My guest today is Mercedes Johnson, a freelance recruiter who recently went viral over a Facebook post. It sounds unreal, but that’s exactly what happened when Mercedes went on Facebook and shared a post with her friends and family about a moment from her job as a recruiter.
The post read, “I just offered a candidate $85,000 for a job that had a budget of 130K. I offered her that because that’s what she asked for & I personally don’t have the bandwidth to give lessons on salary negotiation. Here’s the lesson: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE SALARY YOU WANT (DESERVE), no matter how large you think it might be. You never know how much money a company has to work with. #BeConfident”
Someone saw this post on Mercedes’s Facebook, took a screenshot and put it on Twitter for more to see. And let’s just say the Twitterverse came in full force. Some asked, “Why would you underpay someone and brag about it while pretending you’re giving generous advice to the masses?” Meanwhile, others took to attacking Mercedes for just being human, a woman, a Black woman, being unapologetic and being confident.
After all this, I knew I wanted to hear her story and bring her on Punk Rock HR, and that’s exactly what we are doing today. In today’s episode, Mercedes and I discuss the Facebook post, her intent and what she actually said, how she’s been treated since and what she wants everyone to know.
Punk Rock HR is proudly underwritten by The Starr Conspiracy. The Starr Conspiracy is a B2B marketing agency for innovative brands creating the future of workplace solutions. For more information, head over to thestarrconspiracy.com.
Intent Vs. Interpretation
Mercedes was targeted online because of the Facebook post that she made. Still, she intended to share this information with her network of friends, family and other professionals to shine a light on compensation and getting paid what you are worth — which is a huge topic for many people in the current job market.
She explains, “I was trying to express to my network, which is the people that are on my Facebook, kind of like family and friends, that it is important to ask a company for what you feel like you’re worth because you never know how much a company has to work with. And so that’s what the post was trying to get across.”
Many people aren’t aware of what a job pays or what they are actually worth in compensation. Mercedes wanted her audience to work smarter in their negotiations over pay with companies, but many people interpreted her post in a way that she never intended.
Many companies and certain states are now publishing salary ranges to provide more pay transparency. Mercedes is all for pay transparency but encourages people to know that there is still room for negotiations. “Even if companies do post their pay for a job, that doesn’t mean that you can’t negotiate, or there’s only so much compensation that a company can post. So still, I think that it is important to know your worth and then still apply, even if it doesn’t say what company is paying for the job,” she says.
Dealing With Backlash
The topic of companies and leaders taking advantage of candidates or putting them at a disadvantage is a hot topic in the world of work. Unfortunately, after this viral post, Mercedes was targeted as one of those individuals — but that is not who she is.
Mercedes says she understands why people were triggered by what she posted and why they labeled her as someone who lacked compassion for the job-seeker. And she can say she has learned a lot from this experience. “I think definitely it was a little shocking at first because I was just living in Atlanta, a very low-key life, to overnight being viral. And I think it was a huge spurt of growth and development and still is,” she says.
The internet is a vast space of information and connections, and while it’s incredible what you can find, it’s also a space where many feel the need to give life to the negativity. “It’s a little bit of cyberbullying going on. But to that point, I do understand people’s frustration, and I understand why it was a trigger for a lot of people,” she says.
Bullying of any kind is not OK, but Mercedes says she’s taking steps to correct her actions. What she said was a bit sloppy and not well said, but also something that many people have said behind the scenes for decades. And she has received the ultimate punishment — being fired and forced to repent.
However, Mercedes is not shying away from accountability on her part. “I’m acknowledging and doing my part as to how the post came across. I do stand by what I said about knowing your worth and taking action that way, but, to come, I’m still going to help as many people as I can and give people the information in a good way, and try to empower people to take action in their career and in the interview process,” she says.
My Thoughts
I am glad that I could have Mercedes on this episode to tell her story. She is confident and strong, and while Mercedes does not apologize for the message she put out, she does wish that she had said it differently.
