DISCUSSIONS

I was offered a very high-level executive position after a series of about 6–7 interviews (plus a task).

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I was offered a very high-level executive position after a series of about 6–7 interviews (plus a task). I was head-hunted by a headhunting agency for this position. My first interview was with the headhunting agency. They also asked about my salary and remuneration expectations in that initial meeting. I informed them that I would be happy to have remuneration similar to what I am currently getting from my current employer. She asked if I would settle for less, and I clearly stated that my current employer provides education grants for our children and that I would accept a pay cut provided that my children's tuition is covered. I shared my current payslip and list of entitlements with the headhunting company so that they would have clarity on my expectations. The company proceeded to interview me right up to the offer stage.

I was asked to articulate what else I would like in addition to the figures that the headhunting agency had already shared with them. I reiterated the tuition and other basic provisions in my current contract (I didn't request some of the other things). Anyway, the offer from this prospective employer either offered significantly less on three things, including base salary, pension, and health insurance, or said no to everything else, including tuition. The employer was shocked and quite rude in their response to my questions—it was just a list of no's! Why did they ask me what else I would want in my package? Why did they not just send me an offer to review without this stage? The tone of the response implied I was greedy or something like that. Does this mean that the headhunting company did not provide my current remuneration to this prospective employer? What happened here? If they had, they would have known that I was more expensive than they were prepared to offer and just dropped me from the beginning. I had 8 weeks of interview after interview. I feel like they wanted me because I was going to fulfil their diversity quota, and they hoped I would be cheaper than what others on the market would ask for, given that I'm from a poor third-world country taking up a global executive position. I'm feeling very offended.

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  1. Deborah Michaliszyn

    You stood up for yourself. Too bad for them.

  2. Anonymous

    Yes. I could truly see your feeling miffed. You're not on the best of mutual footing starting this top level assignment, are you?

    What other companies have you been stirring up: hope you didn't drop the ball on other possibilities although that becomes likely when you spend 8 weeks digging into one intensive hiring/recruitment process. I'd say use the offer from these (weasels) to work other new opportunities. .....You could say to get other things going : " I've been given an offer from a company( don't disclose which of course), but my heart and head are so aligned with your organization B and the way my skills sync with your needs and new directions. I don't want to move ahead unless I speak with you guys one more time. Can we talk? "

    Hold off giving a positive response to company A . Also speak discretly with the headhunter and find out what has been going on to create a mismatch in communications.

    Good luck.

  3. Anonymous

    Its hard to say what happened here. You were clear on what you expected (excellent work!) and they couldn't come through in the negotiation. Its unfortunate given the amount of time you invested in this. I wouldn't take it personal and feel offended giving how much you don't know (i.e. did the recruiting agency communicate your needs, do they have a specific budget for the role, are the benefits you asked for not something they have ever done therefore don't understand or feel it would cause a variance to benefits of others at the company) and instead chalk it up to not the right role compared to what you have now, sounds like you have some great benefits there.

  4. Anonymous

    If they act like this to get you to say "yes" to working with them, how will they treat you once you are there? I suspect the headhunting firm dropped the ball when communicating what type of offer you would accept. They may have communicated it, and the company is trying to play hardball with the offer because the better the offer, the more commission the agency receives. Either way, you don't want to work there, AND you have every right to be miffed by how they treated you.

  5. Anonymous

    This happened to me and I turned down the offer and accepted another. The headhunter essentially wants their fee and "sold" your skills to the client. The client then met you, knowing darn well what their budget is, and now believes that you are so invested by all the interviews you had that they can negotiate with the headhunter less. It's called bait and switch.

  6. rgstaffing@bellsouth.net

    The staffing company should have never sent you without disclosing to you what the dollar amount was that they presented. No company is going to meet all of those perk demands--you should have never gone if they could not meet your salary needs. It has nothing to do with a third world country.

  7. Anonymous

    RG,

    The headhunter did an excellent job presenting her to the company based on her skills and experience, considering it led to an offer. If they were able to present the candidate's expected salary and benefits, they either underrepresented it or weren't able to. Either way, the company's response to the candidate's salary request was unprofessional and rude. It's hard to say whether the bait and switch was on the headhunter's or the company's part.

    I've used staffing agencies that handle executive positions, and they are very slow to respond and worse at ghosting than company HR recruiters.

  8. Anonymous

    Unfortunately this is not uncommon, especially with female candidates. I would firmly reject their offer and tell the employment agency you don't feel they did their job well in this instance. After having all the necessary information, they should have advised the client that their offer was too embarrassing to present to you.

    It's too bad they didn't have the backbone to do their job properly. I am sorry this happened to you.

