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“That’s What She Asked For”: Recruiter Shared How She Offered A Candidate $85k When The Budget Was For $130k And Was Blasted For It
Every job interview has somewhat the same structure: the recruiter presents the positions, talks about the company and then asks the candidate some questions. And one of those questions is always the salary.
Most people are not very comfortable talking about money and they might be shy when asking for a certain number. Also, they might not be aware of what that position is worth or they might be afraid to ask too much and be rejected for that.
But there are job recruiters who help with that and guide the candidate through the process. However, not all of them are willing to do that and such an example is Mercedes S. Johnson, who thought that it is the applicant’s responsibility to know their worth.
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People on Twitter got into a heated debate when they saw a woman say that she offered a lower salary to a job applicant than the budget allowed
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Twitter user Booberella made a comparison of two different job recruiters who talked about their jobs. One of them, Briana Johnson, said that when she talked about salary with a junior software engineer, she asked for too little. The company was transparent and offered her what they thought was a decent wage for the specific position.
The other job recruiter is Mercedes S. Johnson, who encourages people to stop being afraid of asking too much as you never know if the company would agree or not. Which is really good advice, but what people found wrong was her not offering a higher wage when she knew that the company had a bigger budget than the candidate requested.
The candidate asked for $85k but the company was willing to pay $130k, however, the recruiter didn’t disclose that
Image credits: TE_AMO_COURT
Image credits: TE_AMO_COURT
Image credits: TE_AMO_COURT
And as a lesson she advised people to always negotiate their salaries
Image credits: TE_AMO_COURT
The job recruiter said in her tweet that she offered the candidate a $85k yearly salary when the company had a $130k budget for the position. She didn’t mention it to the candidate and went with the $45k lower wage.
Mercedes thought that she was giving some insight into how things work from a company’s perspective so that people would know that they can ask for more, but the tweet that went viral for the wrong reasons.
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People did not respond positively so Mercedes saw it from their perspective and posted an apology for not offering a bigger wage
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So many people thought that this was very wrong and she should have informed the candidate about the real wage the company could offer. Many pointed out that this kind of behavior leads to contributing to wage inequality as people doing the same job should get the same wage in the same company despite what the candidate thinks they are worth.
Others came to Mercedes’ defense and said that it’s the candidate’s problem that she didn’t know how much she was worth. Also, if a business sees an opportunity to save money, some of them will and it doesn’t matter to them how unfair it is, so this has nothing to do with the job recruiter personally.
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Some people were really surprised a job recruiter would do something like this as it contributes to the pay gap
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Even though there were people who defended Mercedes, the negative comments made her rethink the situation and on her Instagram, she posted a reflection on the situation. She wrote that she realized that just telling people to know their worth won’t give them this knowledge and actually many don’t.
From the comments, she realized how unfair it was and how that would make the candidate feel if she found out about what happened. She felt sorry for what she did as it didn’t have any evil intent.
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Also, there is the problem of people just simply not knowing their worth and how much is too much or too little to ask for
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If you are afraid to ask for too much because it is your first job or you are changing careers, a good thing to do is to research what is the average salary for your or a similar position. It is true that if you ask too much, the recruiter might not take you seriously, but you definitely can ask for a bit over the average as it gives you space to negotiate.
Asking for too little is a bad idea because, as is evident from Mercedes’ example, not all recruiters are willing to inform a candidate about what they are expecting to spend on an employee.
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Others came to Mercedes’ defense saying that recruiters are not obliged to inform candidates about what they are worth
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For some reason, talking about money is awkward and uncomfortable. Often colleagues don’t even know what the other person earns, which perpetuates the pay gap. But talking about salary in a job interview is very important because you wouldn’t want to be underpaid, which can happen because you would miss the opportunity to hear the offer and negotiate something more.
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They argued that it’s just business and it is natural for companies to take an opportunity when they see they can save some money
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In any case of negotiation you need to have some arguments why you deserve what you ask for. Present your skills, experience and share your achievements in prior jobs. It is harder when you don’t have experience but you shouldn’t rely on personal qualities as they are hard to prove during an interview. Remembering any volunteer work, internships or even examples from your academic years might show the recruiter what you can do and why you might not want to settle for less.
Even though the advice Mercedes gave was really valid, you would expect the recruiter to be on your side and find ways to help the candidate to get the best deal
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It is true that you shouldn’t be afraid to negotiate and Mercedes’ advice is very valid and valuable. As we see, companies may have planned a budget that is way bigger than you expected, but what do you think about the recruiter withholding that information? Have you ever experienced something similar? Share your thoughts and reactions in the comments!
