WIBU..to go to this job interview knowing I can’t accept the job?

[xSummerStarsx]

…If offered, obviously!

I FINALLY have an interview at my dream company. I have been applying for roles there for the last 2 or 3 years and have always been gutted as haven’t managed to get an interview.

Until now! I saw a job advertised a couple of weeks ago, it is a drop in ‘responsibility’ and I am slightly over-qualified so I knew it would probably be a pay decrease but applied anyway as you never know (salary wasn’t stated on advert, just said ‘dependant on experience.’)

I got a phone call last week to say I have an interview and that she would email me the details, great.

On the email it stated the salary and it is a 6k salary drop. I just cannot afford to take that sort of drop. However, I really would like to go to the interview so I can FINALLY get in front of these people and meet them. I’m hoping if they meet and like me, that they may keep me in mind if I apply for roles in future, or if a more ‘suitable’ role comes up?

WIBU to go, knowing that I can’t accept the position if offered to me? I know I’d be a ‘time waster’ but I don’t see how else I’m ever going to get an interview for this place!

[Hobbes8]

Please don't try and negotiate a salary before the interview. I don't think it would go over well. I would go, and if you are offered the job you can negotiate then. There may be some wriggle room. There's no way they will tell you they are prepared to pay you more before they've even met you.

[NameChange30]

Cross-post, I agree with descalina!
"I'd go and try and negotiate. They were happy to waste your time applying for the job without telling you the salary - now they've offered the interview I would go and try and make that time spent worth your while!"

[Duckdeamon]

I would attend the interview and see what happens.

[Viviennemary]

I think it would be reasonable to go for the interview. In the longer term if you've been trying to get into this company for the last three years would it be worth it to take the job at the lower salary and then you will have a much better chance when other jobs come up.

But I think if you go for the interview then get offered the job and turn it could work either way. They could think you're a time waster or they could say well we;ll keep you in mind if a more suitable job comes up. Depends on the interviewer and company. Agree with having a good excuse ready as to why you won't be accepting the job.

[BojackHorseman]

What ever you do don't negotiate the salary before even attending the interview, it'll go down like a lead balloon.

[Doje]

Go, and explain to them as you have here that in the advert it said one thing and the letter said another. Then say something like "if I was offered the job and accepted it, it would mean a pay cut for me. Is there any negotiation in the starting salary, and if not, what would I need to do / prove in order to receive a pay review and in what sort of time frame could I expect this to happen".

You've done nothing wrong, just be honest with them.

[senua]

In the longer term if you've been trying to get into this company for the last three years would it be worth it to take the [lower] job at the lower salary

No. Can you imagine a man underselling himself like that.

[Junosmum]

6k is a big drop, but it may be a good move longer term. My OH went for an interview for his dream job, just a level lower, it was 5.5k drop, he got the job, negotiated an increase of 1.5k (the min we could afford) with agreement of targets set and reviewed every 6 months and a pay rise if he met them in the timescales. He's well on his way to meeting the first lot. Showed he was serious about working hard for them and he's loving his new role.

[xSummerStarsx]

Bottom line is, I’m in my late 20’s, all of my friends have now carved out amazing careers for themselves, they don’t worry about money, have good salaries etc.

I have worked hard the past 5 years to build up a good CV of skills and experience, I want to be earning MORE not less. To take a £6k paycut and quite a big drop in responsibility, when, IMO I should be at the pinnacle point in my career, just doesn’t sit right with me.

[SionnachDana]

No! go anywayy! I did that recently and they fired some tricky questions at me. It made me think. I wouldn't have accepted the job if they offered it, and they ddidn't offer it to me. They found somebody prepared to work for that low salary. But they interviewed me so thoroughly as though it were for a much more senior more desirable position that it was very good practice.

[PurpleDaisies]

I want to be earning MORE not less. To take a £6k paycut and quite a big drop in responsibility, when, IMO I should be at the pinnacle point in my career, just doesn’t sit right with me.

The trouble is that isn't what you've applied for. I think you either have to decide you're happy about the drop in responsibility (possibly with a salary cut) or try and negotiate for them to rewrite the job description so you're working at the level you want which would justify you being paid more.

[senua]

I want to be earning MORE not less.

It's not just the money. You will be throwing away your employment rights which will take another two years to earn again.
Go to the interview and get what you can out of it but don't sell yourself short.

[OnlyLovers]

Their message about the salary is confused. Go, slay them at interview and then negotiate.

[Nottodaythankyouorever]

The email said ‘the salary for this role is up to ‘XX’ but may be increased to ‘XX’ as of April next year.

The April next year salary is £5k less than I’m on now, the salary until then is £6k.

As someone who has done a lot of recruitment, from that wording, I would say that there isn't much wiggle room salary wise.

They are giving you a starting salary and then a payrise (after about 6 months) which may coincide with a probation period.

[BoulevardOfBrokenSleep]

Do the interview! Who knows, they might be so impressed that they offer you a job at the next level up.

