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Same job-less pay assumptions are often incorrect

By Linda Lerner, Globe Correspondent, 9/5/04

A month ago, I started my new job as a customer service manager for a large national company. After talking to a few people, I discovered that some other people in the company who have the same job as I do make more money than I do. I was so happy when I got this job and now I feel terribly disappointed. Can I renegotiate my offer?

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Everyone wants to know if they are being paid the right amount for their job. Usually we have a general sense of what a job in our field and at our level should earn. With the addition of a little research and some discussion with a potential employer, we come to an understanding of the acceptable range of salary and benefits.

We then consider an offer and decide whether or not to accept it based on the salary and several other factors that happen to be important to us personally. Some of those factors might include: who our boss will be, the opportunity for future growth, compatibility with the corporate culture, distance from home, and flexibility of hours worked.

As this short list of considerations makes clear, there is a lot more to job choice then just salary. For further insight into your question, I have consulted with Roe Sie, vice president of compensation and benefits at Cendant's Timeshare Resort Group. He makes the analogy of agreeing to take a new job with agreeing to buy a new car.

''You shop around and select the car you want, negotiate the best deal you can, drive it home, feel great about your new car, and then a month later you learn that a neighbor got a similar car for less,'' Sie said. Can you bring it back and renegotiate the deal?''

He also believes that the frequently heard phrase ''I am paid less for the same job'' is filled with incorrect assumptions. There are often factors that make a difference such as a co-worker's years of experience, the regional pay and cost of living differentials that national companies consider when paying employees in different parts of the country, and a worker's years of service within the company and the industry.

One of the biggest assumptions made by employees is the assumption that a co-worker actually holds the same job.

Often a similar title has behind it differences such as the number of direct reports, the size of the region, the critical nature of that territory to the future plans of the company, the education, professional designations or certifications, and the performance level of the incumbent.

Although we can usually find someone else in our company who we believe works less and is paid more than we are, at some point we should ask ourselves if our pay is within a range that is generally fair and acceptable to us.

If the answer is yes, we need to let go and move on. We can't return the car and we can't renegotiate the job offer.

Handle recruiter calls with care

I recently received a call at work from a recruiting firm. They asked for me by name and told me of an opening in the same line of work in another company. They wanted to know if I was interested in speaking with them further about the job. I told them I was not interested and hung up. Now I am wondering if I should tell my management about the call and whether or not it was a setup to see if I am looking for another job. I was unemployed for almost ten months when I got this job and I do not want to do anything to jeopardize my position here. Until this call I didn't know that there were search firms that specialized in placing personnel in the food and restaurant industry. I am a chef and the restaurant that I am now with is the type of company that I want to be part of. How should I have handled this call, and others, if I ever get them in the future?

When you receive a phone call from a recruiter, handle it with care. You never know when you may need their help in the future.

Expanding your sources for new opportunities for yourself or for someone that you may need to hire in the future will be invaluable. Getting to know about search firms, employment agencies, and individual recruiters that specialize in your field can result in very effective networking.

If a recruiter interrupts you at work while you are busy just ask to call them back when you have the time.

They will certainly respect your responsible work behavior and you can call when you have some privacy. Whether you talk when you initially receive the call or call back later, always get the recruiter's name, the name of the recruiting firm, and their phone number.

It is clear from your question that you have not gotten such calls in the past and this is not surprising in an industry that has traditionally hired mostly by word of mouth or through on-the-job training and promotion from within.

As a chef, you have now reached a level in your field where recruiters are becoming interested in you both as a potential candidate and as a new resource.

The restaurant industry is growing very fast in the United States and now employs approximately 8 percent of the American workforce, or about ten million people. The increased need for additional sources of talented and trained people are creating employment agencies and recruiting firms that specialize in the restaurant industry.

It is very helpful to differentiate a retained search firm from a contingency firm. The search firms are hired by the company to fill a specific job and they are paid whether or not the job is filled.

They usually only deal with high level positions that require a minimum salary of $200,000 a year or above. Contingency firms, or employment agencies, are paid only if the job is filled by them and they therefore tend to operate at the lower end of the compensation scale.

Your concern that it may be a setup by your employer to see if you are looking is a fear that I have heard others express but it is likely unfounded. It is very rare that a company will do that and even more unlikely that a search firm would agree to fulfill such a deceptive request. Therefore, it is probably unnecessary to mention it to your management.

The actual conversation that you will have with the recruiter will usually inform you of a specific job opportunity and it is perfectly acceptable to say that you are not interested in making a change at this time. I have found that it is very helpful to ask for details to assess the recruiter's level of understanding of the profession that you are in and the industry in general.

As a follow on to your initial conversation, the recruiter will usually ask you if you know any one else who might be interested in the position.

He is marketing the job opening and you might become one of his sources. I recommend that you either give them a name, if you know someone looking for that type of job, or say that you will call them back if you think of anyone.

I will sometimes call a friend or colleague in advance of giving out their name to see if they have any interest. As a general rule it is advisable to be thoughtful in your responses and helpful where you can be, but do not spend too much time if you're not interested. Establish the necessary business connection with the recruiter and retain their name and contact information for future reference.

'Little lies' may reflect poorly on you

A colleague at work sometimes asks me to tell certain people that call him that he is not in when he is actually sitting in his office. This makes me very uncomfortable especially when it is his wife calling. I have met her and she is a lovely woman. Most of the time he is quite a good guy and we help each other out professionally every now and then, but this really bothers me. How can I deal with his casual attitude about what he calls ''little lies''?

We all try to keep the peace at work and help each other out, but lying, even ''little lies,'' come under a different category.

You do not have to lie for anyone. You also shouldn't allow your concern about disrupting this work relationship override your good judgment. If one of the callers is another co-worker or the boss, lying could reflect very poorly on you, your reputation, and even your future with the company.

My advice to you is to meet with your colleague privately and tell him how you feel about his requests regarding his phone calls. It is important not to argue or be judgmental. Just say it makes you uncomfortable and that you will not be doing it anymore.

This should immediately reduce the stress level that you are experiencing by lying for him. It should free you up to resume a professionally helpful relationship that is more consistent with your values.

Linda Lerner is an executive coach and a human resources consultant based in Boston.

Need advice about managing your career or workplace? Our specialists can help. E-mail questions to ; fax to 617-929-3183; or mail to Job Doc, The Boston Globe, P.O. Box 55819, Boston, MA 02205-5819.

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