Sometimes, It's Ok to Say No

A friend of mine called the other night, very upset.  She had received a call for an interview in her chosen field, and was very excited - until she learned that the salary was just abysmal (trust me, it was.  We're talking below poverty level.)  And though this was a full-time position, there would also be no health insurance offered.

She asked me whether she should take the interview anyway.  After all, some income was better than no income - wasn't it?  And being employed at all was better than continued unemployment - wasn't it?

My friend ended up (graciously) canceling the interview and is still looking for work.  But it was her agonizing over this decision that got me thinking.  With so many pressures upon us as job seekers, are we forgetting our overall worth as professionals?  Have we, in our desperation for a job - any job - lost sight of our real "value" to an employer?  Should we settle for, what was certainly in this case, far, far less than we are worth?  

I told my friend that regardless of the decision she made, the bottom line was that she is a professional with years of experience, an ironclad work ethic, and deserved to be compensated accordingly.  Well, perhaps a little less, due to the economy, but within a reasonable range of compensation.  Anything less than that is just not acceptable.

What do you think?