No matter how many job interviews you’ve had, they don’t necessarily get easier.
And it’s fair to say, it’s never going to be a relaxing situation to be in – as you sit opposite a stranger that you know is making snap judgements of you.
It’s even worse if you end up feeling like it didn’t go well.
But it’s worth remembering that it’s not just an interview where they judge you. It’s also important to decide whether you want to work at this place.
One woman may have had a lucky escape after her interviewee had a rather odd answer when she inquired how much the salary was.
In the online interview over Skype, the applicant wrote: “Can I at least know your base pay per hour so I know it’s within my acceptance rate.”
Bizarrely, the employer wrote back quoting Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur and motivational speaker.
They wrote: “Instead of asking how much am I getting, ask Who Am I becoming from this work – Jim Rohn.
They then quoted the initial message asking about pay, adding: “Sorry this is a red flag.”
Naturally, this sparked derision online – with many people pointing out that this is an outdated stereotype that is completely unrealistic.
The woman persisted, explaining why she needed to know, as she wrote: “Yeah sorry but I need to know how much I’m getting because I got bills to pay other interviews to consider.”
They then sarcastically added: “Not saying the base pay is a red flag for me.”
She shared the post on Reddit, where it racked up hundreds of comments.
One person asked: “How many employers do this and dance around the question?
“I live in the UK and for the most part pay will be set and it’s often on the job advertisement. Even if it’s not on the advertisement it’s often still set and when it is a possible range the ranges aren’t that big.”
Another wrote: “‘Red flags’ as if a quote from a random person that happens to exactly support him make what he’s trying to say more legitimate.”
A third commented: “Just reading this feels so insulting through the text as if they think you’re objectively worthless as a human.
“Like would this person you’re talking to work a job for less than they’re currently getting paid or need to comfortably pay their bills?
“Of course they would refuse such a job offer put in your exact situation. That’s what’s mindboggling to me, if they were in your position of applying for a job would they not ask how much it pays? Really?”