HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND? INTERVIEWING WHEN NOT LAID OFF

[Anonymous]

I am in an industry that is heavy hit with lay offs. My company is well publicized in laying off a big chunk of the workforce. Obviously, I was scared too and I truly am outgrowing my current position, so I applied to promotional roles externally. On the phone screen with hiring mgr, I was asked if I was let go in this round of lay offs. I responded no. The hiring mgr then goes into a mini-monologue about how I was "tone deaf" about what is going on in the industry and that I should be grateful to have a job and stay put and not take roles away from people who are facing unemployment. This caught me off guard, but I responded that while I am grateful not to be laid off, I am really looking for growth opportunities. He laughed at me and said, I guess we will call you. So weird.

[Anonymous]

No need to put titles in all caps, but thanks for the story.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you dodged a bullet, that guy is wildly unprofessional.

[Anonymous]

That guy was a jerk. It makes sense to want to leave a sinking ship. Maybe he was hoping you'd been laid off so he could lowball you.

[Anonymous]

Bizarre. Are you at the Post?

[Anonymous]

You tell them that if you change positions, that frees up your position for someone else.

[Anonymous]

IF THE HIRING MANAGER CAN'T EVEN GET HIMSELF TOGETHER WHEN CONTACTING APPLICANTS, I'D SAY YOU DEFINITELY DODGED A BULLET.

BYE

[Anonymous]

He wanted to low ball you, duh.

[Anonymous]

That doesn’t make any sense. One person switching jobs doesn’t change the number of jobs available because your current job will be available. What a weirdo.

[Anonymous]

Well, I think you dodged a bullet. That guy sounds like a weirdo. When you leave your job, you'll be leaving an opening for somebody else. Not taking a job away. I agree with others, he wanted to lowball you.

[Anonymous]

I probably would have responded by saying you think you might get laid off too. Instead of saying you want a promotion. He’s not wrong.

[Anonymous]

My company is reorging. They’ve announced high level reorg effective Jan 1. My group and another are being combined, plus potentially 2 more groups.

Lots of people are looking for other jobs in anticipation of lay offs, even though there’s a good chance it won’t be them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I probably would have responded by saying you think you might get laid off too. Instead of saying you want a promotion. He’s not wrong.

But i thought this would be selling myself short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I probably would have responded by saying you think you might get laid off too. Instead of saying you want a promotion. He’s not wrong.

I would have responded similarly. I also think that they might have put out openings hoping to hire recently laid off and desperate people on the cheap

[Anonymous]

I would only find it weird someone quitting before a juicy severance payout.