Money Matters

Ever since I got that email stating that I requested too high a salary, I’ve been thinking about what I should do. How much lower can I go?

Some companies demand that you submit your salary requirements. If not, you will not be considered for the job. At. All. So does that mean the company is looking for the lowest bidder, and ignoring an applicant’s experience?

When I received that rejection email stating my salary demand was too high, I did something I probably should not have done. I replied that my salary request was merely a starting point and we could have negotiated a mutually agreeable number.

I know, I know. It was stupid. But I’m getting increasingly frustrated with my search for gainful employment. I’m beginning to think it’s easier to get a kidney transplant than a job nowadays.

We job seekers have so little say in the matter; the employers hold all the cards. We rarely get the chance to respond, especially when we are rejected for a job. However, it should be pointed out that my email politely stated that I was willing to negotiate a salary. What’s wrong with that?

Therefore, I decided to once again cut my salary demands, which were originally less than what I was making when I worked full time. I also now state that my salary requirements are open to negotiation.

Yes, I can live on a lower salary, thanks to a reasonable rent and no car loan. But how much lower can I go? I’d like to move to a nicer place, but I guess that’s been put on hold indefinitely.

Statistics indicate that it takes years for a laid-off employee to regain his or her financial footing and make what he or she made before a job termination. No wonder, what with employers looking to hire the lower bidder for jobs.

And how can having more and more lower-paid workers and a disappearing middle class be good for our economy?