'We're going to be pursuing other candidates': Candidate loses job offer after "failing" salary guessing game interview tactic

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Nov 29, 2023 7:00 AM EST

Let's be honest: Missing out on a job in the last round of the interview can be tough, especially when you're desperate for a job… but if a prospective employer is using tactics like this, you probably didn't want to work there anyway. No honest hiring manager wants to waste their own time and spend more time recruiting than they have to. 

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  • It's always best to make sure early in the interview process that there is a realistic expectation and understanding in regard to what remuneration will be, as it's reaching the final stages of the interview process only to be blindsided by a complete mismatch in the supposition of what a candidate is expecting and a recruiter is offering is a complete waste of everyone's time.

    Still, with all the bait-and-switch tactics and gaslighting currently happening in the job market today, you never can really be completely sure that everything isn't going to just fall apart at the last minute.

  • 01
    Posted by u/symphonicstrings 6 hours ago I failed the salary number guessing game Had my 3rd interview over the course of 2 months for a job requiring my bachelor's in finance. I aced all the interviews and got to the final portion of the 3rd interview where I asked the salary range for the job. "Sorry, we can't tell you that, it's confidential and could damage us if it got into the hands of our competitors. I'm sure you understand. What is a figure you'd be comfortable with?" I was somewhat stu
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  • 02
    responded that I'd like $60K/yr. Immediately, the interviewer's face turned sour and she said that won't be doable. I said that's fine and that I'd take $50K/yr and just want to finally secure a job after graduation. "That's in line with our range, but the problem is, you already gave your number, and you can't take that back. I can tell this won't work out, so we're going to be pursuing other candidates at this time, thank you so much for coming."
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  • 03
    WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS GUESSING GAME FROM .?! Every interviewer acknowledged I would do the job wonderfully and I'd be the ideal candidate, including her. Why do they do this "guess the number" game from the pits of Tartarus?
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  • 04
    thedudeabidesOG - 3 hr. ago Time to light them up online. Glassdoor etc. I'd give them so much And 3 interviews over 2 months is as well. Good luck OP. 1.5k Reply Share xoqes88 2 hr. ago This. They were c*nts on that wage guessing game so use the tools available like Glassdoor to give them a bit of Karma Vote Reply Share ...
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  • 05
    DrShitsnGiggles - 3 hr. ago "I asked the salary range for the job. "Sorry, we can't tell you that, it's confidential and could damage us if it got into the hands of our competitors." - This is how I realized that every employer that says their pay is "competitive" is lying thru their teeth.
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  • 06
    If an applicant on their third interview still can't get these companies to divulge their pay range and every applicant is just up their expected salary cause its the only way to get a raise anymore, then there is no way these companies have any idea what others are paying and whether what they offer is "competitive" or not. ↑ Vote Reply Share
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  • 07
    LessThanThree Hundred 2 hr. ago My last company used to say "We are the industry leader, everyone sets their salaries against ours." to explain why their pay was considered "competitive" Vote Reply Share
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  • 08
    . JesusOnaBlueBike · 3 hr. ago So $16/hour is their number for BA in Finance? I would say you dodged a bullet. That's starting pay for retail in a major market. Vote Reply Share symphonicstrings OP. 3 hr. ago Jesus, when you put it that way, yeah it is bad. Rural Michigan I hate it here. Vote Reply Share
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  • 09
    nchoffman2-3 hr. ago If they don't give me a range I get up and walk out. I don't want to work for a company that thinks they hold all the power, because they will think that throughout your entire career with them in every aspect. I do feel your pain as you're trying to secure your first gig out of college. It as these 'entry level' jobs require expert level knowledge. 264 Reply Share
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  • 10
    isomorphic 3 hr. ago No salary range is an immediate red flag. I liked how companies were forced to show the salary this year but some companies are getting around that or probably just breaking the law. Vote Reply Share
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  • 11
    zingingcutie35 · 3 hr. ago They make you do that because if you're willing to work for even less than what they can pay you, they want to pay you less. 278 Reply Share imogen6969 2 hr. ago Exactly. Please review their practices online for other applicants. Businesses that practice these gross tactics should be known. Vote Reply Share
