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$17.73 Hr

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Anonymous

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$17.73 Hr

So I had a interview today and the company is in Lincoln, NE. They stated that they would like to have a strength interview test in about to weeks and if chosen I would have to fly to Lincoln, NE for two weeks to train.

I have a current job but often deal with irate customers and lots of escalating. So I want to leave for my sanity.

I have 2 children and WOW $17.73 seems so low for me to complete a strength based interview then fly a few states over for two weeks then go to remote after training. I have 10 + years in disabilities insurance, life insurance, and annuities.

My gut says they are getting the better end of the stick if I’m hired. Should I pass on this and how do I stop recruiters from low balling? Should I interview anyway and ask for more money?

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  1. JJ

    That sounds low for 10 years of experience. I would ask if the salary is negotiable before doing all of that.

  2. Anonymous

    That’s exactly what I asked and then I said I’m not a entry level candidate and then he said well there may be a option for more pay but not much more. Sheesh

  3. Anonymous

    This seems low to me also.

  4. Anonymous

    How bizarre that they would go to all that work to hire someone at under $37k.

    Something seems so off here.

  5. Anonymous

    Yes after the phone call it did seem like a lot of work for such a small amount.

  6. Becca A.

    Definitely pass on it and advocate for a better wage. Never take the initial offer. ever. Employers always give you the low end first to see if you're the type of person who has a backbone or not.

    When you do your gentle pushback of asking for a higher salary range. remind them of your years of experience accrued and the value that the skills and you can add to the company. If they still stick to that low wage. You can either take while still applying vigorously to other jobs or flat out respectfully decline their offer and continue your search for the company that will give you a respectful wage.

  7. Anonymous

    Sound advice thank you!

  8. Anonymous

    Did you calculate the cost of living for the area and map out your potential expenses?
    If you worked for an insurance company in customer service and don’t want to deal with irate customers, you can consider applying to be a claims rep where you don’t have to deal with customers so much, you spend more time processing claims. I can understand how 35k could be a squeeze as a single income with 2 kids. Keep applying for more jobs that is in a pay range you believe would be sufficient but also consider jobs that offer good stepping stones for career track by asking critical questions about how ees are developed for career growth and leadership. What is 35k now can change to 70k annual in 3 yrs and even 100k+ by year 5. Just map out a plan and get to know the inner workings of work environments that foster this

  9. Anonymous

    Very sound advice thank you!

  10. E C

    That is barely a living wage, not even close to a professional wage. I would pass.

  11. Anonymous

    Thank you for the advice I’m starting to see it really just does not make since not sure why they don’t have virtual training set up and want me to fly to the site for training.

  12. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

    What have you done so far in your job search? Is this your first set of interviews? What have the salary ranges been for the other positions?

  13. Anonymous

    I’m just started searching literally for 4 days and have gotten 3 interviews with in the past week all remote all jobs keep saying how extensive my background is but all of them are low in pay.

  14. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

    What do you do? What sort of positions are you looking for? On-site or remote?

  15. Anonymous

    Definitely remote, I’ve been remote for the past 4 years. Current role is a case manager for a long term insurance company. Approval’s, denials, underwriting, annuities application integration. I also deal with a lot of escalation calls regarding denials. Admin, and billing.

  16. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

    You didn't say how much you're making now but I assume it's more than that. It should be.

    You've only been looking a very short time - honestly, if I were you I would continue your search. You're obviously generating interest, so you have options.

    What have you done so far in your job search?

    Please let me know if I can help. GOOD LUCK!

  17. Anonymous

    Thank you! I will be connecting with you soon.

  18. Anonymous

    Seems like the low ball offer is based on people wanting to do remote work. I wouldn't bother. Panda Express is starting at $20 an hour here.

  19. Anonymous

    That is amazing to hear! That’s what I’m starting to see remote work is significantly less than working in office.

  20. Anonymous

    No that much less, especially with flying the candidate to train for 2 weeks and putting them up and feeding them,

    Insanity.

  21. Anonymous

    That’s what my husband said he didn’t understand the flying part at all.

