Woman accidentally CC'd in company email about 'lowballing' her salary offer responds in an epic way

The internet has many instances of "interviews gone wrong." From weird assessment approaches by interviewers to hilarious responses from interviewees, we have many examples of amusing interview mishaps online. But recently, u/Komeandgo—an IT worker—shared on Reddit a new interview experience that left the internet in stitches. The woman interviewed for an IT role and her first round of interviews went quite well. But before her second round of interviews could even start, she caught the employer trying to "lowball" her offer. As it turns out, he had no idea he had CC'd her in that mail.

Sharing a picture of the mail that she was CC'd in, the candidate mentioned in the caption: "Company got caught lowballing me." The explanation was given in the comment section where she wrote about her interview with two system admins and an IT director from the company. She was interviewing for an IT role in which she would've been given her own office to manage. "We discussed pay and I said my minimum was 60k (I was already leaving an entry-level job in the same field so lower wouldn’t have been beneficial). That’s why when I saw this email I was caught off guard," she explained.

In the mail that the director likely intended to share with one of the internal staff members, they had mentioned that the candidate could be a possible "alternative" to another man who may or may not work out. They highlighted that though she asked for 55k to 60k pay, she might settle for 53k as she lived in the so-and-so area. "I think she would accept 53k. She has committed to a second interview with you. I am sending over her resume," the mail reads. The candidate explained that when she put forward her expected salary (60k) the director simply said "OK," which led her to assume they were ready to offer the same.

However, the company had other plans and they accidentally got caught in their ploy. The woman still went to the second interview and revealed the email mishap. "I told them I feel they wouldn’t have my best interest at heart if they’re already undervaluing me and that I didn’t want to continue forward with a team that’s likely to stab me in the back," she wrote. While the HR tried apologizing on the director's behalf saying, "That's not how they do business," the woman decided not to proceed with this particular role as such a boss, who tried to lowball her, wouldn't look out for her if she got recruited. "Shortly after this interview, I took an offer for another job that pays me more than 60k. But I was just laughing about this," she concluded.

Living in a city where 53k wouldn't suffice to pay rent, the woman gave importance to her priorities despite the apologies offered by the company. People were amused by this interview story. "Even a $2,000 difference is about $80 per paycheck. Know your worth and don't settle for less!" said u/Olivineyes. "Any company that would nickel/dime you over $2,000 a year before you're even working for them seems like the kind of place I'd want to avoid," remarked u/jbirdkerr. "Reply all: I will not accept 53k but thank you for the transparency and for making me part of the conversation!" quipped u/Luxxielisbon.

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.