Mercedes is being dragged for behavior as a recruiter that is generally applauded behind the scenes by the same people who ought to know better. The reality is that, when I was making my way through HR, if the top range was $130,000 and we paid someone $85,000, I might get the difference as a bonus. Others in the HR space would be praising me for my efforts, yet Mercedes is receiving negativity for doing just that, and it’s not fair.
To everyone listening to this episode, I believe that this young woman has a good heart and soul and so much potential. She has learned a lot from this experience, and I’m excited to see where her career goes.
[bctt tweet=”‘Even if companies do post their pay for a job, that doesn’t mean that you can’t negotiate or there’s only so much compensation that a company can post.’ ~ Mercedes Johnson. Learn more on #PunkRockHR about Mercedes’ story and life after going viral.” via=”no”]
People in This Episode
- Mercedes Johnson: Instagram
Full Transcript
Laurie Ruettimann:
This episode of Punk Rock HR is sponsored by The Starr Conspiracy. The Starr Conspiracy is the B2B marketing agency for innovative brands creating the future of workplace solutions. For more information, head on over to thestarrconspiracy.com.
Hey, everybody. I’m Laurie Ruettimann. Welcome back to Punk Rock HR. My guest today is Mercedes Johnson. She’s a recruiter who went viral. I can’t believe those words are coming out of my mouth, either, but that’s exactly what happened because Mercedes went on Facebook and talked to her friends and family about her job as a recruiter. And she wrote this, “I just offered a candidate $85,000 for a job that had a budget of 130K. I offered her that because that’s what she asked for. And I personally don’t have the bandwidth to give lessons on salary negotiation. Here’s the lesson: Always ask for the salary you want and deserve. No matter how large you think it might be, you never know how much money a company has to work with. #BeConfident
Well, someone on Facebook saw this on Mercedes’ wall. They screen-grabbed it, and they put it on Twitter. And there are a lot of comments. Now, this thing went super-viral. And some are asking, “Why would you underpay someone and then brag about it while pretending you’re giving generous advice to the masses?” And other people have attacked Mercedes for just being human, for being a woman, being Black, being unapologetic, being confident. They are on her on the internet in very unkind ways.
So I saw all of this and I thought, “My God, I need to reach out to this woman. I want to hear her story. I want to bring her on Punk Rock HR.” So that’s what I did. In today’s conversation, Mercedes and I have a real discussion about the Facebook post, what she meant to say and what she actually did say, how she’s been treated and what she wants people to know. I’ll be back at the end of the conversation to share my thoughts and to wrap things up, but in the meantime, if you’re curious about what went down and who Mercedes Johnson is, well, sit tight and enjoy this conversation.
Hey Mercedes, welcome to the show.
Mercedes Johnson:
Thank you so much for having me.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, sure. I’m super-pleased that you decided to come onto Punk Rock HR. And we’re going to have a really great conversation about who you are and what you’re all about. And I thought we would get started with you because you identify as a follower of Jesus Christ, a faith influencer and a serial entrepreneur. So I’m kind of nosy, and I want to know, who is Mercedes Johnson when she’s not working.
Mercedes Johnson:
I’d say Mercedes Johnson is family-oriented. I love to do things, I like to travel. I just love people in general.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, I get that sense because you were working as a recruiter, and I think you have to fundamentally love people to do that job. So before we get started talking about your journey, can you tell me, and maybe explain to our listeners out there, what a recruiter actually does for a living?
Mercedes Johnson:
So, a recruiter does many things, and I think there’s different types of recruiting that can be done. But in essence, a recruiter is a person that the company uses to bring the best qualified candidate into a role that they are hiring for. Whether that be interviewing, whether that be calling people, screening people, whatever it is, it is to make sure that we have the best qualified candidate for each job.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, I agree with you. And a recruiter can also do a lot of administrative work. A recruiter can be a coach. There are a lot of different things that a recruiter can do. I wonder how you became a recruiter, because I personally fell into that job because I graduated from college and I needed to pay back my student loans. So how did you get into this field, and who taught you how to be a recruiter?
