CAREERS NOW 04-15-09

Grab The Low-Pay Money And Run?

DEAR JOYCE: My family is at a difficult crossroad - in my mid-40s and a single parent, I was laid off in February. The only jobs I've been offered pay about 30 percent less than I've been bringing home. My mother advised me to take the next offer, even at a cut-rate salary, and worry later about working my way back up the pay ladder. I don't know the right decision. - H.B.

The recession sinkholes across the workplace are dropping a number of unemployed professionals headfirst into lower-paying salaried positions that most would have sniffed at a couple of years ago. Further, some white collars are making ends meet by taking sweat-equity jobs that introduce them to a world they went to college to avoid.
And despite cheerleading provoked by the economy's leading indicators, the job market is a lagging indicator, and many close observers believe it'll be a miracle if hiring picks up before 2011.

To help you make a good decision that works for you, start by reflecting on these five considerations.

1. DEGREE OF URGENCY. When will your unemployment benefits run out? What savings do you have? Are other resources available? Can family help you? Is the wolf at your door?

Most people would side with your mother's practical bent: When your financial house is on fire, they say, first put out the flames and deal later with getting new fire insurance.

2. THE BIG GAP. When you hold out for a better job, won't employers wonder why, if you're truly so valuable, were you jobless for a very long time? Yesterday, yes, they would. Not so much today. With 13 million Americans already out of work, rational employers realize that huge numbers of qualified people are scrambling for many months to find new employment.

3. BLUES FACTOR. When you hold out and your job search lingers, will you become depressed and not do your best, especially at the critical juncture of interviewing? Depression is a serious hit on your employment prospects.

When you think about it, you know that in an extended campaign, rejection is a certainty. Black clouds jam feelings of self-blame and inadequacy into your formerly positive outlook.

Don't bother asking those who rejected you for constructive feedback - most won't tell you, fearing legal exposure, or finding the exercise non-productive. Instead, build a support network of friends, family members, mentors, and job club members. Realize too, that rejection isn't always about you; you may well be the hiring manager's preferred candidate when someone upstairs decides the job should go to an internal candidate or a bigwig's nephew.

4. RISING RESENTMENT. When you take a desperation job, will you feel exploited and slip into doing careless work that will get you fired?

While not probable, it's possible that a low-paying employer will fairly quickly recognize your value and indicate plans to move you up or increase your pay. Those who don't get these signals after a few months often feel pressured to see what else is out there.

5. UP THE PAY SCALE. When you decide to dump a low-paid job that appears to hold no future, how can you get the next job's money up to a fair level? Employers still focus on your last job in gauging your pay-level qualifications
Tell interviewers the varnished truth: Because of the steep economic plunge, you were caught in a temporary mismatch between the job's requirements and its pay. You're observant and you realize all of your considerable skills and talents are being called into play and that you need to be paid fairly for your productivity.

You'll probably be asked if you didn't anticipate that situation before taking a low-paid job. Reply that of course you did, but, an optimist, you hoped your exceptional worth would be quickly recognized. Now that you're inside the job and can assess the situation firsthand, you can see this isn't going to happen and that's why you're forced to look elsewhere for employment where a fairer compensation package rewards ability. Then ask, "Have I found that fairness here?"

THE TAKE-AWAY. Sometimes you must find a job - or two jobs - to bring in income, and put off dealing with your career goals until the job market looks alive.

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