# Job offer: am I wrong for being leery about this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 26, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056 "2015-03-26T20:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/41 "2015-03-30T00:08:08Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > It is. When you see the box that says “did you decline any job offers this week”, check “no”. > > Yeah, I fucking hate this. I get spammed like ten times a day with some Indian guy asking me if I’d be interested in a 3-9 month contract halfway across the country. Sometimes from five different Indian guys asking me about the same job. > > IT is a weird business. It seems like it’s either engineers at Google making $200k a year working in a sleep pod and eating for free at the company restaurant (but working 100 hours a week), or it’s the most horrible job in the world, working crappy short term contracts stuffed in some open-plan workspace. I am also getting the Indian guys offering me horrible jobs- contract positions at low pay, completely unrelated to my resume, but in MY field, which is pharmaceuticals. It looks like they are scanning the boards for jobs and then trying to fill them without having an agreement with the hiring company. I am not sure how that works, since most of the companies I have worked with won’t even talk to a recruiter that isn’t under contract with them. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/42 "2015-03-30T01:15:35Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > I am also getting the Indian guys offering me horrible jobs- contract positions at low pay, completely unrelated to my resume, but in MY field, which is pharmaceuticals. > > It looks like they are scanning the boards for jobs and then trying to fill them without having an agreement with the hiring company. I am not sure how that works, since most of the companies I have worked with won’t even talk to a recruiter that isn’t under contract with them. I suppose they also pester the hiring managers and corporate recruiters with spam as well. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/43 "2015-03-30T14:34:13Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Thanks… I think? I am just kidding. You need to nip this nonsense in the bud. Burning up gas and time with a 2 hr daily commute for a $15.00 an hour job is insane. After you deduct the time commuting, gas, and wear and tear on the car you’re effectively getting a sub-entry level fast food wage. You can generally do that without travelling. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/44 "2015-03-30T21:02:01Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Okay, so last night I get my currently unemployed (except for an outside contracting gig that doesn’t pay all my bills) home to find a message on my answering machine from about 7 pm — a barely comprehensible one due to the accent. Fortunately, there’s an accompanying e-mail as I’d hoped. It was from a recruiter whose company works with a very large and very well known company based less than an hour north of me. It’s for a job whose duties aren’t really what I’ve done before, but it brushes up close enough to seem manageable at first instinct. I reply with my interest. > > 9:30 this morning I get a call from the recruiter. Apparently, this job pays $11 an hour — way less than I’ve made in a long time. I say that’s okay, figuring this’ll give me time to consider, and I can just change my mind later. He says he sent me an e-mail confirming this is okay with me, and for the reason mentioned earlier, I figure I’ll answer it later in the day when I’ve had time to think. > > He calls back a little before noon, wondering about the reply. I tell him that I was thinking about it, and he tells me that they want me to go in for an interview — at 2 pm this afternoon! I’m kind of startled that when they said this was an “urgent” position, that it was THIS urgent. > > So while I’m processing this, I get a third call from the recruiter’s onsite manager, who tells me that there are five positions, and that he pretty much guarantees I’ll get the job if I interview for it. After some agonizing, I call him back to accept the interview, with less than two hours to go before the start time, but the hiring manager had a doctor’s appointment, so they’re rescheduling for tomorrow, same time. This actually gives me time to think. > > I’m not at my best under pressure, and this was some heavy time pressure. Things are moving way faster than I thought they would, and the low pay plus the pace plus the fact that if I hadn’t been contacted for this first, I might not have applied for a job with these duties (well, I might have, in a “might as well” casual way) have “poisoned” me against this whole thing before I even get started. > > My financial situation is not horrible (I have substantial savings left), but I could obviously use a job. That’s the only reason why I’m still considering this whole thing to begin with. > > Obviously, my considerations of all this has been a little panicked and disjointed because of the time pressure. Now that it’s relieved somewhat, any thoughts to help me catch my breath and think rationally about this? $11.00 an hour? Listen, I work in IT and I’ve had people with heavy accents try to offer me something extremely low and I turn it down. They do this, because they out-source the person calling you to where it costs them very little to contract 100 people to take a for $11.00 an hour which should pay $40.00 an hour or whatever. They do this because someone who is desperate they are hoping will take the job for such low pay. The pay is so low, I wouldn’t even bother with this. Also, if you have a gut feeling something is strange about this, it’s highly likely that it is. Maybe not a scam, but terrible working conditions or you are expected to work overtime for free or not get medical benefits until you are on the job for a while, or something odd. Without knowing more about your skills and what you have gotten paid in the past, sounds like something to pass on pursuing. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/45 "2015-04-03T01:00:34Z")
In case anyone cares, I haven’t heard a peep from these people all week, despite an e-mail I sent Sunday. If I cared enough about the position, I most likely would’ve been more proactive (I do have a phone number or two, after all), but honestly, I feel like this confirms every suspicion I had. Besides, I got another contract possibility with another major company in the same area at $22 an hour WITH medical. Now THAT is a “cold” contact I can get behind! ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/46 "2015-04-03T02:16:34Z")