Mercedes Johnson:
Actually, it’s funny. I started off as customer service management. And in that, I was actually managing a couple of other people in the customer service team for my job. And in that role, I was doing a lot of the HR background, and hiring, and doing that. And I realized that I was more interested in actually speaking to the candidates and everything. And that’s where my interest for talent acquisition started — in the customer service world.
Laurie Ruettimann:
So you were working in customer service, and you were interviewing candidates, and hiring them, and you moved over to talent acquisition. Did you report into a director of TA who took you under their wing? Or where did you learn how to do this crazy job?
Mercedes Johnson:
So it’s funny. So I had a manager that, I hit right off the bat with her. And I didn’t have any experience but customer service and a little bit of HR. And she started me off doing sourcing. And that’s what I did strictly. For a long time, I was just sourcing and finding the best candidates or whatever. And then that’s when she brought me further into recruiting.
Laurie Ruettimann:
That makes sense. I feel like sourcing is such an interesting way to get into recruiting because you’re actually out there looking for candidates. Well, wait, you tell me, what does a sourcer do?
Mercedes Johnson:
So a sourcer is a person that smiles and dials all day. They’re calling, looking at candidates on multiple platforms, trying to figure out which candidates are best for a role. And just really pre-screening. That’s pretty much what sourcing is.
Laurie Ruettimann:
So you were doing that for a few years, and then you moved into recruiting. How long would you say you’ve been working in the field of recruiting?
Mercedes Johnson:
So I want to clarify, I was only sourcing for probably about six to eight months. But in recruiting, I’ve done about five years. But altogether, five and a half to six.
Laurie Ruettimann:
So Mercedes, you’re on the show today because you were targeted online because of a Facebook post that you wrote that was captured via screen-grab and then shared on Twitter and went viral. So can you tell me about the original post? What did it say, and who is the original intended audience?
Mercedes Johnson:
So the post that I made was basically a conversation that I had between me and a candidate about their salary and what they wanted in salary. And I was trying to express to my network, which is the people that are on my Facebook, kind of like family and friends, that it is important to ask a company for what you feel like you’re worth because you never know how much a company has to work with. And so that’s what the post was trying to get across.
Laurie Ruettimann:
So in this post that you put out on Facebook, you talk about how there was a pay range, and you offered a specific number that wasn’t at the top of the range, and you are pretty direct about it. But you got a lot of blowback out there. And I just wonder, do you think candidates really know what a job truly pays? And do you think candidates even know what their worth is?
Mercedes Johnson:
I do believe that candidates aren’t aware of either thing. I believe that a lot of people don’t know a budget for certain companies. A lot of people don’t know what they’re worth. And that’s why I was trying to bring awareness to it.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, you were bringing awareness to it, but you were also saying that you don’t have time as a recruiter to necessarily go out there and educate people on their worth, if I read that correctly. Did I read that correctly?
Mercedes Johnson:
Yes. So to clarify, what I was trying to say is that as a recruiter, you only have so many hours in a day to speak with so many planned candidates that you have to speak to in a day. Not meaning that I’m not willing to help somebody outside of work or on the side, of course.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Yeah. Yeah. I get that. I wonder, where do you recommend candidates go to find good salary information? Because I think there’s a real interesting point that you made, which is, recruiters are busy. And, also, corporate recruiters work for the company. And job seekers may not know that, and they’re getting a real good education right now. So if a job-seeker can’t go to a recruiter, where do they go to find their worth?
