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Last week I received an offer for a job that sounded really good. The job application itself had a mandatory field called "minimum accepted salary." The offer I received was $10K below that number. Was it wrong for me to be insulted? I was actually a little over qualified for this job based on the listed requirements. And my "minimum accepted salary" still fell below the halfway point of the posted pay range for the job title.
Anyway I essentially said back to them "When I said $X was my minimum, I meant it" (In a much more politically correct way, expressing my excitement about the job, yatta, yatta). After that, there was 3 business days of silence, and I received an e-mail from the HR rep "Thank you for your response, best of luck to you." That's it. No attempt to meet me in the middle (which would still have been frustrating, but I could have budged a few thousand maybe), and they didn't even leave the door open for me to accept it at the $10K lower mark if I wanted to (I don't). In short, this is the first time I've had salary negotiations backfire. Usually the worst they can do is say no, but this sounds like they've retracted the offer. It's a moot point if they can't come closer to my minimum salary; but I'm just wondering if it's normal for companies to completely ignore your minimum salary.
After a one line e-mail response from HR like that should i even attempt to continue negotiations? My gut tells me they probably had another cheaper person in mind, maybe one who has already accepted the lower offer. I'd still love the job, but it has to be at the right salary. Maybe my "true minimum" is $5K below what i listed, but I still can't take it for $10K less than I listed.
Let me give you a piece of advice I was given by a very salty business man.
When it comes to negotiations, you always do it in person. When you want to tell someone no, you do it through email.
When they countered, you should have said the offer is attractive and that your like to come in person to finalize.
Once you're there, you can start jockeying. But only when you're in front of a warm soul. At that point they have to boogey with you or give you the "final offer, take it or leave it" dance where you might be able to negotiate in some extracurriculars like more paid vacation, stock option, whatever to increase the value of the offer.
By doing it over email, they pretty much said LOL and moved you to the clown file. Never, ever, deal with pricing on a phone or email.
She called with the offer, heard that I was hesitant and said she would e-mail me the offer and give me some time to think about it. In that e-mail she requested that I e-mail back by 5pm the next day. That's why I e-mailed. They requested that I did so. Maybe in person would have been better, but I doubt they put me in the "clown file" for doing what they asked me to do.
She called with the offer, heard that I was hesitant and said she would e-mail me the offer and give me some time to think about it. In that e-mail she requested that I e-mail back by 5pm the next day. That's why I e-mailed. They requested that I did so. Maybe in person would have been better, but I doubt they put me in the "clown file" for doing what they asked me to do.
Plus the hr person often have to consult with the higher ups to approve a higher offer.. so if you went in person, most likely they would have sent you off sing they will be in touch. Phone is acceptable but I wouldn't have by email.
I also think they had a person that was acceptable and you at a bit more qualified. If they could get you at the price of the lesser then great, if not they were fine with the other candidate. That's what it sounds like, sorry OP!
It is interesting that this is the second thread in short order about this very same topic: job applicants who counter the company's offer -- and then the company withdraws the offer. No counter -- just withdrawing the offer -- and fairly abruptly at that. Just sort of a "See ya. Moving on."
Aaah, the art/science/issue of negotiating salary.... just like real estate, job hunting these days is an employers' market. (It actually makes me fear for the middle class and Americans' standard of living. But I guess that's another topic.)
Is it accepted practice (depending on the field, of course) to negotiate salary and benefits? Of course. But the strength of the job hunter's hand is much less than it used to be.
Decades ago, I'd imagine you might have only had to beat out a few other people for a gig. And there might be more differences in credentials/experience, etc between candidates. Now, SOOO MANY people are looking for work, chances you as a candidate will be soooo much better than someone else are diminished*, -- AND there's the added salary pressure that soooo many people would take that job for LESS than you will. Those things don't mean salary negotiation is DEAD -- but it strengthens the employers hand immensely. It's one thing to be out 5 people, it's another to beat out 100 or more.
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*You''re likely competing against your 'doppelganger." It was an article about this very topic that used the word doppelganger' and I've liked using that word in this context ever since. Imagine competing against someone who offers the employer about the same experience. qualifications, education -- if not more than you in some cases -- who'll work for less pay that you....doens't exactly help YOUR hand any.