Agree with PP that you don't see blokes tying themselves in knots about this sort of thing (often)

Surely the question of your current salary will come up anyway?

[morecoffeethanhuman]

An interview is for both candidate and company - its a chance for them to see if you are right for the role, but also for you to find out if its suitable for you (hence the "do you have any questions?" Bit at the end)
Go for the interview, work out the lowest drop you can take. If they offer it to you, use the adverts claim its negotiable and ask what the top is - if its not too your minimum then be honest and say how impressed you are with the company etc however that much of a drop isn't feasible, but please bear you in mind.
But honestly have a good think about taking a drop for a better company. I know you say it doesn't sit well but it really can be the making of a decent career, don't get caught in the mindset of only wanting an increase - its a trade off, you could get a increase for a company there's no progression in (so then in late 30's still be the same) or take a drop into a better company and be earning so much more with decent progressional options!
Either way an interview would be good experience so I say go for it :)

[Shutthatdoor]

Their message about the salary is confused. Go, slay them at interview and then negotiate.

I don't actually think it is.

It says depending on experience in advert, then in the email it says 'is up to'. So that is the maximum they pay for most experience. Less experience you'd get less.

[Justaboy]

Go. Just go and TALK to them and talk yourself up a bit don't be humble in front of them come across as confident and that you are worth the money that they are paying then haggle a bit, just a bit and that may well clinch it.

You are in a much better position when your working for them and you have demonstrated that you can do and are good at the job. To not go now you won't know quite what you could have done.

Believe me I've been on both sides of the interview fence and by and large some 80 % of the applicants are somewhere near bloody useless 15% might do if all else fails and just a few percent are outstanding from the pack.

You it looks like are in that few percent.

Now JUST GO AND DO IT! Got that!.

[Tokelau]

I would go to the interview but not mention salary. If they offer you the job, you can negotiate salary if possible, and if you need to turn the job down, don't say it's because of the salary, just say that your present employer wants to keep you and has offered you something extra (not necessarily a salary increase) to stay.

If they don't offer you the job, you may still make a good impression on them, and they might consider you for any future vacancies.

[SevenOfNineTrue]

I'd find out first if the salary is negotiable. If it is not, do not go.

If you go along and interview for this role knowing you will not accept it if offered, you have wasted the companies time. I appreciate it seems a great opportunity to get your face seen but I worked in recruitment and I'd be really annoyed at any candidate that did this. I would see it as you taking up an interview space that could have been used by a candidate who actually wanted the role. You would have wasted my time and not thought about the impact your actions would have on the recruitment process, the time of the other interviewer, cost of recruiting etc.

If you want to get known, why not attend networking events and start making connections that way. LinkedIn is also a useful tool.

Good luck.

[stripytees]

To take a £6k paycut and quite a big drop in responsibility, when, IMO I should be at the pinnacle point in my career, just doesn’t sit right with me.

OP, you sound really disgruntled about it but it's not the company's fault - you applied for this job knowing it was a drop in responsibility, and now you know it would be a drop in salary.

Is the salary they're offering in line with similar roles in other companies?

[xSummerStarsx]

When I first posted this, I was so sure that I would attend the interview. However, now I really don’t think that I will.

I feel, that if I were to ring her tonight or tomorrow and explain honestly on the phone that I desperately want to start a career within their organisation, but if there is no room for negotiation re the salary for this particular role, then I wouldn’t want to waste their time by attending the interview, but I really hope me turning down the chance to interview doesn’t impinge on any future chance for other interviews with other applications.

Do people think that would be a better way of doing things? The way I see it, so long as i don’t go for the interview, I haven’t actually wasted their time as I was unaware of the salary until the interview confirmation email.

It’s things like this that do annoy me though, FGS just put the salary on the advert and then it will stop any wastage of time. It took me hours to do the application, I really want to work for the company but I doubt I’d have applied if I’d have known the salary in advance!

[lifesalongsong]

I'd disagree that you'd be taking up an interview slot that would be taken by the next person in line.

When I've recruited I haven't had a set number of candidates that I'd interview. Even if the candidates were ranked in some way it doesn't really matter where the OP is in that rank. If she's at the top it's unlikley that they would actually offer the job to the person who just missed the cut at the bottom of the list and if she's not at the top she possibly wouldn't be offered it anyway.

Unless the current salary is disclosed at the interview she can give any reason for turning down the job if offered

[NameChange30]

I don't really understand your last post, OP. You're asking opinions again when we've already given them.
Whatever you do, don't say you "desperately" want to work for them, it just makes you sound... desperate. And if you were desperate you'd go to the interview and take the job despite the pay cut, wouldn't you?
I really don't understand the obsession with "time wasting" when the interview will be 30 minutes, 1 hour max. It might even be helpful for them to have another candidate to compare the others to. And they've wasted YOUR time by failing to advertise the salary which meant you spent several hours (more than an interview would take!) applying for it.
JUST GO TO THE INTERVIEW FFS. But if you're not going to go, at least stop asking for advice that's already been given.