I never give out my phone number, until after contract negotiations are complete or I see the recruiter as being legit. Do people put their phone number on their CV? I include only an email address for work-related stuff and that email address I scan once every few days, including the spam folder in case something has come in from an unknown address. And I only read them if I’m actually looking for work. Before I did include my home number in my CV, I work overseas and sometimes my parents get calls asking for me - when I’ve no reason to talk with them. I stopped that as they’re old and concerned about receiving ‘important’ calls when I’m 6k miles away. So now I just provide an email address such as ‘JustinCmyjob@gmail.com’ and a nice introductory letter. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/47 "2015-04-03T03:22:02Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > The only valuable question when looking at a job is “where can this job take me.” Or, “will this job meet my basic needs, like food and shelter?” ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/48 "2015-04-03T15:34:56Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I never give out my phone number, until after contract negotiations are complete or I see the recruiter as being legit. Do people put their phone number on their CV? I include only an email address for work-related stuff and that email address I scan once every few days, including the spam folder in case something has come in from an unknown address. And I only read them if I’m actually looking for work. > > Before I did include my home number in my CV, I work overseas and sometimes my parents get calls asking for me - when I’ve no reason to talk with them. I stopped that as they’re old and concerned about receiving ‘important’ calls when I’m 6k miles away. So now I just provide an email address such as ‘JustinCmyjob@gmail.com’ and a nice introductory letter. If for whatever reason you don’t want to list you home phone on resume (CV), then you can get a free phone number from Google using Google Voice. If you already have a gmail account, then you can get a Google Voice number within minutes. Then you can assign it to ring on a phone, like your cell or turn it off so it doesn’t ring any phones and it will take voicemail messages for you and send you e-mail when you get a voicemail message. It’s a piece of cake to set-up. This way, if you don’t want to give out your home phone you can do this. HR types expect to see a phone number on a resume. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/49 "2015-04-03T15:36:02Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > In case anyone cares, I haven’t heard a peep from these people all week, despite an e-mail I sent Sunday. If I cared enough about the position, I most likely would’ve been more proactive (I do have a phone number or two, after all), but honestly, I feel like this confirms every suspicion I had. > > Besides, I got another contract possibility with another major company in the same area at $22 an hour WITH medical. Now THAT is a “cold” contact I can get behind! Thanks for letting us know. Wish you success with the $22 an hour job! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/50 "2015-04-03T16:23:02Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I never give out my phone number, until after contract negotiations are complete or I see the recruiter as being legit. Do people put their phone number on their CV? I include only an email address for work-related stuff and that email address I scan once every few days, including the spam folder in case something has come in from an unknown address. And I only read them if I’m actually looking for work. > > Before I did include my home number in my CV, I work overseas and sometimes my parents get calls asking for me - when I’ve no reason to talk with them. I stopped that as they’re old and concerned about receiving ‘important’ calls when I’m 6k miles away. So now I just provide an email address such as ‘JustinCmyjob@gmail.com’ and a nice introductory letter. If you are not going to be near the phone that the number is associated with, then I can see not putting a phone number on the resume. Otherwise it should be there. Our internal recruiters much prefer to talk to someone instead of an email exchange. I do also, I can explore things that would be tough to do in email. If I were sending my resume out to thousands of places and dozens of job boards it would be another thing. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/51 "2015-04-03T16:39:54Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > “Look, do you want to be a human cannonball or not? There are plenty of guys who want this job, so I need your answer right away.” “Hah! You’ll never find another candidate of my caliber!” ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2015, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056/52 "2015-04-05T05:55:51Z")
I would try and Google the name of the company to check them out. Make sure they are not trying to get you into a MLM scheme. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-offer-am-i-wrong-for-being-leery-about-this/716056.md?page=2)