Job Seeker Gives Recruiter A Piece Of Her Mind After Being Asked To Complete A 1-Hour Assessment Before Finding Out Salary
Why are jobs asking you to take a test before being hired? One woman decided not to stand for it...
Jacob Lund / Shutterstock via Canva On Reddit’s “r/antiwork” subreddit, a woman posted a screenshot of the interaction she had with an interviewer while in the process of job-hunting — angry about the lack of information she was given regarding her potential salary.
The screenshot included in her post was of the email she sent the employer in response to their requests — ultimately pulling out of the interviewing process because of what they had asked her to do in order to gain information on the compensation.
They asked her to complete a 1-hour assessment to find out the salary of their new role.
The title of the post read “Let’s keep the salary a secret for as long as we can,” and was likely a remark made to mock the employers for keeping the magic number (her potential salary) a secret.
In her post, she explains the important context behind the situation, writing “I had a 30-minute Zoom interview today with a tech start-up. Towards the end, I asked about compensation and was told that the woman hiring me does not have that information.”
Photo: u/allthoughtsaside/Reddit
According to the woman she was on the Zoom call with, she would have to wait until she was selected for the next round in order to learn the amount of compensation for the role.
“I finished the call and then received an email with a link to an hour-long assessment that is required to be considered for the next round,” she continued. “She never mentioned this assessment on the call. Talk about a scam. This was my response to her.”
Being asked to complete a 1-hour assessment as a round for an interview seems like a pretty tall order, and the woman writing the post clearly agreed because her response to the email was less than favorable toward it.
Photo: u/allthoughtsaside/Reddit
She answered back that she would be withdrawing her application for the position.
“Hello ____, I appreciate you taking the time to interview me today,” she wrote. “With that being said, I am going to withdraw my application for this position.” Straight to the point, she explains that she’s going to be withdrawing her application and goes on to tell her why.
“I would prefer to know the compensation rates before I move forward, and I do not appreciate not being told about a one-hour assessment that is needed in order to move forward. These are two things that I believe a company should be upfront about during the interviewing process. I wish you the best of luck with finding the right candidate for this role. Best, ____.”
According to FlexJobs, there are many reasons why employers might hide their salary from prospective candidates, and one of the main reasons is to avoid competition — inside and out.
If companies were to list their flat salary afforded, then people inside the company would be able to see how much they’re being paid compared to their peers. Not only that, but other companies would be able to see how much they’re paying and one-up the offer.
They suggest doing some salary research, preparing to negotiate, and recognizing what your minimum is before going into any job opportunities that may not be paying you as much as you are worth.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.