The New Hire

Cory Smith

Well-known member
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$24K for a prepress operator? I got hired for 20K back in 1997. Our economy is well and truly f**ked.

I had a prepress vendor company cold call me in for an interview a while back. Interview went great and then we started talking money and the HR person treated me like I was nuts. They told me the job paid less than what I was currently making with no added benefits and full-time travel. I responded that X is what I currently make plus Y incentives and Z is what it would take for me to even consider taking a job where I am away from home 5 nights a week. Good luck finding anyone who will take this position at that pay scale. They're response? They could easily hire fresh college graduates (bachelors degree) for less than what they offered me. How in the hell anyone could pay off student loans and manage to eat on that salary I cannot understand. How that person would be able to ever buy a car, home, attract a mate, etc. is even more baffling.

And these people wonder why my millennial generation have ZERO loyalty and bounce from job to job…..
 
I had a prepress vendor company cold call me in for an interview a while back. Interview went great and then we started talking money and the HR person treated me like I was nuts. They told me the job paid less than what I was currently making with no added benefits and full-time travel. I responded that X is what I currently make plus Y incentives and Z is what it would take for me to even consider taking a job where I am away from home 5 nights a week. Good luck finding anyone who will take this position at that pay scale. They're response? They could easily hire fresh college graduates (bachelors degree) for less than what they offered me. How in the hell anyone could pay off student loans and manage to eat on that salary I cannot understand. How that person would be able to ever buy a car, home, attract a mate, etc. is even more baffling.

And these people wonder why my millennial generation have ZERO loyalty and bounce from job to job…..

If taxes and inflation weren't going up so rapidly, then you wouldn't have to make nearly as much. With the cut throat competition in our area, a printer is lucky to make 45k a year if they are a good 4-color operator with decades of experience.
 
Interviewed a new candidate the other day. When we got around to the money, I asked him what he thought the job was worth (a usual question, because, I like to get a feel for what their expectations are).
He said "around $85,000/year". My first inclination was to either throw him out of the office, or, just end the interview with "Good Luck", but, an old puchline to an old joke suddenly popped in to my head, so, I decided to have a little fun.

I responded with "What would you say to an unlimited expense account, 14 paid holidays per year, 4 weeks vacation, fully paid medical, dental, and vision, 401k with a 50% employer contribution, AND, as your company car, a new Cadillac --- leased new every 2 years"?

He said "WOW!, are you kidding"?

I said, "Yeah, but you started it !"

-MailGuru
 
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he had it comin... :p

If that's alright could you tell us what the job description was,and how much your company was willing to pay if he was up for the job?

Thanks in advance!
 
In the Uk now you have to stay on at school or college until you are 18, you used to be able to leave when you were 16 (which I did) or you can go into an apprenticeship that includes day release to college. One of these apprenticeships was advertised locally to me this week, they were looking for an apprentice digital print operator. Probably not a bad start in the modern print industry. I know this is now classed as further education but you do get paid aswell. The starting pay is just over £100 per week, I hope they aren't taking advantage of these kids as I think that is terrible considering the cost of everything in the UK nowadays. By comparison when I started my apprenticeship in 1986, I was on £86 even then my travel cost me over half my wages a week!
 
Must be an old cartoon at that stipend, poverty level compensation it tis. However, perhaps workers are that desperate they choose it rather than the french fryer at Mickey D's.

I haven't lost the gist of the comic, good one GP.

D
 

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