People laud woman for standing strong during salary negotiations with recruiters

Getting a new job can be exciting. However, it is necessary to see if the company and the candidate's interests align during the interview process. A candidate might see certain signs from the company that might make them feel like they have dodged a bullet. A woman, u/Forestfernweh took to Reddit in a now-deleted post to share an interview story where things didn't quite go the right way.

The individual shared the screenshots of her conversation with the company. The first message informed her that the interview was scheduled at 9 am on Tuesday and the HR, PG and manager would be there to conduct it, per Bored Panda. The woman replied, "Hi, it was great talking with you this morning. Thank you for confirming. I am looking forward to meeting everyone." In response to her acknowledgment message, the interviewer wanted to know how much the woman was making. They even shared that the manager would prefer not to ask that in person. "Knowing ahead will benefit us and it is always awkward," they said.

The woman explained how she would not like to disclose that information as she does not consider it relevant. "However, it is relevant to the reason I am looking for another job! I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my compensation expectations for this role," she expressed. She shared that she was expecting around $90 to 95k dollars to quit her job. The company remarked that the candidate's expected salary did not align with their salary structure. Upon hearing the same the candidate proceeded to ask what the salary being offered for the position was, out of curiosity.

The interviewer simply said that it was hard to reveal the compensation package without meeting the candidate and suggested that they cancel the interview. The woman answered, "That may be the best route if we are not aligned here. Thank you very much for considering me for this opportunity. It was great speaking with you and I wish you well in filling this position with an excellent candidate."

People took to the comments section to express how it was the best that they got to know about the company's culture during the hiring process itself. u/mandrakely wrote, "Labeling salary discussions as 'awkward' during the application/interview process is the initial red flag. What is this, your first middle school dance?"

u/mazi710 commented, "Beyond the shock of asking for current salary over email before even the FIRST interview. Either put salary in the ad or discuss it in person. But literally, the entire thing is so incredibly unprofessional. I just did an interview and the manager gave me their cell number and sent a map with instructions and arrows because it 'might be hard to find', and told me to call them if I couldn't find the door or they needed to bring me an umbrella to the parking lot where I parked in case it was raining. Professionalism goes both ways, an awful lot of companies tend to forget that."

u/Dexxert remarked, "My answer to the salary question is always 'It’s not relevant but I want my compensation to be in line with the role’s responsibilities and experience profile.' But this move of asking but not willing to share is extremely unprofessional."