explained that I could not accept that salary and they said I should come meet with their CEO, because they would offer me what I wanted.

So, I did. Got a really strange/weird/off feeling from the CEO. They called me the next morning and offered me a full time position. When I asked what the salary was, IT WAS BACK TO $12/HOUR. I replied that I could not accept that salary and based on my education/skill set, I deserved much more. Her response? Well considering IIII don't make that much, that's not going to happen. Plus they had fifty other applicants passionate enough to take the job. Okay, thanks for wasting my time, B. Byezzz.

Example Three
This one happened today and I promise this is it. I received a phone call from a company who started off by complimenting my resume and commenting on the fact that I went to Pepperdine. PEPPERDINE, PEOPLE. I'm not elitist about it, but shit. It's a good school and I have thousands of dollars of loans to pay off. Keep that in mind.

He liked me, asked me to complete a small task - looking at their website and giving my critiques. Okay, cool. Done and done. I am good at this stuff. I looked at the ad after I clicked send on my critique and what do I see? A SALARY OF $10/HOUR. What the what? I made $10/hour babysitting in high school.

I am a marketing professional. I have three clients currently. I don't need this part time job, I just want to get out of the house and have a little adult interaction, for goodness sake. So, I emailed him back, saying I didn't want to waste his time with an interview if I couldn't accept the salary.

He responded back to me that he was able to pay up to $15/hour but wanted to use the extra $5 to give "incentives" to keep an employee motivated while doing menial tasks.

Here's the deal. If you hire someone, you expect that they will fulfill all aspects of the job, menial, repetitive, exciting, whatever. A good employee - valuable employee - will work at their full capacity if they feel like they are being compensated appropriately.

I know a lot of people believe it is the economy that causes these low-ball offers, but I think we are passed that, at least mostly. It appears to me that at this point, many employers are trying to capitalize on the desperation of job seekers by offering salaries so low that you could consider them unlivable.

Why not save a buck and blame the economy?

It is sad. It makes me so grateful for my husband who has encouraged me to wait and demand my worth. To not settle. To be patient and wait for the good things to come.

Have you had any experience with this? What's the craziest/most ridiculous salary you have seen?