I told the recruiter the wrong (too low) salary requirements...is there any way to remedy this?

lydiaelias·Nov 20, 2021

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community as I just recently decided to get back into the workforce after six years of being an entrepreneur. I've been going through the interview process with companies for pretty much the first time ever and it has been quite the learning experience. One thing I'm kicking myself about is not doing enough research about the compensation conversation before going into these interviews (wishing I discovered some of the great threads on this prior, but oh well). I've already given some of the of companies I've interviewed with/applied to so far my salary expectations, but realized with some that I was totally low-balling from a combination of being nervous and making assumptions about their budget based on size, so I gave lower than what I really wanted only to find out their salary range was higher than the range I gave. As I move into 2nd rounds and hopefully later some offers, is there any going back on this or room to negotiate without looking bad? Would love to hear how some of you would handle this situation! Thanks in advance <3

Shanell196·Nov 21, 2021

Hi! Welcome to Elpha. Yes in my opinion it’s ok to update your salary expectations. The easiest way to do it in my experience is by getting multiple offers. A bunch of years ago I gave a number that was too low to the company I was most interested in. I then added a couple more companies into the interview mix that didn’t have the low number in mind. One of them made me an offer notably higher than the number I’d said up front to my top choice company. My top choice company also made me an offer, but it was in line with what I’d asked for. So I brought them the other offer and the countered with a higher number.I think you can also go back to them without a counter and just be up front that the feedback you’ve been getting is that comp for your level of expertise starts closer to the range of x and y and ask if they are comfortable with the new numbers.Good luck!

lydiaelias·Nov 21, 2021

Oh this is so helpful and makes me feel so much better! Thank you thank you!

annieli·Nov 21, 2021

Hi Lydia, I'm a recruiter and yes, it's completely ok to update your expectations, as the other member already said! The salary is never set in stone until the contract is signed (and even if you've signed there's room for promotions, raises later on). Many candidates I interview start with a range, then once they are at the final stage or right before an offer is officially delivered, they start discussing the details of their compensation package. If you reach the last interview, you'll also know that there's a very high chance they'll make an offer (on average 33%-50% or higher), which gives you more leverage. If you have competing offers, then that's also leverage you can use. If you don't, you can say "I'm also at final stages in a few other interview processes with different companies, but I still believe that there's a lot of synergy between my potential and your company goals." The recruiter can also be your ally, since the recruiter's performance is based on closing the positions; you can tell the recruiter "If you can help me get this number, then I'll say yes to the offer."

adival·Nov 21, 2021

I recently lowballed myself in terms of expected salary during the last interview. However during the negotiation I said I did my due diligence and after doing research on comparable roles at similar stage companies (Also ofc experience) the typical package is XYZ$ in cash and X% in equity. Could you meet me closer to these numbers? Until you agree or you sign, you can always negotiate. Negotiate salary, equity, start date, relocation package. There is always something that can be bumped up a little, if they really think you are the best candidate!

Iynna·Nov 23, 2021

Thank you so much for posting this Lydia and to everyone for answering! I had always wondered and my thoughts were like yours ie. it would look bad. However now I am so pleased to see that I was very wrong! And especially with anon' comments below if you have another offer you can totally leverage that to create some fomo too :)

tamayogirl·Nov 23, 2021

Love all these excellent answers. I’m going to tuck them into my back pocket for later. 😁