You put together your resume, craft the cover letter, and land a job interview. While it's easy to get excited at this stage, simply walking through the door is only the beginning of the hiring process. The person across the table will ask you some difficult questions.
But TikToker Jayla was prepared for everything. And it was actually her own choice to walk away from the position. In a now-viral video, the woman says she turned down a manager job at Family Dollar after they couldn't offer her $21 per hour.
This led to a discussion about fair wages and working conditions in the comments, and I gotta say, it's quite empowering to see people standing up for themselves.
More info: TikTok
Meet Jayla, a woman who recently went on an interview for a manager job at Family Dollar
Image credits: kewljai
However, it didn't work out
Image credits: Paul Sableman (not the actual photo)
If we were to take a look at the numbers, Jayla's figure sounds more than reasonable. According to Salary.com, as of April 26, 2022, the average hourly wage for a retail store manager in the United States is $32, but the range typically falls between $27 and $41.
However, it's worth keeping in mind that hourly rates can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession, and so on.
The company refused to pay her $21 per hour
Generally, you do not want to allow your impulses to dictate the way you behave at a job interview.
To many people, negotiating their new salary is stressful because it's something most of us do very rarely and have little experience with.
Andres Lares, a managing partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute, thinks people are generally most concerned with feeling unprepared or worrying about an unpredictable outcome.
These nerves are normal and healthy, but it could help to think less about what you could lose in a negotiation and more about what you can do to prepare, Lares told CNBC Make It: "Even if you can't get everything you want, it's about doing everything you can to walk away knowing you've done your best."
So Jayla simply got up and left
First of all, when and how you should bring up money during job interviews will depend on the situation. If the job description already lists the range, or if you're confident about your number and have a lot of interviews lined up, you might bring it up in the first or second round, Octavia Goredema, an author and career coach, also explained to CNBC Make It.
You can ask the hiring manager to share their budget for the job, or you might be strategic about naming your desired range and tap into online resources and your professional network to get an idea of your absolute minimum salary, your desired target, and a stretch number you want to negotiate up to.
By the time you have that offer in hand, you have a lot of leverage to negotiate. "You wouldn't be in this room or on this call if you couldn't do that role. Recruiters wouldn't have time to waste if they didn't think you could deliver on it," Goredema said. "Now we're discussing not only what's required of you, but what you're looking for."
She made a video about standing up for herself
If you find yourself in the same position as Jayla and HR makes you an offer that's significantly lower than what you want, Lares said you need to point it out.
But it's also important how you go about it. Leading with gratitude, for example, can make a difficult conversation more palatable. "Thanks for thinking of me for this role and sharing the pay. Unfortunately, that's significantly lower than what I would have expected for this."
Next, you can gauge whether they can be flexible on the offer. Remind yourself, and the other party, that a negotiation is working together to reach a compromise.
You can frame it something like this: "I want to be respectful and not waste your time, but I'm also interested and want to make this work. What's the flexibility on pay?"
Of course, it's also possible the hiring manager doesn't understand your qualifications or years of experience. Politely remind them of your candidacy and ask along the lines of: "Is there a different title or level you're hiring for that's a better fit and aligns with my expected pay?"
It's all about making the best of it!
And many people have been really supportive of her
Some, however, questioned the amount