Mercedes Johnson:
There’s a few things they can do. They can definitely check the internet. The internet is huge. You can Google anything about a company with just putting the company’s name in there. So ultimately, your worth has to do with a lot of things. It has to do with, how much work are you going to put in? What is your work ethic? How long have you been doing this? What is your experience? Because you can have a lot of people that apply to a job with many degrees, but some have good work ethic, some don’t. So that’s the reason why I encourage every person to explore those things and think about, “How much work have I put in? How long have I been doing this?” And then do your research on Google and everything.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, that certainly makes sense, except Google is a trash heap. I think you and I both know that. So it’s messy out there. And when I Google a job and I try to find out how much it pays, one job on the internet may say it pays 30 grand, and then you go to a different site, and it may say 60 grand. So do you have any sources that you recommend candidates look at specifically, where they can get a little more educated about a job or a company?
Mercedes Johnson:
We definitely have Glassdoor, we have Salary.com. And I am going to do some more research on some new developments that I have actually come across this weekend of companies that will actually give you the background on salaries, or on a website that will actually give you backgrounds on salaries from companies. But you don’t want to go there as 90% of your research, but it is helpful. It’s a range.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Yeah. I wonder what you think about organizations that work in certain states that are now — in cities — that are now compelled to publish salaries. There is this push towards salary transparency. And in my mind, if companies were doing that, you may not have been in the situation where you were feeling frustrated and offering people X amount of money, and then having individuals get mad. So do you have a feeling about this pay transparency movement that’s happening in America?
Mercedes Johnson:
So I’m definitely for the pay transparency, but the only thing with it is that even if companies do post their pay for a job, that doesn’t mean that you can’t negotiate or there’s only so much compensation that a company can post. So still, I think that it is important to know your worth and then still apply, even if it doesn’t say what company is paying for the job.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Yeah. That makes sense. This question around how much a job pays and how much we’re worth is so subjective because I think there are people out there at different stages of their life, different genders, different races who interpret the word “worth” differently. So how do you know what you’re worth in this world?
Mercedes Johnson:
I believe that it comes from within. It comes from your experience. It comes from reviews. It just comes from your experience, really, is where it truly comes from, but there’s a lot of different factors.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Yeah. I love that because I really believe that your work is not your worth. And yes, we all have worth, like a recruiter may be worth $120,000 a year, or a project manager is 185, or a brand new account is $65,000 a year. Whatever those numbers are. But so many times we negotiate and focus on the number and not on our souls, right? Not on who we are as individuals. And I think some of this focus on the number creates a lot of insecurity. It makes people feel like they’re just a number and they may be taken advantage of down the road. Does any of that resonate with you? Does that make sense?
Mercedes Johnson:
It does make sense. It does make sense. And if we’re honest, you will never be able to be truly paid your worth, because I feel like a job, they don’t really go together as far as your worth and how much a job can pay you. But I do believe that’s why doing your research and everything is important because you can balance and weigh out all of those different things.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Mercedes, we’ve talked about how candidates can feel like they’re at such a disadvantage and they suspect that companies are taking advantage of them. So one of the things I want to talk about is that you’ve been targeted as one of those individuals. People have said that you don’t have compassion. And I just wonder what you think about that. And I wonder how that made you feel when you read that about yourself.
Mercedes Johnson:
It was disheartening to read because I have respect for all of my candidates. I have respect for the companies that I work for and myself, and I would never want to make a candidate feel like that I don’t respect them or I don’t feel like I have compassion for them. There’s just certain things in my job that cannot be disclosed from the company in different things. And so that’s the reason why candidates must come with their value, because as long as you leave value up to a company, a candidate’s value could only be as good as the company’s budget for that job and not as good as the candidate feels about what they can bring.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Mercedes, do you understand when people saw that Facebook post on Twitter, do you understand how they would’ve labeled you as someone who didn’t have compassion for the job-seeker? Does that resonate with you? Does that make sense?
