Salary question for a travelling manager..not a good feeling

[edgarhansen]

Hello again everyone,

I decided to not take the job I had posted about 2 weeks ago. 1 hour commute with irregular hours and only 24K a year just didn’t entice me,

New question…

I stumbled upon another job. It is for a Co-Manager of a pizza establishment which is a national chain (most locations in outlet malls and airports) in my area (4 establishments in a 50 mile radius.) I have 8 years pizza experience with 4 as manager. The job sounded decent on the craigslist posting though it didn’t go into detail with specific salary.

I talked to a friend who actually has a friend who did work at this establishment. They flew him to a major mall for 2 weeks paid training. His salary was in the 30K range my friend surmised. Anyways, he gets back from training, and within a month, they without warning told him he needed to work at a different location, 45 miles away. There are 4 locations in the greater metropolitan area I am talking about. Needless to say he was upset. Supposedly, after filling up his gas tank to make the daily commute and after taxes and working 55 hours a week, his hourly wage ended up being 6$/hour. He soon thereafter quit.

I have an interview with a district manager Friday morning. Do I tell him some things I know already? The bait and switch stuff? What would be an appropriate starting salary? Do I ask if they reimburse me for gas if I have to travel to a different locale? I am a single guy, 28, with no debt. I need enough to move out of my parents house lol.

Any advice.opinions GREATLY appreciated.

 

[system]

You ask questions. Does your position include traveling to other locations. Do you have an expense account to write off your vehicle expenses. Not just gas…but car payments, repairs, etc… Ask about career advancement and tell them you are wanting to make an investment into their company and not just looking to be taking advantage of until their next manager comes along. If they are looking for a long term fill they will be somewhat open but they also will probably have a handful of surprises for you. This is your time to try and feel them out a little. See how they respond to your questions. Do they get really uneasy? Get defensive? If you feel really uncomfortable in the interview then your gut is probably telling you something. Do yourself one big favor before you go into the interview. Make a written list. Come prepared. It looks professional and you are less likely to get stumped on your own thoughts. Take notes while talking too. Don’t write word for word…but if you ask a direct question… write a little note about their response to reference later. If they avoid your question…do not push it…move on and ask it again later in the interview in a different way. If they still try to move on without addressing your concerns…personally I would call them out on it and directly ask them why they are avoiding it. At that point you are being played a little and your defense should go up a little. Do it in a nice way…sometimes the interviewer is just a bad interviewer and does not have answers and that is how they respond to questions they do not know. Keep a smile and hope for the best. Good luck and I hope I was a little help.

 

[edgarhansen]

Good tips so far …Keep it coming!

One important question overlooked is kind of a personal opinion, but what is this position worth???

 

[pizza_garden]

Maybe the district manager will answer your questions right here. Do you think that someone in the business does not know about this site?

That being said, there is a lot to be said for being forthright and honest as an interviewer and interviewee. Life and too short for dancing around the truth.

 

[pizzapirate]

Its pretty common to be moved around to different locations in a big company.

Don’t call them out on anything and don’t ask questions that can be implied as so. If you don’t know, ask which location you are being interviewed for. They may tell you store A but it could be store B. That would indicate you most likely will be looked at someone that can be moved around. If they give you no indication of moving just ask if they do move managers around. Its a straight forward question.

“Just so I know what I could be getting into, how far could I possibly be moved?”

You should know how far you are willing to drive before the interview. If you really want the job with this company, suck it up. Especially in this economy, they will probably be interviewing a lot of people. All things being the same with applicants, they will take the person with the least amount of restrictions.

Imo, this job is probably in the 30’s. I don’t know how far that goes where you live but its not a great deal no matter where. Meaning I would not suggest taking it just for the money. Your single, no debt, no kids? so you really are free to do whatever you want. Go after what you are truly happy doing. If this is really the career you want and the company you really want to work for you shouldn’t be worrying about how inconvenient it might be “now” as long as you feel there is a future you could be happy with. If the pay and expenses are borderline to afford moving out stay at home until you are comfortable.

If your only goal is to afford moving out of the house and stay close you probably shouldn’t hook up with such a company.