the Guppie Life

So, while applying for jobs, I’ve noticed many job listings ask for a salary history. Rude much?

What does my prior salary have to do with what I can do for an entirely different company? Also, what if I was drastically underpaid at my previous position?

This isn’t just a rant.

I recently wrote a cover letter for a position listed on a job board. The listing said it required salary history and salary expectations, which I artfully dodged in my letter by writing that “I’d be more than happy to discuss salary information in-person with the hiring manager.”

But no dice. I later received an email asking for my current salary.

What to tell them? I had a few ways to answer the question truthfully—my old salary, my new hourly contract rate (for my former full-time company), or my freelance rate (which is the lowest but factors in a minimum number of guaranteed hours and complete scheduling flexibility)?

I decided to answer with my current hourly rate as a contractor. It’s probably the most honest and straight-forward answer, and it also seems impressive if you multiply my hourly rate x 40 hours per week x 50 weeks per year. Of course, I’m not getting near 40 hours a month from that employer, let alone 40 hours per week, but it stands to reason I would be making that much if I received enough billable hours. I also mentioned that it includes health insurance, which is true—but only for the rest of January.

So how should I answer this question if I get an interview and it comes up in person? What if they ask for more details?

I’ll admit that I’ve been a terribly infrequent blogger, but it’s really hard to stay motivated when Google thinks you’re the devil and stops sending you traffic.

I’ve accepted that this blog isn’t going to make me internet famous, so now I just post when I feel like I have news to share with my dedicated internet and real-life acquaintances.

Anywho, onto the subject at hand:

The past few weeks have been trying times.

First, in early November, two of my coworkers were laid off without any advance notice. There were only 9 people in the company, so two people was a huge deal. On the day of the layoffs, I was the only other person in the office besides the two owners. It was spooky, but they took me out for sushi and promised everything was going to be fine. With the layoffs, they said, we’d be saving tens of thousands of dollars in salary and benefits and we’d be okay.

Flash forward to the Tuesday before Thanksgiving: The boss sent out an email to the remaining 5 underlings. He couldn’t afford to keep us all salaried. Effective December 1 we’d all become pay-by-the-hour contractors. Happy holidays, indeed.

Later the boss called a meeting. He explained how the new system would work. We could telecommute 100% of the time. We’d earn our salaries minus three 0’s as our new hourly rate, but we’d be responsible for our own taxes. We’d probably eventually have to shoulder a portion of our health insurance. No more 401(k) match.

He’d understand if we needed to find new jobs, he said. But of course, it’s vital to the company’s success that we all stay on. And he promised he intends to hire each of us back, in order of seniority.

Tomorrow marks the end of the second week of life as a contractor. So far, the company has only given me 2 billable hours of work. Less than $100 before taxes. Much less than $100 after taxes. In two weeks.

And I went to CVS only to learn that my $15 prescription now costs $110. Turns out someone at the office forgot? didn’t pay the health insurance bill.

…

Luckily, a few weeks before, a friend had introduced me to the founder of a new environmental website start-up who needed a freelancer. I’ve been working with her doing some web design and consulting work. The extra money definitely helps, but it’s not enough to live on. She’d like to hire me as a full-time employee, but they don’t have funding yet. (They’ve been operating out of the founder’s McMansion to save money. It’s actually a lot of fun. )

So essentially it’s been two weeks without a real paycheck. How long do I wait, hoping that business turns around? I have an emergency fund (thank god)—but do I want to drain my emergency betting on someone else’s business? I don’t think I do. It’s not like I have equity in the company.

So I’ve decided: I’m looking for another full-time job. In the meantime I’ll keep on contracting and freelancing whenever possible.

But now what the hell do I want to do?