Here are ten signs a prospective employer is too cheap for you.
1. During the interview they say "Instead of high salaries, we offer a great culture." A healthy corporate culture is all about trust and respect — so anybody who says "In our company, we pay you in culture instead of dollars!" has no idea what the word 'culture' means. Dress-down days and company lunches are awesome, but they are only awesome if they are offered in addition to fair market wages, not in place of them!
2. They tell you they have great benefits, but when you investigate the benefits they really don't.
3. They tell you that you'll have to prove you're worth what the market already pays other people who hold the same position. If they don't think you're worth the market rate for your role, why on earth would they consider hiring you?
4. When you read the company's employee handbook, you see that it is full of picky rules and policies concerning money. Some companies won't reimburse employees for cab rides to the airport when they are traveling on business, for instance. They figure that you can wake up two hours earlier and lug your suitcase on the train instead of taking a cab. An employee handbook is a window to the corporate soul — ask for the handbook whenever you are interviewing for a job, and read it cover to cover!
5. As you walk through the facility you can see that its upkeep is a low priority for the leadership team. The carpeting is frayed and the curtains are dirty. Some companies are just engines to turn out money for their owners -- they have no vision, no mission and no concern for their employees' welfare or development. Run away from a place like that!
6. Your interview takes place over lunch, but they don't offer you lunch.
7. When you ask the interviewer "What happened to the last person in this role — are they still with the company?" they waffle. They don't want to tell you that their turnover is through the roof, because they are cheap and treat employees badly.
8. Your interview focuses more on the salary you will be willing to accept than on the actual job description or your interest in the role.
9. They make a big deal about things people expect and take for granted. Years ago I met a woman who had been on a job interview where the interviewer told her "We offer free coffee and tea to our employees!" That was all the job applicant needed to hear. She made it through the interview but sent a follow-up note to say she wasn't interested. "What's next?" she asked me. "Are they going to trumpet how great they are for providing desks and restrooms for the employees?"
10. They tell you flat out "We don't pay the market rate." If your mojo fuel tank is full that day you could ask the interviewer "What is the business reason behind your under-market-rate salary policy?" In the real world, there is no business reason to underpay employees — apart from the desire of the company's owners and top managers to keep all the money for themselves.
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