  9. Anonymous

    Don't judge anything from a small point of view. This position could be in another company. You also don't know how some companies work on paying executives. There are so many perks that are never known. One company I worked for provided a brand new Jag for the CEO/President and one for his wife. It was to be the replaced yearly. There is a lot of behind the scenes perks that go on in all companies.

  10. Anonymous

    Don’t make ignorant comments when you know nothing about the kinds of packages executives get. This person poured their heart out thinking this is a safe forum. She also stated that she shared proof of what she has with the recruiter. This is not an unusual package at a certain level of management because I’ve interviewed for this world before and so I know what I’m saying. Support people, if you can’t relate, don’t be negative.

  11. Anonymous

    Amen! Let’s be positive here. Thank you for your post. I agree some can’t relate but we can be supportive regardless.

  12. Anonymous

    I am sorry this happened to you. I would say this isn't uncommon. They yanked your chain. Clearly, there's a disconnect between the agency and the employer.

    Your feelings are valid. Your time is valid. It's a lesson that the new job isn't actualized until everything is signed and your onboarding period is complete.

    Take time to reflect - for you to find peace. Don't spend any time thinking of this employer (or the agency). See them for who they are (doesn't mean you can't use them in future to open the door).

    It sounds like the offer is not what you want and you're better at current employer. If that's the case, reject the new offer. If you can give constructive feedback to the agency, do so. It could just be a few questions or a specific critique (of wasted time if they had just been notified of your needs). E.g. " I noticed that the employer asked a lot of the same questions about desired compensation package (which isn't the issue)- and were surprised by my answers. Did you give them my answers ahead of time? What is your process with working with employers about this and did you feel it went well? How can you prepare a potential employee of what to expect? (they may feed you a line- but they need to do better- even though their business is making employers happy).

    Best of luck!

  13. Anonymous

    “I appreciated getting to know several professionals within your organization. Since my earliest interactions with your recruitment firm, I was transparent with my expectations for a compensation package. The tone of your latest response indicates a disconnect I imagine is irreconcilable. Best wishes for a productive and rewarding future”.

  14. misskelleyp

    YES, BEST response.

  15. Anonymous

    This is excellent!!

  16. Anonymous

    Previous recruiter here. Before the recruiter submits you they should have cleared non-negotiables with the hiring manager and relayed that to you. A lot of time was wasted here. If you clearly articulated I’ll negotiate a lower salary in exchange for my children’s tuition to be covered, that recruiter should have taken that to the hiring manager to ask if was doable. If not, time would have been saved. In reality, regardless of your C-suite roles or lesser roles, working with a recruiter or headhunter should clear all areas of salary and needs first. Clearly you have experience and skills to do the job but it sounds like there really wasn’t a negotiating factor. In high level roles, candidates have many things they can gain or lose. You were open to a reduced salary from what I read but wanted the tuition factored in. I think you had a bad headhunter. Not a good one. I would have asked the hiring manager up front their non-negotiables. Time was truly wasted in this transaction of interviews and conversations. Maybe the next role you can work directly with a company and not a 3rd party firm. Sorry this happened and hope your next search goes much smoother.

  17. Anonymous

    Her asks were not demanding. Many companies offer all kinds of things to get top level execs. Plus always ask for what you want or need. Sometimes you may receive it.

  18. misskelleyp

    For starters, in many places in the US it's illegal for them to ask what you're currently making, and that includes the headhunter. Secondly, you're right, why did they ask what you wanted and then act surprised and say no to so much? I'm thinking you'll want to pass on this company.

  19. Anonymous

    Your current employer pays your education benefits for your kids? Most companies do not do that, period. You got a pretty sweet gig as it is. This is all to say I can see why this new company said no to your compensation asks.

  20. Maria Terrio

    why are you wasting mental energy on this? Move on. What was your reason for considering leaving your current employer? Focus your energy on that.

  21. Anonymous

    You said in ur OP that you had several interviews and a task. I wonder if the task wasn't the purpose of this exercise. Obviously that would b very underhanded but it is not unheard of!

  22. Anonymous

    Curious about this as well. I hope the task was not related to their current projects or there was verbiage that they could not use your work without hiring

  23. Anonymous

    If they can't get this stage right, why is the rest going to get better? You got a trial run of 8 weeks to see how this company operates rather than additional months and years wasted. Acknowledge you are feeling offended and take your skills and experience gained in this head-hunting experience to a new position.

  24. Anonymous

    I'm doubting the "very high-level executive position " descriptor if they were so outraged by the compensation request.

    I'm thinking the available position is a mid-level title at best.