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  • 12
    elvarg9685 3 hr. ago That happened to me in my last interview. The company was hiring a help desk IT position they wanted to hire around 50-55k. When asked what I'd start at I said 48k. The job offer came in a week later for a position as a level 2 network technician and a salary of 44k. When I asked what happened to the 50k we talked about I was told that I was just money hungry and the job offer was rescinded. Vote Reply Share
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  • 13
    mastro80 3 hr. ago They thought paying you $20 an hour was too much with your little four year college degree. Amazing. Labor market is just totally f'd. Every single place you go is short staffed and no one wants to pay anyone. Make it make sense. Vote Reply Share
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  • 14
    Chapelirl 3 hr. ago 60 hours a week for 50k? You did well to avoid that. Vote Reply Share bluekoper 3 hr. ago "Sorry I can't tell you that, it's confidential and could damage my salary if it got into the hands of potential employers. I'm sure you understand." Vote Reply Share
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  • 15
    IS PAIN Varnigma 3 hr. ago Salary is a question to ask before the first interview. Not at the 3rd. 61 Reply Share symphonicstrings OP · 3 hr. ago Now I know. I won't be wasting my time in the future with jobs refusing to give me a salary range. It just that this is what modern corporate hiring practices look like. 33 Reply Share
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  • 16
    ManBear Pig4Serial · 3 hr. ago One of the greatest outcomes that CEOs least expected from the pandemic was that people all over the world started to realize their own self worth in their careers. I wouldn't be surprised if all the management consultant firms immediately started sending out training modules to HR reps and CEOs on "How to handle entitled millennials in the interview process and pay them as little as possible" once they started to feel the effects... Vote Reply Share
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  • 17
    QuesoMeHungry · 3 hr. ago They did you a favor, they flew their red flags high and let you know how toxic of a company they would be. Reply Share Vote Estebonrober. 3 hr. ago This behavior should be illegal. Reply Share 34
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  • 18
    okeydokey9874 · 3 hr. ago HR people are from I. Reply Share 9 TetraSims 3 hr. ago 60 hrs a week? For only 50k? What a scam Vote Reply Share
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  • 19
    Johnfohf 2 hr. ago 1st interview you should ask what the salary range is. If they push you for a number then provide a range that you are actually comfortable with. "I'm looking for something between $55K - $65K depending on total comp and benefits. Does that align with your budget?" If they say no then you saved yourself a bunch of time, Vote Reply Share
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  • 20
    CANAO Sirliftalot35 3 hr. ago I hate how salaried employees can be expected to work well over 40 hours per week for no additional pay. To get to that same $50k, a job that paid 1.5x for overtime would need to pay ~$13.74 per hour to match the $50k for 60 hours a week, which is ~$28,600 per year for a standard 40 hours a week. 16 Reply Share
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  • 21
    jcoddinc 2 hr. ago This is the new normal It's a psychological tactic to determine how much you think you're going to be valued. If you value yourself high then you will want more raises and will be less productive when you don't get them, so they will pass on you. If you under value yourself they will jump on it because they know when you ask for a raise and they give you less than cost of living you'll likely be happy and continue to be very productive. Vote Reply Share
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  • 22
    ShakespearOnIce - 2 hr. ago "If your competitors knowing this salary range would cause them to poach your best employees, could you provide me with a list of them so I know where to apply next?" Reply Share Vote
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  • 23
    jcxco 3 hr. ago That was neither a legit job nor a legit company. Vote Reply Share symphonicstrings OP · 3 hr. ago It was a massive regional bank that dominates my local area. I'm sure it was real. Vote Reply Share
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  • 24
    Legitimate-State8652 3 hr. ago - 50K is within their range for a Finance role????? I started as engineer in the early 2000's making more than that. The finance majors started around 50K in 2006...... Vote Reply Share
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  • 25
    Margotkittie 2 hr. ago I have never told interviewers what I'm earning currently, or what I'm looking. to get. Why undersell yourself? I tell them to offer me what they think I'm worth to start the ball rolling. They know what their budget is and if you fit the role. Everything else is just power play and , and I refuse to play. Reply Share Vote
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  • 26
    Alarmed_Natural_4961 · 3 hr. ago I hate that guessing game, I know what I'd be comfortable with, that's all, I have no idea what they're comfortable with. Vote Reply Share
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