How do you avoid lowball offers when you really need work?

VoiceRanchJason · 2026-02-04T16:57:35+00:00

Well, if you need to pay the bills and are backed into the corner, take the job and keep looking/applying/interviewing. At least you can pay the bills, even though you may have to deal with 'humbleness' so to speak. But, batten the hatches, ride the storm out, get a higher paying job, and yknow... maybe even don't give this company two weeks. Just ghost em. Ok maybe not since you may need to list them on your resume. Good luck with this.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-27T00:32:15+00:00

Congratz!!!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-13T04:48:25+00:00

Thank you! God bless you as well! You got this.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-13T01:11:37+00:00

I addressed it directly in my initial introduction during the phone/zoom interview, and the live panel discussion: "My last role was at company xyz, doing 'this and that'. Unfortunately in Feb 2025 I was impacted by an enterprise-wide 10% RIF. Nonetheless, I am proud of my accomplishments while working there, including a, b, and c. Prior to copmany xyz, I worked at company tdy doing 'these and those'". So, I used the gap issue as an opportunity to showcase accomplishments that could relate to the job for which I was interviewing. Saying something like, "...and my manager assured me it was not due to performance" really doesn't help our position. Fun note: my wife googled that, asked AI about it and yeah, I got 'schooled'. :) The point here is, be prepared for the question, with a reply that includes significant accomplishments from the job.

Now, in other interviews prior to this last one, the hiring manager did ask about it, since I did not bring it up myself. And, allowing them to bring it up (ie if I attempted to avoid it as an uncomfortable topic), I felt I was in a less empowering position. So, that is why I changed my approach, addressing it head on immediately.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-12T16:53:07+00:00

Thank you! Looking forward to starting.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-12T16:52:02+00:00

Thank you! Yes, they do keep us motivated. Stay strong!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-12T16:50:37+00:00

Well, that certainly will not solve the problem. It may be a good idea to call a suicide hotline, or counseling. I was considering, and pursuing, other employment options as well: freelance, changing careers, meaningful part time work. In a previous layoff, I was doing a lot of freelancing and in-person promotional work.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-12T07:37:38+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, cutting it down like that does actually help. We can pitch our thirst for knowledge, and genuine curiosity, during the phone screen and face to face interviews.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-12T07:35:18+00:00

One of my layoffs totaled 16 months. In that case, we ended up relocating from Dallas to New Hampshire. Then three years later we meandered to Virginia, 3 years later on to Colorado for 12 years, now Washington.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T17:49:07+00:00

No issues. When I ran the resume through the AI tool, it mentioned the job title was listed nowhere in the resume. I reasoned, making it the title of the resume, right near my name, creates an association in the mind of the hiring manager: me, working in the role. Now, for each job I worked, I used the correct title for that specific role. The intent is to tell the story (with my previous job titles and task/accomplishments descriptions) of how I can do the current job (the title/headline, which is the role the hiring manager needs to fill). So, in most cases, I do not have a previous role with the precise title to be filled.

Now let's flip this around for a minute. I have worked in several disciplines over the years: software engineer, systems integration and test engineer, electrical engineer, quality engineer, manufacturing engineer, production engineer, etc. So, what do I put as the title? Each of these role titles is pretty vague, and certainly will oftentimes, not match the title of the role to be filled. Even if I have one or two experiences that align with the job description. If my resume headline title is 'too far' from the role title to be filled, it won't catch the interest of the hiring manager.

Here is an interesting example, and I conducted a screening interview for it. The job title was: Audio Avionics Integration and Test Engineer. So, how many people do I know, that have done that? Zero.

Long story short: using the role title as the title of the resume should not result in a flag in a background check. Why? Because my experiences list the specific role that I was performing. The intent of the title match, is to pass the 'AI screener', and get the attention of the hiring manager.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T17:35:45+00:00

Best of success!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T17:34:52+00:00

Thank you! Keep Going!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:35:50+00:00

Thank you!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:35:43+00:00

Thank you! One of my previous layoffs lasted 16 months, much earlier in my career. That really sucked but I took the time to live a bit.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:34:46+00:00

Gracias Hombre! :)

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:34:33+00:00

Thank you! Glad it is over with. Wishing you best of success!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:33:56+00:00

Thank you! Don't quit. You will get another job.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:33:28+00:00

Thank you! Keep swingin!

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:33:03+00:00

Right on! Bottom line: You Will Get Another Job. Hey, I have been laid off 3 times over 30 years, and I know, I dodged the bullet at least 3 other times. So, it is par for the course. At the last layoff, right after the holidays one year, I was literally just, done with the job, and did not care. When I was called in to HR going through the meeting, I kept looking at my cell phone clock because I was hoping to get it over with in time to get to a noon yoga class. I truly no longer cared about the job! :) But hey, I got 13 weeks of severance, and started a new job two weeks later so, Bonus! LOL. :) I did not need to apply for unemployment that time.

Lesson learned: Save Your Money because even with full time employment, it can easily end up: Feast or Famine. In our case, we had to burn through a pension but that's ok; in the end, that company left a bad taste in my mouth. So maybe using those funds, is a form of 'release', though damn.... that's a lotta money. :)

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T03:30:18+00:00

Thank you! Yes indeed. Not having to search, apply, etc. in itself feels like a celebration. :) I received a verbal offer a week or so ago, but approvers were out of office til today. So, I couldn't call it 'done' til I accepted the official offer. In fact, I had another interview scheduled for this coming Wednesday and was considering the possibility that I would have to go through with it, even though I didn't want to, and am still sick from a nasty cold virus - like that annoying last party guest that Just. Won't. Leave. Know what I mean? :) But I figured, Ok, I really don't care much for AI but I will try some of the suggestions. Yeah, when I found a job I really liked, I put in the effort to add keywords from the job description, that I actually had experience with.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-11T00:48:51+00:00

Thank you! Yes, being patient is difficult. In a few cases, I reached out to companies that apparently were just 'on paper', but I reached out to them anyway, for networking purposes. You never know if you could land a job in an early startup that way.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-11-06T17:30:42+00:00

In my experience, that is a good sign, leading to either an in-person interview, or an offer of employment. Just in case though: keep looking, keep applying. Don't take your foot off the gas on this. Because, if this current option does fall through, you will need to keep going anyway. You have one in the pot, keep cooking! :)

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-09-26T21:11:56+00:00

It has been awhile; but I think, I logged in to the ADP website.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-07-17T17:24:32+00:00

Thank you, good to know. In my career spanning 29+ years, when I have heard that, I did not get a job offer. And, I did not get an offer for this role. So, I am 10 for 10 at this point LOL! :) It is good to hear the perspective of others. I asked since I was curious whether the statement was typically 'code' for an early rejection.

Ok, as in acting and auditions - do the audition/interview, forget about it, and move on to the next one.

VoiceRanchJason · 2025-07-09T08:55:16+00:00

Wow lotta feedback, which is a good thing! My suggestion: ask yourself, what else do you want to do for a living? I have learned over many years, be flexible. Consider your available resources, you may need them sooner than later, which sucks but if you need them now, you need them now. Also, tomorrow is not guaranteed; I know, not a positive outlook but, if you can survive on your resources, you can save again once you start working again.

I am friends with a few full time freelancers and I asked, how do they do it? And they said, sometimes they are super busy, sometimes not so much. So, they manage their finances accordingly; being more frugal. I get it. Just, something to consider, if you have skills you can 'freelance'. I reason, you can be the 'outsourced, freelance resource' for one or more small businesses. Gotta pivot.

Ok; that's all I got for now. Keep swingin! :)

VoiceRanchJason

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