Thread: Lowballing employers

  1. 01-08-2009 #1
    abachler
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    Lowballing employers

    Ive noticed a trend with employers in high cost of living areas advertising jobs for salaries that are well below the adjusted wage. I usually take this this as a sign that they either have high turnover, i.e. drive people away, or poor sell through, i.e. poor sales and/or mediocre product. Recently I had a job offer in Los Angeles for $65,000, which while a good salary in St. Louis where I live, is a manual labor salary in LA due to its high cost of living. Are employers completely unaware that they operate the most mobile business there is (software development) in the worst possible business environment, or are they intentionally trying to low-ball people. Some of these jobs have fairly industry specific requirements as well, indicating they are looking for experienced engineers, not entry level people.
  2. 01-08-2009 #2
    Dino
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    Some do that. Others do that to get past either internal policy or legal hurdles to "prove" they can't find any qualified application domestically, which opens the doors to go offshore and get really cheap labor.
    Mainframe assembler programmer by trade. C coder when I can.
  3. 01-08-2009 #3
    cpjust
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    I've actually seen some companies in Toronto looking for about $30-40K developers! They sound pretty shocked when they ask me what my salary expectations are...
    "I am probably the laziest programmer on the planet, a fact with which anyone who has ever seen my code will agree." - esbo, 11/15/2008

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  4. 01-08-2009 #4
    kermit
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    Quote Originally Posted by cpjust View Post
    I've actually seen some companies in Toronto looking for about $30-40K developers! They sound pretty shocked when they ask me what my salary expectations are...
    Yikes! You would have to live in a cardboard box for that kind of money in TO. That's not even good if you live in KW.
  5. 01-08-2009 #5
    mike_g
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    Be a consultant they get to rape and pillage. One of the last ones at company I work for gave them a database system built one lotus notes 4.6 for, lets say, a princely sum. Whats even worse this happened in this millennium. Anyway, it was b0rken and they wanted me to fix it, but it doesnt help when all google can provide is stuff like this. So far this has been my only failing, because, well, its hell on earth. Of course, for everything else I kick ass.
  6. 01-08-2009 #6
    matsp
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike_g View Post
    Be a consultant they get to rape and pillage. One of the last ones at company I work for gave them a database system built one lotus notes 4.6 for, lets say, a princely sum. Whats even worse this happened in this millennium. Anyway, it was b0rken and they wanted me to fix it, but it doesnt help when all google can provide is stuff like this. So far this has been my only failing, because, well, its hell on earth. Of course, for everything else I kick ass.
    Yes, but even good consultants and contractors get kicked out before permanent staff when the times are hard - so right now is perhaps not the BEST time to go free-lance.

    Also, it helps if you actually do a good job, so that other potential employers will receive good references when asking old employers, and that you get called back next time the company needs help - repeat business is a good thing in contract/consulting business - and to achieve that, you'd better do at least a decent job.

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  7. 01-08-2009 #7
    cpjust
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    Quote Originally Posted by kermit View Post
    Yikes! You would have to live in a cardboard box for that kind of money in TO. That's not even good if you live in KW.
    KW? You don't mean Kitchener/Waterloo do you?
    Is that where you are? I grew up in Kitchener.
    "I am probably the laziest programmer on the planet, a fact with which anyone who has ever seen my code will agree." - esbo, 11/15/2008

    "the internet is a scary place to be thats why i dont use it much." - billet, 03/17/2010
  8. 01-09-2009 #8
    abachler
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    Well, I'm convinced that a lot of employers saw the movie 'Hackers' and think every nerdy kid coming out of high school can program at a professional level.
  9. 01-09-2009 #9
    kermit
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    Quote Originally Posted by cpjust View Post
    KW? You don't mean Kitchener/Waterloo do you?
    Is that where you are? I grew up in Kitchener.
    Yeah - I was referring to Kitchener/Waterloo. I live here, but I am a transplant from about 10 years ago.
    Last edited by kermit; 01-09-2009 at 05:07 AM.
  10. 01-09-2009 #10
    lruc
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    PLEASE explain what you quote means Abachler. I cannot figure it out.
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  11. 01-09-2009 #11
    abachler
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    Quote Originally Posted by lruc View Post
    PLEASE explain what you quote means Abachler. I cannot figure it out.
    which quote would that be?
  12. 01-09-2009 #12
    Dino
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    I think he means this:
    Why does my goldfish keep telling me to 'Finish what Coleman started' ?
    Mainframe assembler programmer by trade. C coder when I can.
  13. 01-10-2009 #13
    lruc
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dino View Post
    I think he means this:
    Yes.
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  14. 01-10-2009 #14
    abachler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dino View Post
    I think he means this:

    Ah, its a reference to a scene in the movie 'He was a quiet man".
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