llama_boy (u/llama_boy)

itronitron · 2 months ago

I'm curious what your thoughts are on the "salary expectations" question in the initial phone screen or first stage. In my experience, I have never been asked that question and then moved onto the next step in the process, regardless of whether or how I answer the question.

So I am left thinking they are just collecting salary metrics for the position.

llama_boy · 2 months ago

I've always said "I'm more interested in finding the right role, than I am in the salary, and I am sure we can come to an agreement if we feel it's a good fit". If they push further than that, I ask what sort of range they are looking at to make sure we're broadly aligned and not wasting each others time.

psanford · 2 months ago

There is no incentive for companies to do that. Its a thing that could theoretically happen in rare cases but essentially never does in the industry. Read patio11's article on why.

I think its telling that you have to reach for a >10 year old article for evidence that this is an actual risk.

llama_boy · 2 months ago

While generally I've had great success with negotiating salaries (in multiple cases more than 10%, in one case more than 20%), I have had a company rescind an offer when I indicated their offer was lower than the range I was hoping for. Ironically, I was going to take the job at their original offered rate as their cause was well aligned with my morals and values and I was excited to work for them, but they decided that because they couldn't hit the range I wanted, they assumed I was just going to leave.

It all felt off to me - it should be the candidates job to accept or not, rather than for the company to make that assumption.

Doing a lot of hiring now, I always offer as close to or above the top of the range the candidate is looking for if possible, and definitely have pushed that up outside our budget when we stumble across great candidates. I want to build a team that sticks around, not just have people hopping every 18 months.