u/OrangeCandid4819

Hi recruiters, hiring managers, and people with experience,

I'm in a bit of an awkward situation, and honestly I need advice from anyone working in recruitment or HR, or anyone who has been through something similar before.
I'm currently interviewing for a position in Qatar. I finished the first technical round, and I was told that I'm moving forward in the process.

At the beginning of the conversation over email, I stated my current salary as slightly higher than my actual monthly salary, and then I stated an expected salary around 12-18% higher than that figure.

At the time, I was thinking that I didn't want to anchor myself to a low number from the start, especially since the role seems to pay better in the market. Now they have asked me to send salary slips so they can proceed with me to the next stage. I'm trying to decide how to handle this in the cleanest way without losing the opportunity:

- Do most companies consider this a big issue if they notice the difference?

- Should I be honest from now, or explain it as total compensation including benefits/variable pay?

- How do recruiters usually handle this kind of situation in the GCC market?

- Is there any chance I can bring the discussion back to my expected salary and my suitability for the role instead of focusing on current pay?

What I'm currently thinking:

I'll speak to the recruiter directly and clarify that the figure I mentioned was my overall compensation, including annual bonus, training/course reimbursements, insurance benefits, and expected family-related benefits.

For context, I have good relevant experience, and I feel that the salary I requested is still reasonable based on the responsibilities and the market range for the role. I'm looking for honest advice on the most professional way to handle this from here without making it worse.

Thank you very much in advance.

Hi everyone! I'm currently working at a telecom company and they're letting me go. So I've been spending some time fixing up my LinkedIn and my resume. I was a Sr Tech Support Rep, and I troubleshoot issues with phones, connected cars, home internet, and things like that. Before this job, I worked on an escalation desk supporting UPS WorldShip software. Overall, I have 8 years of experience - 4 years with UPS and 4 years at my current company. I've basically only been in the workforce seriously for about 8 years. Before those two jobs, I worked as a hostess for a short time, but I don't feel like that matters much for tech roles. I know people say you need to show the last 8 years of work history, so is it bad that my resume effectively only has two real jobs on it? Anyway...

My company offered us career transition help through Right Management to help us find something new. I had an appointment with them, and when I said I was looking for a remote job with a salary close to what I make now, I was told that I needed to be realistic because I don't have a degree or any certifications. For context, I had to leave college because of an abusive ex, and I live on my own and am barely supporting myself, so certs aren't something I can easily pay for right now. The area I live in is mostly military-related jobs, retail, and restaurants, so local options are very limited unless you have clearance or want to work in food service.

I also said I was hoping to move away from customer-facing support if possible and try something like email operations, data entry, QA support, or maybe entry-level reporting/data analyst work. At that point, I was basically told directly that I wouldn't get accepted into tech or remote work with my background, and that I should plan on applying for unemployment.

In the end, I paused the program and started working on my resume and LinkedIn on my own. And when I told my mom what happened, she said the guy was probably being honest with me and that I might need to work at Taco Bell or something similar and start rebuilding myself from there. I know she wasn't trying to hurt me, but hearing that from both of them honestly broke me mentally.

Part of me knows I may need to adjust my expectations, but another part of me feels like 8 years of experience in tech support/escalation should have some value.

Am I being unrealistic and delaying the obvious, or is there still a path to something better?

I'm facing a classic dilemma: more money for an in-office job or less money for a fully remote one. The commute would be 50 minutes each way, and that's if traffic is clear.
I'm 25, single, and have no kids. I have a few creative projects I want to start (graphic design, video editing), so the freedom of a remote job is very appealing. I'm not super passionate about the field for either job (it's insurance tech), but of course, a steady salary is a good thing.

In any case, I'll need a car anyway, because I plan to have a life outside of work even if I'm working from home. Here's the situation: I was working as a contractor with my current company in the $110k remote job. They temporarily placed me on-site at another company, and that company offered me a full-time position with them for $150k. When I informed my original company, they responded with a counteroffer to hire me permanently, but fully remote.

I've experienced office life before, and honestly, it was soul-crushing. I was stuck in an office with no windows, we were all in cubicles, the fluorescent lighting was awful, and the exhaustion from the commute and the work environment left me with no energy for myself or my friends. I felt like my will to live was being drained from me every day.
In the remote job, I finish my work in about 5 hours of focused effort and then I focus on my design work, which has started to bring in freelance jobs. I have time for the gym, my hobbies, and my relationships. I know everyone says I should tough it out and take the salary while I'm still young and have no commitments, but why would I choose to live miserably during the best years of my life for a job I'm going to leave eventually anyway?

I'd rather use this time to build something I'm genuinely interested in, while having a steady income from a remote job that allows me to live a normal life. My happiness has to be worth something. Plus, with the extra free time, I'm sure I can make up the difference from my side projects within a year or two.

I work to live, not live to work. Life is short. So yes, I chose the $110 work-from-home life, and honestly, I haven't regretted it for a moment.