"Market Rate" Is Not an Answer
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In This Issue
The candidate who dodged the comp question twice
What recruiters are actually doing when they ask for your salary expectations
The four reads a recruiter makes off your answer in real time
When you’re allowed to not have a number (and when you’re not)
The exact way to answer so you stay in consideration
I had a call yesterday that I’ve had a thousand times before, and it went sideways in the exact same spot it always does.
Data engineer role at a large bank in Dallas. Good role. The salary range was posted right on the listing, requirements clearly spelled out, nothing was hidden. This candidate applied to it. Not sourced, not cold called, not dragged into the process. He saw the job, read the description, and submitted his resume.
On paper he fit. Right stack, right years, right industry exposure. So I got him on the phone and ran my usual screen, and near the end I asked the question every recruiter asks on every call.
“What comp range are you targeting?”
His answer: “Market rate.”
Okay. I told him the range for the role, the same range that was printed on the posting he applied to. Then I asked again what he was looking for.
His answer: “What are you willing to pay?”
And this is where I stopped the dance, because I’ve watched this exact exchange kill more candidacies than bad interviews ever will.
The speech I gave him
I told him straight. Listen, I get the reputation recruiters have. You’ve been trained by a decade of internet advice to never say a number first. You think the moment you give me a figure, I’m going to anchor you to the bottom of the band and pocket the difference.
Here’s what I’m actually doing when I ask that question. I’m gauging you.
