I’ve recently started prepping my resume and girding my loins to launch back into the job search.
The reason I’ve done this is because the firm I work for has started charging employees for benefits. Now, I understand that most companies do require employees to contribute to medical, dental, etc benefits - however, my firm has never done so. They have also used the fact that they do not do so as an excuse to pay us less than industry standard.
A lot less actually. In the range of 60 - 100% less. For example, I make approximately half what persons in my position at other firms make. I put up with this in the past because a) I was a little short on experience in the field (got promoted exceptionally quickly on pure ability) and b) not a dime came out of my check for benefits - the firm picked up the full cost of medical, dental, 401(k), pension, etc. I’m not short on experience anymore (approaching 3 years on the top of my respective heap), and they’ve started taking out for benefits without actually bothering to raise salaries.
So, the question is, when asked why I’m leaving, what’s the polite way to phrase “because they don’t pay me anywhere near what I’m worth”?
For those of you who doubt the pay differential is that egregious, I’m a senior partner’s assistant at a major corporate law firm in New York and make less than $35K a year. That’s straight-up ridiculous. Quick perusal of the NYTimes job section indicates that current salaries to start at the senior partner assistant level are closer to 60 - 70K.
Honestly, the truth here is not a terrible answer, assuming the firm you’re interviewing with pays the industry standard as a matter of course. Maybe a simple “now that I’ve got some experience, I’m looking for a better opportunity.” Make it clear that you’re totally OK with the corporate law environment, and don’t have catty interpersonal reasons for leaving your current job. The interviewer is probably just hoping you aren’t delusionally optimistic about the grass being greener on the other side. The type of work you do is not like, I dunno, teaching or social work or something, where your passion for it is supposed to go beyond the paycheck.
I agree with the tenor of the responses so far. They should make an offer depending on what they think you are worth. Discussing what you are making now will only cause problems - they might use it as an opportunity to make a smaller offer, or think that your perception of what everyone else makes is incorrect. And unless your benefits are really great, they don’t make up for what you’re not being paid.
People change jobs all the time. Especially if you’re still working when you are interviewing, I don’t think many people really care about why you are changing. If they press you, you can say that your research indicated that the place you are interviewing seems really great - no one is going to dispute that answer.
You can make it a two part answer. The first part would point out a difference between the old plane and the new place and the second part would be about the money.
“I want to move to a smaller firm/firm that does this specific thing and, frankly, I don’t feel like I am compensated enough at my current job.”
Always say only positive things during an interview. Every negative thing will haunt you.
Do not speak ill of your current job, and particularly don’t express resentment over anything. When salary comes up you can say you thought your old salary was too low, but don’t give that as a reason for leaving.
Heh. There’s collecting large paychecks and then there’s getting paid a small fraction of what you should be - particularly when the firm you work for is posting record profits.
This firm gives out raises yearly - never more than about $50 a week (this is apparently firm policy of long standing). I’ve asked for raises as often as firm policy allows raises (6 months) - always politely, and always explaining why it is I, personally, deserve more money. They always agree that I’m laughably underpaid for my work, and generally give me the max raise. The problem is, of course, that it will take approximately 6 years of 50 dollar raises every 6 months (the max possible) to get me to the industry standard starting salary for people in my position.
It sounds like the most tactful possible way to respond to that question is to indicate that I’m desirous of new challenges and opportunities. At this point, I’m essentially at the top of my current stack. If I stay in my current position, any move would be lateral. So maybe it’ll be understood that what I’m really after is more pay.
While looking for further advancement opportunties at other places of employment is something that I do no matter my current job, I don’t if I would rush leaving just yet. Are you happy with your current job (besides the pay issue)? I know people who left jobs they were happy with/enjoyed doing to go to places with larger salaries… Then they hated it. My roommate from college worked at a place that he loved, but the pay was on the lower end of the spectrum. He left for a “Bigger and Better” place to make about 25% more a year, but now HATES his job… He has told me more than once that he would take it all back if he could. While getting paid what you are worth is a nice thing, getting up everyday and dreading work is much worse… IMHO.
It depends on your relationship with your present boss. If you think they’d understand that it is just about the money, tell them and maybe they can save themselves from losing other employees. If you have a strictly formal business relationship with them I’d go with “better opportunities”. If they have a sense of humor tell them it is because the new job is located on a higher/lower floor (better view/short elevator ride).
Please keep this updated with your new job progress. I’m really curious to know if the next job you find really does pay that much more. In my last two jobs I’ve heard people saying over and over that they are underpaid relative to peers in other companies, but yet they stick around.
They should be paying me 100% more - i.e. double. I probably got the concepts transposed - which explains why I’m not an accountant I suppose! :smack: Sorry about that.
I fully intend to go to them when I have a firm offer in hand and present it to them with the option of matching if they’d like to retain my services. They won’t, but I’ll offer. I don’t mind the job - and there are a lot of things I really like about it, but the pay is ridiculously low.
Support staff turnover is actually such a major problem at this firm that they’ve started blocking known headhunter numbers and email addresses. The training we get is great - but for some reason I don’t fully understand, they’d prefer to keep hiring an endless stream of just-out-of-school, untrained bubble-gum snappers in support staff positions only to loose them as soon as they reach any level of competence to other firms who pay more. I have a few theories on why this is, but they’re really not that important.
Keep in mind I figured out the industry standard by checking the Jobs section of the NYTimes every day for three weeks or so (since they apprised us of the changes in benefits) and charting out what the average starting pay for people in my position with 3 - 5 years experience was. I used the lower number for the average in cases where a range was offered.
Everything I’ve read says that this is a really, really bad move. The worst thing is if they agree to match your offer. They’d probably start recruiting a replacement immediately, since if they let you get away with it, they’d have to let everyone do it, and they would have to start paying a competitve wage :eek: .
I was going to ask about this. My theory - lawyers are innumerate. If they started to measure the cost of training, the cost of recruiting, the cost of lost efficiency from new people, they’d soon find out they’re wasting money by paying too little, and are busy training people for their competition.
Lots of industries have published salary surveys that would be a more reliable source. They’re broken down by region and experience. I don’t know if there are any trade rags for your job, they are a good source for this.