Is it appropriate to address a discrepancy in the offered salary range after starting a new job? Should I inquire about the difference in salary ranges mentioned during the interview and the actual amount stated on the insider? How can I approach the situation and potentially negotiate for a higher salary based on this new information? #salaryrange #dreamjob #negotiations #careeradvice
You already accepted the offer, they aren’t going to give you more money, especially if you settled for 56k on a 68k range..
Lesson learned here, study for the role better, learn to negotiate better.
I’m going to be more cynical and say that the job posting is meaningless. They either bait and switch the salary or post it just to fish and see what they can get.
You already negotiated during your current job interview, and you can’t do it again unless you get another job offer.
Yeah, just such a bummer. I feel lied to. 😩
The salary range that is budgeted and actually paid and the official salary range in the system are two different things. Usually the max salary in an HR system is there to account for someone with too many years of experience or someone taking a demotion who is above the band.
You’re conflating budget with a generic range that is tied to a job.
Just because the job can pay up to a certain level doesn’t mean they are willing to hire at the top of the range.
Here’s how negotiation works regardless of the situation (in general):
Whoever names a number first has the lower hand, because the other party either accepts or counters. However the person throwing a number out first should never be suggesting their “bottom line” hard-nosed number, it should always essentially be a “facade” number, anticipating the other party’s counter.
So take selling a car. You list the car at a higher price than you’ll ultimately accept. If the buyer accepts your sale price then that a bonus for you, no extra work needed.
But if the buyer gets the car inspected (or doesn’t) and offers a lower number while still being higher than your (secret) “bottom line” and you accept, then you still made extra money, and the buyer is super stoked because they think they haggled you down, so they feel like they got “a deal”.
“The seller wanted $1200, in offered $800! Haha sucker”
Meanwhile the seller would have gone at cheap as $600 (for example).
It’s the same with salary negotiation, which is why job postings don’t have salary listed where it’s not legally required. They ask YOU for your salary requirements.
When they put the number out there first after they have made you an offer you know “they want ME” so you counter with a higher requirement. They have a range with their budget, so unless you’re beyond their “bottom line” (or top line) then the same psychology and strategy applies.
If you accept their initial offer you are more likely than not to be leaving money on the table.
I’ve had job offers where the hiring manager was honest (I believe) when they said my offer was at the max of their budget for the role, this certainly does happen but the more corporate the situation the less likely this will be true.
Also consider other forms of compensation. Money pays the bills but there are other things people value, PTO, RSUs, hardware, whatever.
This is how humans have been making deals for generations. It’s not really until recently that we (Americans) stopped negotiating.
After you count benefits, PTO, bonuses, 401K matching, and such, is the total compensation better than your previous job? Don’t forget to include work-life balance, commute, hybrid/remote, and other intangibles.
Yes, $78k is the top, meaning you can’t make anymore than that in the role (though it’s adjusted on a yearly basis based on inflation). At my current org, we use a compensation software based on the industry, our size, etc and aim to hire 85% of midrange…but I also know we have been hiring a lot of folks at midrange, a few slightly hire bc of experience, perceived value added, etc. But yeah, try to negotiate the best you can based on real data and know you can also negotiate things like PTO, etc
That is some POWERFUL bad negotiating. They went up to 68k and you settled for 56k, a 4k decrease from where you were. Man, they saw you coming from a mile away. Kudos for their HR team for giving you the business. You should say thanks. You were TERRIBLE at negotiation and then accepted the offer. Read a book on negotiation.
HR typically runs salary administration on a regular basis, so the range is constantly changing. It’s likely that the range recently changed or they didn’t have it in the budget to do more than $56k. Depending on your experience and where $60k would land you within the salary range, your comparatio might not have warranted more than $56k. A mid range comparatio implies you came into the position with nothing to learn and are completely proficient in the role. Anything higher than mid range indicates you are exceeding expectations, likely a mentor to others on your team and on your way towards a promotion.
Congrats on the new job! It sounds like a great fit. Tricky situation about the salary. It can’t hurt to bring it up, but be prepared for the company’s response.
never leave for less
leave
Nope. Just learn the lesson. If they like you, and they say their range is up to $68k, ask them how they can bust through their top end for a great candidate like you.