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What do you think ?
Eiram 2 years ago
Everyone is talking about the wage gap... how about the fear? Applicants are afraid to continue unemployed, so low balling would help push others out. The interviewer was cruel in saying people should ask what they are worth. NO ONE asks for that because wages will never be a true reflection of their value. People pay more depending on how deep their pockets are, not "worth".
Helen Haley 2 years ago
The fear hits the nail on the head. No one will ever ask for what they think the position is worth, the fear is that they'll price themselves out of a job. No one offers a job to someone who asks for 85k if the job (behind the scenes) is valued at 35k.
Load More Replies...
K Witmer 2 years ago
As an employer I just give my employees what they deserve. Was so sick of the games when I was an employee. No fuss and things go swimmingly
Nikole 2 years ago
How insulting that she tried to use this as a teachable moment or some s**t.
Mimi M 2 years ago
Right? On the back of that poor candidate that she couldn't be bothered to actually, you know - help? And then virtue-signalled about it. Yuck.
Load More Replies...
Laura Edwards 2 years ago
Perpetual inequality in gender pay perpetrated by a woman on another woman. Good job, sweetheart. That's why it stays like that.
april jenkins 2 years ago
whenever i ask for what i am worth, i never get the job. but when i lowball, i get the job. true story here. so who is right??
Chucky Cheezburger 2 years ago
This is what employers do though. They want to get the best employees for the least amount of money. Folks saying that the candidate should have been offered the full amount budgeted for the job are out of touch. Reverse the roles ...Lets say Bill needs a roof put on his house. He'll call multiple companies to compare prices and go with the one that charges the least but offers more "benefits". He doesn't tell them he has $100,000 budgeted for a new roof. A job candidate should do some research on what the local job market says the job is worth and base the wage they want on that, plus what any applicable skills they have may be worth having to the employer. On the other hand, the employer should do some research as well and pay a fair market wage for the job.Put that info in the job listing so folks know if it's worth applying for.If the candidate has above and beyond skills, pay accordingly. Be truthful and realistic with what the job entails and what skills are needed.
Jenny Shmurak 2 years ago
I am like that. I have a hard time knowing what to ask for. I always feel like I'm asking too much and not enough in the same time. In my current job, I was offered a little more than what I asked for and that made me feel really good about my employer.
elSti 2 years ago
If you feel both ways chances are you are asking not enough. My teaching point was when i once convinced myself worthy of a 1k raise. They offered 150. By all means it was too low. So i blurted out i was thinking 1k raise. So they quickly settled 500. Dare to ask more. A no doesn t mean they ll fire you
Load More Replies...
Fried Mermaid 2 years ago
What I didn't like about Mercedes, was that in her "apology" she goes hey this was a lesson -that should've been internal and not public-, sounds more like she's sorry she got caught in backslash and not that she's sorry for her actions. Also, she apologized publicly, we don't know if the candidate got what she deserved, if she didn't, Mercedes' apology is worth nothing imo
Jo Choto 2 years ago
It is standard practice of privately-owned companies to try and get as much as they can for as little as possible, which is why they like to ask about your previous salaries and your expectations. They are looking to screw you over. This woman isn't the problem. As I like to keep reminding every (apologies), this is the fault of capitalism.
Ben Smith 2 years ago
Lol. Actually, you're looking to be screwed over. Ask for what you want, take it or don't. It's on you. Personal responsibility. End of story.
Load More Replies...
Chris Scritchfield 2 years ago
She acts like a person can put in wanting 150k for a job that tops out at 90k. The companies yes want to save money but they don't wanna bother interviewing someone who wants to much. Ethical interviewing agents would notice lower income and bring it to there attention during the interview/selection. It's perfectly legal to talk about your pay to fellow employees. If an employer fires you as a result you can take suit and file in court. Not saying that you won't have other reason that appear but they can't fire you for that reason. This woman needs to be taught the interview process by being promoted to customer. Maybe she will then understand being laughed at for wanting to much
Kevin Hudgins 2 years ago
People where I work make between 65k- and 95k for the same job. It's what they asked for. I put down an amount that was 30k more than my annual pay(at the time). I fully expected a counter offer and was upset for at myself for not asking for more. Either way it's still 30k more than I was making
Whitney keen 2 years ago
This sucks because my roommate is exactly the person that is afraid to ask for a higher wage. She was recently approached by a past employer to come back and i told her she needed to ask for a MUCH higher wage than her current job because she's just getting by financially. She pours her whole heart into her jobs and i know she'll fill any gaps, despite what the job title is. She physically cringed at the thought of asking "so much". It wasnt even what that position should be paying, just what she needed to make to not be financially stressed. How nice if she was offered what she worth because she was worth that, and not because she negotiated it.
