Job offer that pays very little... what to do?

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  1. #21

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    I would encourage you to NEVER lie on your cv or a company application form you fill in (which most companies will ask you to complete). More often than not, that form will require you to sign against a statement confirming that the information given is correct and that any misinterpretation of facts could be cause for dismissal.

    If the job doesn't pay what you are worth (bearing in mind there's a difference between what you are worth and what your lifestyle demands you earn - no judgement being made here!) then keep looking and keep yourself free for interviews by not taking on another job which you're not going to be truly engaged in anyway. The worst thing you can do is hop around and even worse, leave things out of your employment history. Hong Kong is a small place, and industries are smaller still.


  2. #22

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    I disagree - lying is a bad thing, but simply leaving out some casual work that you did for a month or two between "real" jobs seems OK to me.

    And, like it or not, taking the first offer and continuing to look is the standard modus operandi amongst people here. At my last company I think we lost about 30% of new recruits in this way.


  3. #23

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    Casual work is very different from taking a job and then leaving it. And lying on a cv or application, if found out, CAN result in dismissal - in some companies it WILL result in that.

    I would still counsel the OP not to lie, just my viewpoint.


  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by lionrock88:
    I have to respectfully disagree.

    If you have no intention of sticking around and are looking to get out as soon as you can, I would suggest that you don't accept the offer.

    Depending on your individual circumstance and the industry you're in, you may be able to get away with it with no long-term repercussions - but if you do it in certain industries with "closely-knit" communities, e.g. Investment Banking/Financial Services, you can be sure that your personnel record will be marked "Rehire Ineligible" and that you'll be permanently blacklisted from ever working in that company again.

    If you think the offer is a low-ball one, then renegotiate. Let them know that you might be forced to leave because you may not be able to make ends meet. If they still choose to hire you, then that's their prerogative and you can subsequently quit with a clear conscience.

    But don't join a company with the intention to quit the first opportunity you can. That's not fair on the company and will ultimately reflect poorly on you.
    This is why nice guys don't always finish last. Integrity cannot be sold. I remember going to a job interview in Australia. I had never been there before and had only lived in the UK at that point. To cut a (very long) story short, it turned out the interviewer had, prior to me arriving, already spoken to FIVE people who knew me (not referees). And that was across a couple of oceans and time zones in a time before email was popular ... what about across one city in this day-and-age???

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    ... what about across one city in this day-and-age???
    Exactly! Hong Kong is a very small place and some circles in industry and the professions are unbelievably close-knit.

  6. #26

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    In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with taking a position until you find something better. This is especially true for lower paid positions, the employers expect high staff turnover rates anyway knowing that the positions can re-filled reasonably quickly. If the employers don't want short term hires they would either increase the pay above market rates or would have effective recruitment policies to weed out such candidates.


  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by ray98:
    In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with taking a position until you find something better. This is especially true for lower paid positions, the employers expect high staff turnover rates anyway knowing that the positions can re-filled reasonably quickly. If the employers don't want short term hires they would either increase the pay above market rates or would have effective recruitment policies to weed out such candidates.
    Totally agree

    Paying a pittance in this day and age does not buy you loyalty.

  8. #28

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    If you were and employer saw a CV with about eg 10 job experiences but most of them was only 1-3 months long service, Another CV had a few jobs but were long in years of service.

    which would you rather be interested in.

    Last edited by wtbhotia; 01-09-2009 at 04:29 PM.

  9. #29

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    Agree with both MovingIn07 and Fiona and Steve.

    Word does get around and it could come back to haunt you - whether you become rehire ineligible or whether people at the firm you quit from, move around the industry and remember what you did.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fiona and Steve:
    Exactly! Hong Kong is a very small place and some circles in industry and the professions are unbelievably close-knit.

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by ray98:
    In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with taking a position until you find something better.
    Totally agree as well. In fact, finding something better is probably the primary reason most people change jobs.

    What I have an issue with, is people joining a company with no intention of even trying to make it work and looking to get out from Day 1.

    That's simply unprofessional and just because the company is also cheap and unprofessional, doesn't make it right.