Mercedes Johnson:
I understand fully. And I understand how it was a trigger, as well, because I feel like that a lot of the people that were commenting, they were commenting with stories about what they’ve been through in their path, in the job world or whatever. And I understand, too, that a lot of them are in talent acquisition and they don’t know how this work, as well. And I identify that it was a pain point for a lot of people.
Laurie Ruettimann:
I wonder if you can talk about how you’ve been treated online. What does it feel like to go through an experience like this?
Mercedes Johnson:
I think, definitely, it was a little shocking at first, because I was just living in Atlanta, a very low-key life, to overnight being viral. And I think it was a huge spurt of growth and development and still is. I take development very seriously in my life. And I think this was a huge area for growth for me. And it still is.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, when I first saw the comments about you and who you might be, the person behind this post, my first thought is, “My God, this woman is now in a reverse situation where she’s being cyberbullied.” Do you feel like you’ve been cyberbullied?
Mercedes Johnson:
I do feel like that. It’s a little bit of cyberbullying going on. But to that point, I do understand people’s frustration, and I understand why it was a trigger for a lot of people, because outside of me — and I’m working through that — but outside of me, I believe that this was a topic that my post exposed. And I think that people just really need answers about this subject in this area.
Laurie Ruettimann:
You wrote on LinkedIn a quote that I thought was really interesting. You wrote, “You cannot possibly take responsibility for the things others do or say about you. People are cruel and will never change, but care enough about yourself to do the work for yourself, get counseling, seek spiritual healing, build yourself up with positivity and support.” I wonder, Mercedes, are you doing that for yourself?
Mercedes Johnson:
Absolutely. And even more now.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, what I’m trying to evoke here is a sense of how traumatic this might have been for you. Because if I understand correctly, you’re a woman working in a job in recruiting, putting out a private post on Facebook that was screen-grabbed without your consent and put on Twitter. And people have been attacking you, your personality, your looks, your size. I feel like there’s been some sexism there, there’s been some racism there. I just have to wonder, what this does to your soul. What this does to you as a human being. How are you feeling? How are you doing?
Mercedes Johnson:
It’s challenging and I’m working through it, I think another aspect that people could consider, too, is that I have a good foundation. I have family and friends and God, and things to help me work through it. And also it is challenging. I’m not going to lie to you and say that it isn’t challenging. It is, but I am taking corrective action and doing my part.
Laurie Ruettimann:
So what does that even mean? I mean, let’s be real here between you and me, what is corrective action like? I mean, you said something that was maybe a little sloppy and not well said, and very much something that people have been saying behind the scenes for decades, right? People, when I was recruiting, were actually bonused for paying people below the midpoint. That was a way that HR and recruiting demonstrated cost savings. This is not something new, and yet you’ve been fired and you’ve been forced to repent in a way that, I don’t know, seems a little excessive. So what do you do with all this? What are you doing next?
Mercedes Johnson:
What I mean by corrective action is, I’m acknowledging and doing my part as to how the post came across. I do stand by what I said about knowing your worth and taking action that way, but to come is, I’m still going to help as many people as I can and give people the information in a good way, and try to empower people to take action in their career and in the interview process.
Laurie Ruettimann:
I get that. Well, I wonder, as we start to wrap up the conversation, fundamentally as just a human being, I wonder how this experience has changed you. What have you learned? What’s the most important lesson?
Mercedes Johnson:
The most important lesson that I’ve learned is to be more intentional with the things that I post and how things come across to other people. I’ve learned that this is an issue that needs to be further discussed and addressed. I’ve learned a lot about my own growth and development, professionally and personal. But the greatest thing that I’ve learned is that more people need to know about fighting for themselves and taking action in this area.
Laurie Ruettimann:
One of the things Mercedes about your story is that your name got out. And so at least in the short term, when anybody Googles you, they’re automatically going to see this dumb post that you made, right? Just you flippantly made it. And I want them to know who you are and what you’re all about. So what’s the lasting message you want to leave to anybody who’s listening to this podcast?