  25. Anonymous

    I'd question if that company is really want to hire an real "very high level executive", it sound like "fake hiring"

    Here should be on the list for headhunting agency, which comes with that title.

    salary , bonuses , equity RSUs are more or less standard package related to their job functions : recommend to look up the same level executives who already in that company for example if it is Apple/Google besides Tim Cook, google their other executive which offered similar pay package. Your expectation should meet with potential company's current market quote for executive in their US regulatory filings, also pay transparency required by EU.

    perks include paid expense, subsidized meals, long-term incentives, housing relocation, company's transportation, this is popular especially for companies which has asian pacific business such as Singapore , Hong Kong , Dubai.

    benefits include health and life insurance, access company facilities, some company offer business travel including club membership. This is especially for companies for have business in west alliance.

    Your negotiation shouldn't be focus on children tuition because that's the perk different from companies to companies. It is common sense that executives wealth and eduction determined that they send children to attend to private schools which tuition could be vary but that fall into parents wallet.

  26. Anonymous

    We have ZERO way of knowing where the communication disconnect occurred; let us not presume it was a lack of communication by the Headhunter- It also could be that HR paid no attention to what the agency provide them (your "list') or that HR is choosing to disregard and start with a clean slate/discussion with you. It will not be helpful, at this point, to spend time and energy trying to blame someone. Now, you are at a critical point in the discussion. You have shared your expectations and they replied in a shocking manner. Be professional and remain poised. Deeply consider how much you want this job, and what you NEED versus want. You might decide you don't like this company's "tone" and say goodbye. You might also talk with peers in the industry and make sure that your list is reasonable (I've never heard of children's tuition grants, but maybe that's a thing now? and common?). I am very sorry that this whole process has been bungled, but now you have an opportunity to start a clean discussion . For future reference, if you discover that the headhunter/agency was truly at fault-- do not ever use them again. Please let us know how this finalizes for you.

  27. Ayian

    Because a recruiter was involved, the first or second interview with the actual company would have been a more appropriate time to confirm that you're on the same page with them in salary and other compensation. We'll never know where the breakdown was, but it is best to always confirm so that less time and effort goes into a position that does not make sense financially for either party.

  28. Anonymous

    It sounds like this way they get to make their diversity candidate/interview quota because they pulled you to the final round, and they can blame not hiring you on your compensation demands being out of line for what was being offered.

  29. Janet Parkhurst

    Hello!

    Again, if the recruiting agency was doing its job (to James's point), the poster would have been given a compensation range before or at the very first stage of the interviewing process. That way, she could have decided if the opportunity was worth her time and energy.

  30. James Herendeen

    The recruiting agency is not doing their job -- in fact magnifying a negative aspect of the process. If you are paying them for placement services, fire them. Get another, with a clear contract of articulated responsibiities.

  31. Janet Parkhurst

    Great point, James. And thank you for calling them a Recruiting Agency. No one says "headhunting," anymore, but I didn't want to callously point that out.

  32. Anonymous

    In the US, candidates don't pay recruiting/headhunting firms. The employers do.

    You also don't know that the recruiter didn't pass on the candidate's expectations.

    I had a similar experience a few months ago, and I'm positive the recruiter communicated salary expectations in writing, yet the players came with a low-ball offer.

  33. Maggie Mao

    I’m really sorry you had to experience that. It’s frustrating when employers don’t value your time and energy. The fact that they asked if you'd take less than what you currently make is definitely concerning. If you're open to it, sharing the company name could help others be aware and hold them accountable.

  34. Beth Walker

    Be offended & then move on. They couldn’t afford you and did not react well. Focus on what’s next & learn what you can from the experience.

    I’m curious about where you currently work. The only people I know with child tuition benefits work for universities. That’s an amazing benefit outside of academia

  35. Bathena Dixon

    I am sorry you went through all of that! They wasted your time and energy. You deserve to be anywhere that will meet or exceed your wants and needs. You are obviously brilliant, and intelligent.

  36. Annetta Moses

    Since you worked with a recruiter, ask the recruiter why the offer was disconnected from the information you provided. Potentially the recruiter didn't pass your compensation expectations to the company. Potentially the recruiter worked with a person in HR at the company who that the company could meet your expectations and the HR person was overruled on the final offer.

  37. Diane J Huff

    It’s not always a crutch and your tone is offensive. This is a place of respect and discourse. Don’t smack a person for what she feels, especially if that isn’t their first rodeo with gender or racial bias. Been there many times and this happens more times than we care to believe.

  38. debra martin

    I appreciate your response. The anonymous comment was quite offensive. I am the only person of color in my department. I am black, and my presence fulfills the quota. Several positions have been vacated and created; everyone hired has been white, regardless of the qualifications.

