Don't borrow your buddy's negotiation advice
In This Issue
Why his salary number jumped $40K in three days, and how I knew it was fake
The negotiation tactic his buddy gave him, and why it doesn’t work for everyone
How leverage actually works when the person across the table reads comp for a living
What to do when you want more money but don’t have the cards yet
I’m running a search right now for software engineers, heavy Python, financial services background, for a large bank.
I get a mid level guy on the phone earlier this week who fits the bill. I ask him where he needs to be on money. He tells me $160. Fine. That works, it’s within range, we move forward. I tell him I’ll be in touch when I hear back on scheduling.
A few days go by. The client comes back and wants to book him for the first round interview. Good news. This is the part of my job where I get to call someone and tell them things are moving.
So I call him to lock in a time. And before I can even get to the calendar, he tells me he’s now looking for $200.
That’s a 40K swing in 72 hours. Nothing about him changed in 72 hours. So I ask the obvious question. What changed?
He tells me he’s got two final round interviews lined up, both at $200K. Big jump in his market value, apparently, over a long weekend.
Why I Didn’t Buy It
Here’s the thing he forgot. I talk to people for a living, and I remember what they tell me and mark it all down in our ATS (as does every recruiter btw).