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I DO find it 'interesting" that the company's just abruptly withdraw the offers. Not even an "I'm sorry we can't pay more." -- "I did check, and this is going to be our final offer." "The salary is not negotiable at this time." -- No softening the way the "no" is even relayed and presented to the job hunter -- just "we're withdrawing the offer." BAM! As the other thread asked, "What the heck just happened here?" The cold, matter of fact nature of it is disappointing on a human level.
Last week I received an offer for a job that sounded really good. The job application itself had a mandatory field called "minimum accepted salary." The offer I received was $10K below that number. Was it wrong for me to be insulted? I was actually a little over qualified for this job based on the listed requirements. And my "minimum accepted salary" still fell below the halfway point of the posted pay range for the job title.
Anyway I essentially said back to them "When I said $X was my minimum, I meant it" (In a much more politically correct way, expressing my excitement about the job, yatta, yatta). After that, there was 3 business days of silence, and I received an e-mail from the HR rep "Thank you for your response, best of luck to you." That's it. No attempt to meet me in the middle (which would still have been frustrating, but I could have budged a few thousand maybe), and they didn't even leave the door open for me to accept it at the $10K lower mark if I wanted to (I don't). In short, this is the first time I've had salary negotiations backfire. Usually the worst they can do is say no, but this sounds like they've retracted the offer. It's a moot point if they can't come closer to my minimum salary; but I'm just wondering if it's normal for companies to completely ignore your minimum salary.
After a one line e-mail response from HR like that should i even attempt to continue negotiations? My gut tells me they probably had another cheaper person in mind, maybe one who has already accepted the lower offer. I'd still love the job, but it has to be at the right salary. Maybe my "true minimum" is $5K below what i listed, but I still can't take it for $10K less than I listed.
A company knows what a job is worth to them, maybe the position wasn't worth more than what htey offered to you. Also lots of people out of work, lots of people looking for a job with less hours and less responsibility, maybe someone as or more qualiifed than you took the job.
As for you, I get that you put over what your minimum was to leave yourself negotiatiing room, however htat extra 5k may have been what tipped them from negotiating with you to, there's no way we can meet a number in the middle with this lady and you got passed up. It's a game, you wanna leave yourself room to negotiate but also not come in so high people write you off as being someone or an offer that can be negotiated with.
Also, I get that you said what you said more pc than you said it here but you basically told htem dont offer me less than I'm asking. Me personally, and I'm sure many other people, even if its lower I'd rather hear the offer and be able to decide I didn't want to take it than have them bypass me and say they wanted more than we offered so were not gonna offer anything.
Nothing to be mad about here, you learned some lessons for next time.
If your minimum was based on your needs to pay your bills, then you shouldn't feel bad.
But typically if you are negotiating, you need to ask for more than you want to meet them in the middle.
Probably their budget doesn't meet your needs, OR the pay range is lower than you thought. Also, it's an employers market and they may have so many others in line they just backed out.
I agree about this particular job. It's over. My question is if this is typical or not. Why would a company ask for your minimum acceptable salary just to straight up ignore it when making the offer? Going through the interview process was a total waste of time for all parties involved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rdflk
It is interesting that this is the second thread in short order about this very same topic: job applicants who counter the company's offer -- and then the company withdraws the offer. No counter -- just withdrawing the offer -- and fairly abruptly at that. Just sort of a "See ya. Moving on.".
Good points about competition in the modern day job market. I was surprised by the response. I figured the worst case response would be "Sorry, but that is the most we can offer." Leaving room for me to possibly accept the lower offer (not that I would take it at the offered rate, but it's still odd to have the door shut on me).
Quote:
Originally Posted by doodlemagic
A company knows what a job is worth to them, maybe the position wasn't worth more than what htey offered to you. Also lots of people out of work, lots of people looking for a job with less hours and less responsibility, maybe someone as or more qualiifed than you took the job.
They actually posted a salary range for the position. My minimum salary was still below the halfway point of that range. I agree that it's likely they had another, cheaper candidate in mind who accepted the offer.
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