Stalling

I am currently in the most bizarre position of my job-hunting life. I have a job offer - remember the one that supposedly offered me an instant job? Yeah, that one. The background check is like something the CIA would dream up. I didn't like it, but I forked over copies of my W2s for 2016 and 2015. Those were all I had on hand, or so I thought. The contracting company wanted them back to 2010.

Then there was the drug screening. We all know the drill there.

Then there was the request for every single person who had been my supervisor over the last ten years. Honestly, I've been through a lot of jobs. I can't remember what I was even doing for Really Big Bank and Really Big Insurance. Truly, I can't. I tried calling the number for the law firm I'd worked for, only to learn it's now a non-working number.

But all of this has been okay. The insta-job? Let's say what I was making most recently was X. Insta-job pays X minus 12 per hour. Ouch! In the meantime, I have been approached for various jobs. This includes one working back with Really Big Insurance, which pays X plus 1 per hour. I had an inquiry yesterday for a job that paid X minus 5 per hour. Certainly better than minus 12 per hour.

So I haven't exactly been rushing to get to the minus 12 job although I've made sure that all my efforts to get information to the contracting company show evidence of willingness and good faith.

Still, if plus 1 comes a calling, I will answer sweetly.

What I have learned is that a lot of companies think I should be grateful simply to be working in  my chosen field, which they somehow considered The Arts. This is how they think they can get away with paying me X minus 12. Insta-job is with Really Big, Big Pharma, and they are notorious for paying poorly because they have a billion dollar settlement to make with consumers. There are some like Really Big Insurance who understand that professionals must be paid a commensurate living wage. I appreciate that because it shows that they value what the employee (or consultant in this case) can bring to the company.

So yes, I have been stalling with Really Big, Big Pharma, in hopes that Really Big Insurance comes through. Fingers crossed, kiddos.