Michele Lao 2 years ago
I have a friend who helps people (particularly women) negotiate starting salaries and avoid this exact pay gap. So many people are afraid to (or just don't know how to) ask for more. She's helps people know (1) what salary is appropriate to ask for and (2) how exactly to go about asking for it without burning any bridges. If you are interviewing or accepting a new job and might be in this position, call her! Her name is Katherine: (970) 462-9974. I'm sure she'd help you out. She helped me to get an extra $18k and an extra week of vacation! 😁 Seriously, every time I see my direct deposit hit I am so grateful, because I'm going to do the same amount of work either way, but now I actually feel good about what I'm being paid. 🥳
Kashna Ranee 2 years ago
If I had a budget of 85k and someone asked for 150k like hell I would hire them, not only would I be sure they would be chasing a higher salary elsewhere. Companies need to be transparent and advertise actual salary and benefits.
Susie Elle 2 years ago (edited)
This seems like a lot of effort to acknowledge you're underpaying your staff and simultaneously blaming it on them because 'they should've known their worth'. Like, how are you supposed to know what your skills are worth if nobody ever tells you honestly how much they're willing to pay you but they WILL make certain you know you're expendable?
Mary Lou 2 years ago (edited)
It´s also a CLASS ISSUE as it might be easy to ask your money´s worth if your parents are lawyers or successful businessmen-/women who paid your tuition and would be willing to continue to do so, should you struggle to find a high end job right away and who are probably well capable to instruct you on that matter; not so much if you are the first in your family to one graduate and got your student loans chasing you...
Liz the Wanderer 2 years ago
And I bet she left the following year for better pay, and you wasted company money on her hire and training.
Eagle Girl 2 years ago
Feel like the Header on Twitter should read "Why Keep your mouth shut & let ppl wonder if you're stupid when you can Post & Prove it"
Eiram 2 years ago
Everyone is talking about the wage gap... how about the fear? Applicants are afraid to continue unemployed, so low balling would help push others out. The interviewer was cruel in saying people should ask what they are worth. NO ONE asks for that because wages will never be a true reflection of their value. People pay more depending on how deep their pockets are, not "worth".
Helen Haley 2 years ago
The fear hits the nail on the head. No one will ever ask for what they think the position is worth, the fear is that they'll price themselves out of a job. No one offers a job to someone who asks for 85k if the job (behind the scenes) is valued at 35k.
Load More Replies... K Witmer 2 years ago
As an employer I just give my employees what they deserve. Was so sick of the games when I was an employee. No fuss and things go swimmingly
Nikole 2 years ago
How insulting that she tried to use this as a teachable moment or some s**t.
Mimi M 2 years ago
Right? On the back of that poor candidate that she couldn't be bothered to actually, you know - help? And then virtue-signalled about it. Yuck.
Load More Replies... Laura Edwards 2 years ago
Perpetual inequality in gender pay perpetrated by a woman on another woman. Good job, sweetheart. That's why it stays like that.
april jenkins 2 years ago
whenever i ask for what i am worth, i never get the job. but when i lowball, i get the job. true story here. so who is right??
Chucky Cheezburger 2 years ago
This is what employers do though. They want to get the best employees for the least amount of money. Folks saying that the candidate should have been offered the full amount budgeted for the job are out of touch. Reverse the roles ...Lets say Bill needs a roof put on his house. He'll call multiple companies to compare prices and go with the one that charges the least but offers more "benefits". He doesn't tell them he has $100,000 budgeted for a new roof. A job candidate should do some research on what the local job market says the job is worth and base the wage they want on that, plus what any applicable skills they have may be worth having to the employer. On the other hand, the employer should do some research as well and pay a fair market wage for the job.Put that info in the job listing so folks know if it's worth applying for.If the candidate has above and beyond skills, pay accordingly. Be truthful and realistic with what the job entails and what skills are needed.