  39. Anonymous

    Because as a minority, it is almost ALWAYS a diversity hire. It puzzles me how people that have not walked in the shoes of someone who lives with racial discrimination EVERYDAY of their life can say one is using race as a crutch or an excuse. Are you that oblivious to the world outside of your own little world that you cannot see? There is a thing called systematic racism my dear. It is a thing...and a very painful thing at that. Do your research and read more on discrimination in the workplace. You might learn something.

  40. Anonymous

    I agree with what you said. They probably received everything from the headhunter organization and they still decided to ignore it. That's a major red flag that they are a bad company. Keep it moving and let the headhunter agency know what happened and how poorly you were treated. I do believe they were trying to get you as a diversity hire in many categories such as female & your ethnicity.

  41. Anonymous

    I'm sorry you went through that. I know exactly how you feel... because I went through a similar "ordeal" in June and July. They preposterously offered $25k less than the lowest end of my stated salary range.

    The difference here is that I know that the recruiting firm I was working with was very clear about my salary expectations. But, either someone overlooked that detail in the introduction packet the recruiter sent over (I was bcc'd on the email), or they felt they could low-ball me and I would cave.

    Just know this - humans have an innate trait to be jealous - albeit over different things, and individual jealousy manifests in different ways. In the world of work, hiring decision-makers' jealousy occurs either because of salary or job title. The person who was rude to you, probably didn't think to ask for all the perks you did, hence their thinking "greed."

    I'm sorry they wasted your time. But, look forward, and keep making awesome impressions on everyone else you interview with until you land the best opportunity for you.

  42. Erica Wang

    That's awful. I'm sorry you had to experience that. If that's how they treated you before you signed on the dotted line, imagine what life would have been like on the other side. Sounds like you dodged a bullet; still it's awful to be "shot" at. I hope that you and the place that will value you will find each other soon.

  43. Diane J Huff

    Give that old tired trope a rest. NO COMPANY would hire a less qualified person over a more experienced person EVER just to fill a quota. And since the EEOE guidelines have been dismantled by the Supreme Court, your statement is just spouting ignorance.

  44. Anonymous

    You dodged a bullet. Personally, I would not have shown current salary and benefits to the headhunter. 1) The headhunter doesn't deserve your trust. 2) You're entitled to get paid what you want — without having to prove that you deserve it.

    You also have every right to be offended. They wasted your time. I would find a new recruiter who understands your non-negotiables or find a job directly.

    One thing to keep in mind: it's ugly out there. It's an employer's market. And, yes, employers are misbehaving! The reason? There are so many job seekers on the market who will accept whatever is offered to them. And, companies are cash-strapped. They are looking for the most talented at the lowest cost.

    Shrug this off and move on, queen.

  45. debra martin

    Normally true- speaks volumes. In 2024, your comment speaks to who you are. You are entirely entitled to your perspective, regardless of how old-fashioned it may be. Dust off your cloudy lenses. You may find you're living in a world where under-represented populations are highly experienced, educated, and qualified for many jobs, whether or not they receive a fair opportunity to showcase their skills.

  46. Janet Parkhurst

    Okay, thank you for pointing that out. I stand corrected!

  47. Chrishogg

    Certainly not enough information to do anything but generalize here, and to offer anything but a guess as to what was going on, but I hope this will be helpful for the next time.

    You are apparently at an executive level (you were headhunted), but you would be wise to get some advice and guidance about how to make a career change at your level before trying again.

    And about the salary thing, you got suckered into negotiating your salary before, apparently, you knew anything about the new organization or the job (which is why you need to get some legitimate advice about career changing).

    It might (might) be appropriate to reveal your pay to the employer at the end of the process, but to the recruiter, as the first thing, huge red flag.

    Recruiter (R): So before we continue, let me ask what you're currently earning, and any special benefits you might be receiving.

    You (Y): Thanks for asking. I'm being appropriately compensated for the value I bring. What is the range for this position?

    (R): It's appropriate for this role. What are you expecting?

    (Y): I'm expecting to be appropriately compensated for what I contribute. Again, may I ask what your client is offering for this position?

    (R): I'm not at liberty to discuss that right now. Why don't we go ahead, I'll outline the role in more detail, and we can discuss remuneration at the end.

    (Y): Actually, no, I'm afraid not. But thank you so much for getting in touch. From what you've shared so far, it sounds like an exciting opportunity, and I appreciate you sharing it with me. If something like this comes up in the future, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thanks again. Goodbye.

  48. AC80yd

    From my experience, if you ask about the salary range and benefits, they normally would tell you without you having to divulge your salary and benefits so you have all the power to decide whether to move forward or not.

  49. Katherine Valente

    This sounds like poor communication between the agency and employer. It is unclear if they even shared your expectations with the employer. Any headhunting agency would be well aware of what the employer is willing to offer. I am sorry they wasted your time and you honestly have every right to be upset.

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