Hiring Manager Sends Unhinged Response To Candidate Who Asked What The Job Pays
Having a clear understanding of a job's pay rate is a normal part of the job search — or at least it should be.
Antonio Guillem | Shutterstock Has absolutely everyone just gone insane in recent years? If you've spent any time on the job search recently, you'd certainly get that impression. An email that a job seeker on Reddit received after asking the most basic question about a position shows just how out of touch with reality employers have become.
The candidate received an unhinged response when they asked what a job pays.
The title of the job seeker's Reddit post says it all: "Uh ... What? … Am I stupid?" Because the email they got is the kind of insane that leaves you feeling like surely YOU must be the one who's crazy.
Now you're probably bracing for some kind of gaffe on the job seeker's part, but they included the screenshots to prove that there was nothing untoward that went on. They simply asked what the position for which they'd been asked to interview pays.
Reddit
"In reviewing the job posting in preparation to reach back out, I noticed that the pay rate isn't posted," the candidate cordially wrote. "Would you be able to share that with me before we proceed with scheduling a call? Thank you!"
The boss refused to answer the question and said the candidate should have asked it on their resume.
"Thanks for reaching out, but that's not how this interview process is supposed to go," the boss wrote in response. Which… really begs the question of how it IS supposed to go. Are you supposed to withhold your vital questions until you get your first paycheck and see what you get paid?
The boss went on to rant that it was an "entry-level position," and that because of that, the candidate "should be able to deduce that I am a small business owner, who is not a Corporate Business, but at the Entry Level Business Stage." That is in no way relevant to the question and also assumes that the candidate is some sort of clairvoyant mind reader.
Reddit
But don't worry, it got crazier! The boss continued, "Therefore, if you were looking for a job offering a wage requirement, 401 (k) or healthcare, then you should [have] implied that on your RESUME."
OK yeah, the Redditor themself said it best: "Uh… what? If I wanted to know what the pay was, I should have put it on my resume? Am I stupid?" What on EARTH is this boss talking about? THIS, in fact, is "not how the interview process is supposed to go," you weirdo!
Obviously, a boss being this offended by a question about pay rate is a major red flag.
Hopefully, this doesn't need to be said, but in case there are some young people here who don't know how job seeking works — ASKING FOR A PAY RATE IS A STANDARD PART OF FINDING A JOB AND YOU ARE ENTITLED TO THAT INFORMATION. This is insane! And no, you are not supposed to put your pay expectations on your resume! Please do not do that!
Of course, anyone experienced in the workforce — and probably even a lot of those who aren't — can read between the lines here: This boss cannot afford to pay anything close to a fair rate of pay, and taking this job is a disaster in the making.
As another Redditor put it, "looks like that job was posted by a small business owner whose business model depends on exploiting the hired help… They were going to expect you to work like crazy to build up a business you will never benefit from." Yep, pretty much.
It is true that asking about salary up-front used to be a faux pas, but given how insane and broken the current job-search process is, it's a completely reasonable practice — and a company balking at it is a red flag.
Of course, as a safeguard, you could always do what one Redditor joked about doing instead: "Updating resume to include: 'I expect to be paid for my hours worked.'" You know, just for clarity's sake.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.