Update: Job candidate holds his ground after recruiter tries to cheat him out of the proper salary range: 'The number I gave [you] is my minimum'

Side view of a woman in a suit looks through a document as she interviews a man across the table.

This recruiter clearly was not acting in good faith.

Unfortunately for her, she underestimated who she was dealing with. 

Perhaps she was used to manipulating naive folks in the workforce, but this candidate had been around the block a few times beforehand. He knew from the get-go that the recruiter's lack of transparency with regard to the position's estimated salary range was already a red flag. 

Instead of being upfront about what the compensation package would ultimately look like, the recruiter attempted to turn the tables and put the candidate on the spot about the minimum amount he would accept. Not exactly the vote of confidence this candidate was hoping for from her.

After making it clear what that amount was on three separate occasions throughout the interview process, the recruiter still tried to get this guy to accept something lower. For the candidate, that was the final straw. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from several members of this online community.

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  • A woman in a suit interviews a man across the table.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • There are lessons to be learned from this candidate's experience. Primarily, it says a lot about the company culture if they repeatedly try to get the most amount of work from you at the lowest price they can manage. It's bad from an optical perspective, and if you're expected as an employee to put your all into your job, shouldn't your company at least pay you what other folks at your level within your industry are earning? Seems pretty standard to us!

  • "Is it a big red flag if a company asks me for the third time to lower my expected salary?"

    Anyway, I had a weird experience with an HR person a few days ago. We had our first call, and when we got to the salary part,
    via mansion-lede8d
  • she kept pushing to know my expectation instead of telling me their budget. After I told her the number, she immediately asked if
    via mansion-lede8d
  • there was any 'flexibility' in that amount. I told her that this is the lowest I would accept for a new job, and we ended the call.
    via mansion-lede8d
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  • Today, the same recruiter called me, and one of the first questions she asked was again about my salary expectations. I repeated to her that the number I gave her is my minimum.
    via mansion-lede8d
  • I'm just trying to understand the logic here. Why do some companies haggle over money like this even before an interview
    via mansion-lede8d
  • happens? The number I'm asking for is within the normal market average, so I'm not exaggerating at all. I felt like she was trying to get me to say I'd work for my current salary, which defeats the
    via mansion-lede8d
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  • purpose of changing jobs in the first place. If my number doesn't work for them, they could simply look for another candidate, right?
    via mansion-lede8d
  • Honestly, the whole thing made me lose the desire to continue with their interviews, if she even calls me back at all.
    via mansion-lede8d
  • A woman in a suit looks through a document as she interviews a man across the table.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • Update: I wanted to thank everyone for their support and advice. This whole thing is new to me, and all your advice was very helpful. Guess what - someone
    via mansion-lede8d
  • from their company contacted one of my old managers. They were asking about my work and tried to find out the average salary for a position like mine!
    via mansion-lede8d
  • Luckily, my old manager is a professional and told them a number that matched exactly what I asked for.
    via mansion-lede8d
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  • The situation is really weird. I understand the HR person is trying to negotiate, and I don't blame her personally. But again,
    via mansion-lede8d
  • the number I asked for is reasonable. If they can't afford it, that's fine, but this repeated insistence feels like a huge red flag about the company's culture itself.
    via mansion-lede8d
  • Side view of a woman in a suit looks through a document as she interviews a man across the table.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Advertisement

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