Mercedes Johnson:
So I do want to be clear that I don’t feel like that the post was dumb. I feel like that it was not a great delivery, but I do feel like that it had a great message that I felt like people could take from it. I didn’t do it flippant, and I don’t feel like it was dumb. I felt like it could have been better, but I felt like it was the message that came across. So I leave something with everybody. I do want to say that I’ve heard the comments, I’ve read what you all have said, and I understand how it could have came across better, but I don’t want that to hinder the fact that it is important that we speak up when it comes to ourselves. And it is important that we advocate for ourselves in the interview process.
Mercedes Johnson:
And I will not stop talking about that. And I hope that in the future, I will be received in this area, and anybody else that steps up in this area. And the last thing that I want to say is to just advocate for yourself, whether that be professionally, personally, in your life — know your worth.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Well, those are really great messages to leave our listeners with. So first of all, Mercedes, I want to say, thanks for spending a little bit of time with me today, and thanks again for being a guest on the podcast.
Mercedes Johnson:
Thank you so much. This is a great opportunity.
Laurie Ruettimann:
Hey everybody, I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Mercedes Johnson. Right out of the gate, I’m just going to tell you, I’m surprised by how young Mercedes is. I want to respect her privacy, but she’s not just some dumb millennial, she is Gen Z. She’s young, y’all. And although she’s been recruiting and has some customer service experience, she’s at a life stage where she’s new to a lot of things. And that definitely shows in the way she communicates and tells her story, and even why she made the decision to put this on the internet. As you hear in the conversation, Mercedes is also confident. She’s not apologizing for this message. She just wishes she said it differently. And I get that. Why would you apologize? Why would you back down when you’ve had hundreds of thousands of people attack you for who you are and what you’re all about?
If anything, I admire that she’s confident. I admire that she knows who she is. And part of me wants to talk to Mercedes in 10 years to ask her, “OK. Now, what do you think? Now, how do you feel?” Because I think it’s still so new. And again, she’s young. I think the third thing that really sticks with me about this conversation is that Mercedes is being dragged for behavior as a recruiter that’s normally applauded behind the scenes. And she’s being dragged by people who ought to know better. If you’re a sourcer, if you’re a recruiter, if you’re a hiring manager, you know that you have a budget, a.k.a., a salary range. And if a candidate comes to you and asks for something within the salary range, but not too bad, and you still have room, you give the candidate what they asked for. That used to be a cost savings when I was growing up.
In fact, when I was growing up, if the top of the range was 130 and we paid someone 85, I might get bonused on that difference. People would be high-fiving me, and yet Mercedes is being dragged for it. It is so unfair. It is so hypocritical. And there is a bigger conversation to be had. One that’s bigger than Mercedes and also much more mature, right? This happens at the executive level. This doesn’t happen with a recruiter who’s in the trenches. So the hypocrisy just really bothered me. And that’s why I’m glad Mercedes was able to come on Punk Rock HR and tell her story. I am really honored that Mercedes said yes to this interview request. I’m one of the first she’s done. I’m grateful she trusted me, and I hope I did right by her.
And I want everyone out there to know that I believe this young woman has a good heart, a good soul. And I’m so excited to see where her career goes. I think she’s learned from this experience. I think as she talks about it, she’ll have a different understanding of it, a different fluency as she gets a little bit older. And I just hope that, if you come across someone who clearly has been inelegant on the internet, you think about them. You think about Mercedes, and you lean in to radical, compassion and love. That’s what this is all about.
This episode of Punk Rock HR was underwritten by The Starr Conspiracy. For more information, head on over to the starrconspiracy.com. And this episode was also produced and edited by Rep Cap, with special help from Michael Thibodeaux and Devon McGrath. And you can head on over to repcap.com for more information. Now that’s all for today. And I really hope you enjoyed this conversation. More importantly, I hope you learned a little something. We’ll see you next time on Punk Rock HR.
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