Fifth Avenue Forum

I dropped my number a little, like $5k.

It still puts me 10k ahead of where I am right now.

It likely means you were above the pay range for the position. You should ask them what the range is. Because you also don't want to come in on the extreme high end of the pay scale or you might get stuck there.

Theoretically keeping yourself within the range at least allows you to make it to the interview phase, at which point if they like you enough they could upgrade the role to meet your salary needs.

Had a phone screen with an HR rep yesterday afternoon. It seemed like it went well. But when it came to compensation I had something that didn't happen before. I gave them a number and they countered with "would you be willing to take less?"

Should I take that as that I'm in the ballpark but came in a little higher than they expected, or should I take it as they could be potentially lowballing me and should brace for a cheap counteroffer?

From my side of the table, I hear this said to candidates often and I don’t like it. Our - and by our I mean my HR dept - rationale is we want to know where the line in the sand is. Saying “no” does not eliminate you from contention.

FTC banning non-competes

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/pr ... oncompetes

That's a good thing.

Indeed.

Had a phone screen with an HR rep yesterday afternoon. It seemed like it went well. But when it came to compensation I had something that didn't happen before. I gave them a number and they countered with "would you be willing to take less?"

Should I take that as that I'm in the ballpark but came in a little higher than they expected, or should I take it as they could be potentially lowballing me and should brace for a cheap counteroffer?

"I know the job market for a candidate with my skills and experience, and my expected salary range would be between $X and $X(125%). But salary is only a portion of total compensation, so I would have to see the terms of a full offer of employment to evaluate any number within that range or consider negotiating around it. In a vacuum, there's just no way to say yes or no to the question of flexibility on the salary number at this stage."

One of the advantages of pay transparency is you would know the company's salary range information going into the application process from the outset, and you can tailor your answers to match that range.

Agree with KC if you're too high (at the top of or over the approved range for the role) they may be gunshy about offering you, because there's no room for you to grow in the role. It's kind of bush league for the recruiter to be asking a Q like that at the screening stage, but it sort of underscores the point about you initially being at the top of their approved range. I think it means the screener liked you as a candidate, but that opening number is a bit of an hurdle to them.

Non-competes have been illegal in CA for several years now.

They were also largely not enforceable in other locations. Good to just put the nail in the coffin on them.

While I'm certainly in favor of banning non-competes, and doing so at a national level, I don't think this action by the FTC is within the remit of its authority.

Yep, old colleagues said it’s a ton of administrative positions along with various director level fluff positions. Of course there are always problem children in patient care that go in these things as well.

Comes on the heels of the 14 billion a year non-profit operating at a 180 million dollar loss during 2023.

My buddy’s wife texted home while we were at lunch all nervous as she works at upmc. They had an all hands on deck meeting to announce. I haven’t heard back from him. Ouch.

Wait, UPMC lost 180 mil last year? wtf they doing over there.

Well, sounds like that have at least 1000 cream puff admin positions.

Well, sounds like that have at least 1000 cream puff admin positions.

Different friend said a ton of patient care positions got it out their way as well. Nurses and what not.

Aren’t there a shortage of nurses and doctors? They should be the last people laid off

I believe a few people or their spouses work there. mr25?

They were also largely not enforceable in other locations. Good to just put the nail in the coffin on them.

The only place I'm aware of that does not enforce non-competes under at least some circumstances is California. And even California permits non-compete agreements in connection with the sale of a business.

I believe a few people or their spouses work there. mr25?

Nope. My old roommate did but he jumped ship a couple months ago for the same role at a different healthcare company, but with a 15-20k pay raise.

Hopefully the non-compete ruling holds up. The current one I am on was 2 years, started back in March. I would like to get back into the field.

I think this FTC rule will likely run into the same problem under the Major Questions Doctrine as the EPA did in West Virginia v. EPA. The FTC Act is well over 100 years old (passed in 1914), but it has never before been interpreted as barring non-competes as "unfair methods of competition." Non-competes are valid and legal in the vast majority of states. But now the FTC has decided that agreements affecting (under its own estimates) "as many as one in five American workers—or approximately 30 million workers" are now unfair even though the FTC hasn't said that in the last 110 years. I know there are plenty of businesses and business organizations that are drafting complaints right now to try to get this rule struck down, and I would expect that it may take years of litigation before we see whether it will survive.

Personally, I've handled multiple non-compete cases, so I want to see it struck down because it puts food on my table. And lawyers in Pennsylvania are exempt from non-competes anyway, so it only affects plebs workers in other fields and not me.

UPMC is a fustercluck. Horribly managed and penny pinching to the extreme. Glad my wife got out. They basically silently laid her off, but she didn’t quit so she’s still officially on staff. Doesn’t really cost UPMC anything since she’s casual and gets no benefits, but I would laugh out loud if they laid her off with severance.

My wife is a PA at UPMC. She was not laid off thankfully. The place is a **** though no doubt.