The Double Standard in Salary Negotiations

By Kevin Roth

We presented a candidate to an opportunity that was expected to be a cushy 9-5 setup. She was open to a salary of $150k given the projected work/life balance.

Throughout the interview process, it became apparent that the role was going to be much more intensive than originally expected, with several members of the hiring team describing some late nights and weekend work.

Candidate is still excited about the role, but would need a higher salary to justify the workload.

Company is upset, deal falls apart.

Why?

There’s a terrible double standard when it comes to this type of situation.

If a company interviews a candidate for a role paying UP TO $150k and realizes throughout the interview process that the candidate is a bit more junior than expected, it’s justified to come in lower on the offer.

But when the tables are turned per the situation above, it’s deemed taboo for a candidate to ever change their initial salary expectations.

If a candidate changes their compensation expectations after going through the process, the first step should be understanding why. If there’s strong logic behind it (change in scope, more costly benefits, etc), don’t write it off as a bait and switch tactic.