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At 01:30 PM 7/24/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Re: $24,000/ year job offer
>
>A warning to all who interview at the larger, well-known companies. In
>Atlanta, the city is practically run by Coca-Cola. As of 2 1/2 years ago,
>I made the mistake of accepting a job there, creating templates, customized
>programming with WordBASIC and Help for only $20/hour. (Granted, I had
>just been laid off, had a daughter and her newborn to support, but that was
>still no reason! I've learned much from that mistake.) I have since
>learned that the company was notorious in town for paying peanuts. Their
>general belief was that they were a big company and something special.
>They thought there were enough people out there who were dying to work for
>them that they could get away with paying so little. If you refused, there
>were enough desperate people out there that they could find someone else.
Seems Iike every writer I meet from Atlanta has done their stint at
Coca-Cola.
I worked for Coke about five years ago, through an agency, for somewhere
between $26 and $28 per hour (can't remember exactly). Just a few months
after my time with them was up I began hearing from other agencies about
Coke jobs and the rates were, as you report, considerably lower. I asked
someone about this and she said that Coca-Cola had set some new policies
about hiring contract writers and they refused to go above a certain rate.
The rate was ridiculous, and I refused it.
>Fortunately, I've heard they reorganized their contracting pay schedule
>since then. Unfortunately, I hear it's not a whole lot better.
Yes, that fits with my experience too. I still hear from agencies about
Coke jobs, as they see my experience there on the resume and assume I'd
love to go back to work for them. I agree, I would, if only they'd pay my
current rate. I then quote it and listen to the stunned silence on the
other end of the line. ;) I never ask the what the actual rate for the job
is: I don't want to get unnecessarily angry. Perhaps places like Coca-Cola
are good spots for new writers to get some experience on their resumes
(other clients I've interviewed with since then have seem inordinately
impressed with the fact that I'd worked for Coke, so it does seem to have
some trading value), but I don't think any contract writer in as large and
as technological rich an area as Atlanta is, unless in dire straits, should
have to accept an hourly rate lower than $26-$27, and even that is on the
low side, in my opinion.
Nina P.
____________________________________________________________________________
____
Nina Panzica
Masterpiece Media
(404) 237-7889
Can't reach me at the above number? Try my pager: 404-596-7889 mailto:panin -at- mindspring -dot- com http://www.mindspring.com/~panin/
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