I had 3 separate interviews - first with hiring manager, then with group of 3-4 employees together, then with project manager. First red flag was that only one of these people were women, at a company for women lol. My second red flag was that the hiring manager was listening in to every single interview and would randomly interject. HR/recruiter was not involved at all until I got an offer which I suppose can be the norm for a small company. Both of these things made it difficult for me to ask questions of the employees surrounding culture, work/life balance, etc because their manager was listening to every detail. I got a huge micromanager vibe from the whole process. I did not ask about salary at the outset which is on me, but as someone who had been a post-coordinator to post-producer for 4 full years, I was only offered 53K. Considering the volume of work discussed and my previous experience at a large studio that had experienced tremendous growth, as well as the expectations for the role, I found this number insulting. I replied back thanking them and said it’s too low for me, and asked for the full list of benefits and equipment provided. He replied back saying “everything is negotiable” and that they were “prepared to offer 55K” and would send me a MacBook Air “if needed” which was a confusing way to word that. This was not a freelance position. 2K would barely make a difference in paycheck so I declined. I also let them know I’m used to using a MacBook Pro in video roles and don’t feel an Air is sufficient. The hiring manager responded back fairly curtly saying, “It sounds like we weren’t even in your ballpark” and that “a MacBook Air is enough.” Based on his reply and the entire process I know I made the right decision. It sounds like they were looking for someone young and desperate for a job based on the offer rather than someone with a background of real world experience.