  22. Kat

    How much do you need to make to support your family well? Focus on that amiunt and find jobs in that pay range or more. I make a little more than that. It can be a struggle and I don't have kids to support. The pay range is much too low, esp if they want you to travel to a 2 week training. Are they paying for child care while you're training? There are plenty of remote jobs that pay better. Most retail is paying more than that to start. Is there a CostCo in your area? They pay more than that, plus they have nice benefits, tuition reimbursement and other perks. Don't settle for too little when there are other options.

  23. Anonymous

    I’m in Atlanta and the cost here is high after reading the comments it does seem silly! I definitely need more than that and I have a husband and both are still skating by honestly the recruiter didn’t say anything about accommodating me if I’m hired.

  24. Anonymous

    Nebraska resident here. Employers here like to cite "low cost of living" as a justification for low pay. It's becoming an excuse to just be cheap. Good luck finding housing for a family in a city here for under $1000/month. And taxes are surprisingly high, given our poor social programs. Run away from this employer and don't look back.

  25. Anonymous

    Yes, I’m in Atlanta and we inherited a town home from my husbands family honestly if that didn’t happen I don’t know how we would pay our bills lol. But I’m just back on the job market and from the looks of it it’s going to be a fight getting the salary I truly need. I’m thinking that employers just need a body to fill the seats at this point. It’s exhausting

  26. Jennifer

    Don't get discouraged! You got a handful of interviews after looking for a few days. That's a much higher response rate than most people get. I made a standalone comment as well, but check out the following carriers with high minimum wages Nationwide ($21), American Family Insurance group ($23), and USAA ($21).

  27. Angie

    Most companies base pay on the geographical location of the job. I worked for a company that used a job offer tool to help them calculate what salary or hourly to offer candidates based on where the candidate lives. Some companies even try to lowball if a job is remote. The justification is there is no commute even though their savings on office space, office furniture, electricity, water, facilities management, office supplies, snacks, etc is far greater.

  28. Crystal Howell

    With that kind of experience, I would contact your local big insurance companies, Hartford, Allstate, State Farm, etc.

    Flying for $17, they probably want you to pay upfront and get reimbursed months later, I would pass.

    Tell the recruiter what you would accept, $______no less, or find another independent one on here. Good Luck

  29. Jennifer

    I'm not sure about the specifics of the role, but that does sound low.
    I know that Nationwide Insurance increased their minimum wage to $21/hr and the American Family Insurance group increased theirs to $23/hr. Both are remote friendly. My experience is on the P and C side, but a lot of the major P and C carriers also have life/group products. (Edited because FGB hates the ampersand)

    Additionally, both Nationwide and AmFam are great places to work as a woman. They have a strong representation of women in all levels of leadership, including technical/analytical departments, promote flexibility, and have excellent benefits for parents. Health insurance is still expensive (like everywhere), but their other policies are very family-friendly. I worked for Nationwide for 13 years, so speaking from experience. I know several people at AmFam (Homesite specifically), and they love it. I am calling out these two specifically because I could remember off the top of my head that they had high minimum wages.

    You can't really stop recruiters from low-balling any more than they can stop candidates from expecting to be paid a competitive wage. Both Nationwide and AmFam's minimum wages are easily googled and could provide a counterpoint to a given role's specific salary. (It looks like USAA is also at $21)

    I can't say if you should pass on the above role or not, but that salary is less than what three major carriers would pay for zero experience in their lowest paying job families. Maybe they aren't factoring in your experience, or maybe they churn through people at rate that it doesn't actually matter how much experience a person has. That would be my thought process.

    Good luck!

  30. Anonymous

    I too received a job offer from a federal employer with the same rate of pay, be cause they moved so slowly, I looked for other positions and made that consideration the last option. It was just too low!

  31. Anonymous

    If you think you can do better then you can! ?

    $17.83 for 10 yrs of experience??! $15 to work at Wendy's!!

    You can do better!!

  32. Kathryn

    I would say no to 17.73 and send counter offer

  33. Christi Miller

    I would look for something else.

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