Do the hustle...

So you get an email from someone you know telling you they know someone who’s trying to fill a position doing whatever it is you specialize in and it pays about 80% above the industry average (that’s almost double). You’re not really looking, and you’re happy doing what you’re doing wherever it is you’re doing it, but for that kind of money, you’re willing to talk.

For that kind of money, you could solve a lot of your problems. You could wipe out that credit card debt. You could save up that downpayment on a house. You could finally afford that trip to wherever.

So you tell as much and they set you up with an email introduction to their contact who’s in HR at this company. You bounce a few emails back and forth and set up a time to talk.

In the meantime, you use the email address to look into the company. The site says that they do one thing, but the word “jobs” or “careers” is in the URL, so you figure they’re a headhunting shop that specializes in your niche/industry.

Then you have your call with the HR person and they ask you if you know what you do. You tell them your theory about them being a headhunting shop, and they tell you that you have it all wrong. Then they ask you to hear them out while they tell you the part that scares  most people off, and then tell you all the great stuff about their company.

How YOU doin...

They do porn. Plain and simple. They do porn,but they have a great culture, offer plenty of benefits and flexibility, and they’re committed to doing something in whatever field it is you specialize in. They want someone like you to come in with a vision and build a strategy and team to make that vision a reality, and they’d really like to meet with you.

You would have carte blanche.

You’re interested in what they have to say. They sound very serious, but you’re not all that sure. You’re happy with where you are and on the path you’re on, so you tell them as much.

They ask you if an extra $10K would change your mind.

They’re already paying way above the industry standard, they haven’t even met you, and you’re only having your first call with the HR person, not even the person who’d make the final hiring decision or that you’d report to, and they’re dropping ten more grand on the table like it’s a fortune cookie.

So you figure it can’t hurt to go in and meet them, and you do. You go down there, and it’s a typical digital media office space. It’s in an office building with a receptionist, and there is nary a booby nor a schlongs to be seen.

You sit down with the person who’d make the final hiring decision – the person you’d report to. You talk vision and strategy, both long-term and short-, and you’re both on the same page. They know what they’re looking for, and you fit the bill perfectly.

So what do you do? Do you take the gig? Do you wipe out the credit card debt, save up that downpayment, and/or finally afford that trip to wherever? Or do you curl back up into your comfort zone and tell yourself that adherence to social stigma is worth it?

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