Jenny Shmurak 2 years ago
I am like that. I have a hard time knowing what to ask for. I always feel like I'm asking too much and not enough in the same time. In my current job, I was offered a little more than what I asked for and that made me feel really good about my employer.
elSti 2 years ago
If you feel both ways chances are you are asking not enough. My teaching point was when i once convinced myself worthy of a 1k raise. They offered 150. By all means it was too low. So i blurted out i was thinking 1k raise. So they quickly settled 500. Dare to ask more. A no doesn t mean they ll fire you
Load More Replies... Fried Mermaid 2 years ago
What I didn't like about Mercedes, was that in her "apology" she goes hey this was a lesson -that should've been internal and not public-, sounds more like she's sorry she got caught in backslash and not that she's sorry for her actions. Also, she apologized publicly, we don't know if the candidate got what she deserved, if she didn't, Mercedes' apology is worth nothing imo
Jo Choto 2 years ago
It is standard practice of privately-owned companies to try and get as much as they can for as little as possible, which is why they like to ask about your previous salaries and your expectations. They are looking to screw you over. This woman isn't the problem. As I like to keep reminding every (apologies), this is the fault of capitalism.
Ben Smith 2 years ago
Lol. Actually, you're looking to be screwed over. Ask for what you want, take it or don't. It's on you. Personal responsibility. End of story.
Load More Replies... Chris Scritchfield 2 years ago
She acts like a person can put in wanting 150k for a job that tops out at 90k. The companies yes want to save money but they don't wanna bother interviewing someone who wants to much. Ethical interviewing agents would notice lower income and bring it to there attention during the interview/selection. It's perfectly legal to talk about your pay to fellow employees. If an employer fires you as a result you can take suit and file in court. Not saying that you won't have other reason that appear but they can't fire you for that reason. This woman needs to be taught the interview process by being promoted to customer. Maybe she will then understand being laughed at for wanting to much
Kevin Hudgins 2 years ago
People where I work make between 65k- and 95k for the same job. It's what they asked for. I put down an amount that was 30k more than my annual pay(at the time). I fully expected a counter offer and was upset for at myself for not asking for more. Either way it's still 30k more than I was making
Whitney keen 2 years ago
This sucks because my roommate is exactly the person that is afraid to ask for a higher wage. She was recently approached by a past employer to come back and i told her she needed to ask for a MUCH higher wage than her current job because she's just getting by financially. She pours her whole heart into her jobs and i know she'll fill any gaps, despite what the job title is. She physically cringed at the thought of asking "so much". It wasnt even what that position should be paying, just what she needed to make to not be financially stressed. How nice if she was offered what she worth because she was worth that, and not because she negotiated it.
Michele Lao 2 years ago
I have a friend who helps people (particularly women) negotiate starting salaries and avoid this exact pay gap. So many people are afraid to (or just don't know how to) ask for more. She's helps people know (1) what salary is appropriate to ask for and (2) how exactly to go about asking for it without burning any bridges. If you are interviewing or accepting a new job and might be in this position, call her! Her name is Katherine: (970) 462-9974. I'm sure she'd help you out. She helped me to get an extra $18k and an extra week of vacation! 😁 Seriously, every time I see my direct deposit hit I am so grateful, because I'm going to do the same amount of work either way, but now I actually feel good about what I'm being paid. 🥳
Kashna Ranee 2 years ago
If I had a budget of 85k and someone asked for 150k like hell I would hire them, not only would I be sure they would be chasing a higher salary elsewhere. Companies need to be transparent and advertise actual salary and benefits.
Susie Elle 2 years ago (edited)
This seems like a lot of effort to acknowledge you're underpaying your staff and simultaneously blaming it on them because 'they should've known their worth'. Like, how are you supposed to know what your skills are worth if nobody ever tells you honestly how much they're willing to pay you but they WILL make certain you know you're expendable?
Mary Lou 2 years ago (edited)
It´s also a CLASS ISSUE as it might be easy to ask your money´s worth if your parents are lawyers or successful businessmen-/women who paid your tuition and would be willing to continue to do so, should you struggle to find a high end job right away and who are probably well capable to instruct you on that matter; not so much if you are the first in your family to one graduate and got your student loans chasing you...
Liz the Wanderer 2 years ago
And I bet she left the following year for better pay, and you wasted company money on her hire and training.
Eagle Girl 2 years ago
Feel like the Header on Twitter should read "Why Keep your mouth shut & let ppl wonder if you're stupid when you can Post & Prove it"
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