Hi, so I've been job seeking, and one of the issues I've come across is dealing with recruiters in the first screener interview who bring up salary. I had one the other day that went something like this.
Recruiter: What are are your salary expectations for this position?
BSF: Well that depends on what this position entails. I would need to know more about the role, the responsibilities, the hours, etc.
R: We have a range for this position.
B: Ok, why don't you tell me the range, then I'll tell you if I can work with it.
R: You must have an idea of what you want. I want to know your range. I'm a recruiter. I'll tell you if its too high, or too low.
B: Ugh fine. Proceeded to give a range and probably low-balled myself.
Honestly, I'm turned off from the company 5 minutes into speaking with one of their employees. You're full of shit. You work for them. If I go too high, you'll act shocked. If I go too low, your eyes will light up with dollar signs thinking I'm a sucker. You don't care about getting me what I deserve. You just want to fill this position. This happens with 3rd party staffing agencies too, but their rate with the client is usually fixed, or has a lot less room to negotiate. I'm guessing she wouldn't crack because the range is huge, and goes significantly higher than what I said. They don't want me knowing how much they've set aside because they know that will be my target. Part of me wants to tell these corporate recruiters to shove it, that I'm not playing games, and refuse to jump first. If you can't do that the conversation is done. I've also considered spitting out a number that's stupid high to force their hand. Ideally the hiring manager will present me with a competitive offer, because odds are they'd be my boss. And if I was in their shoes, I'd want a happy team that believes I'm looking out for them. The recruiter isn't someone I'd be working with regularly, so why would they care?
Advice on how to deal with this would be appreciated. Thanks.