During an interview, I was asked what salary range I would expect. I indicated a range between X - 5 k$ and X + 5 k$. The interview turned out to be very positive, both from the company's point of view and from mine. I then received an offer for the position at X k$.
After getting the description of the full package, I realized that this offer was OK but not great, even though the base salary is in the range I indicated initially.
Then, I was surprised to find an online advertisement for the job I was applying for, which indicated a salary range between X+25% and X+70% !
I am not sure how to interpret this situation, but I feel like I cannot accept the initial offer anymore. I want to make a counter-offer to around X+25%, even if that means them refusing and me not getting the job. Still, I would like to handle the situation as tactfully as possible.
- Should I directly reply with a counter offer to the new figure (which seems like a steep increase..) ? Or should I candidely expose the situation and ask why the advertised salary range is so much higher than the offer?
- Should I mention the online advertisement at all in my reply ?