A viral post made its way in every corner of the social media world. It’s been hotly debated in TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
It goes something like this. A recruiter posted:
I just offered a candidate $85,000 for a job that had a budget of $130,000.
I offered her that because that’s what she asked for and I personally don’t have the bandwidth to give lessons on salary negotiation.
Here’s the lesson: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE SALARY YOU WANT (DESERVE), no matter how large you think that might be. You never know how much money a company has to work with.
I don’t think she realized the power imbalance and her potential role in helping a future employee feel valued. Instead, she rubbed it in. Who wants to work for any employer who at the onset of employment has already placed them at a disadvantage?
Is it the job of the recruiter to get the best candidate at the “cheapest” price? Possibly. We can debate why “cheap” was chosen over the approved and “going salary for the position.” What does the company gain if the new employee realizes she’s underpaid and leaves? Isn’t that just more costly with additional recruiting expense, opportunity cost and lost productivity?
