I guess you're saying that putting the 150k number in the candidates head is going to make the eventual 100k offer sound worse than it otherwise would have? Can't you have a conversation with the applicant, walk through your reasoning, explain their path to 150k in the company, and covert at least some percentage to candidates that accept? I would almost appreciate that more than believing that I'm being taken advantage of by a single number offer.
Totally agree. My first job out of college, there was a range for the position of $75 - $105k. I got the offer, and the salary offer was for 75. I asked for $90 and we settled on 85, as the 105 range was for 2+ years of experience, and I was a new grad. I thought it was very fair.
Almost literally me. Before I graduated, I applied for a job, got offered $80k, negotiated up to $90k, and have seen significant increases in salary since then. I’m being paid area-average salary for interesting work, great work-life balance, and insanely great non-monetary benefits.
Another job I applied to before graduating offered me $60k and told me I couldn’t negotiate. Guess who didn’t even bother responding to them?
