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I have completed the interview process with a new company and heard outstanding responses from those I interviewed with, they said they are going to proceed with an offer and would have it out within three (3) days. Late on day two (2) I received a call from HR director which he sounded very worried, he noticed on the application that I would be taking a pay cut and, to use round numbers, would be approximately $10k.

I truly expected to receive a pay cut as I am moving from a 65 hour per week on call 24/7 job to a 40 hour per week position at the new company. I would accept the $10k pay cut in a heart beat considering the upward opportunities at the new company and revised schedule but I don't feel I can tell him that point blank.

The HR Manager was extremely worried he would offend me by bringing the smaller offer and I was very gracious for his call and told him that it was a different position and a different end of the industry but I look forward to hearing what they can offer. Its now been a week and I haven't heard anything else.

What should I do to maximize my chances of getting the new job?

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    So, to be clear, you haven't received an official offer from the company?
    – jcmeloni
    Sep 11, 2013 at 14:28
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    I would see if they would be willing to meet in the middle... I know you are willing to take the 10k cut but you can probably get them to give you a 5k a year bump on their offer.
    – IDrinkandIKnowThings
    Sep 11, 2013 at 14:30
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    I would accept the $10k pay cut in a heart beat...but I don't feel I can tell him that point blank. ... I'm confused: Are you planning to negotiate for more? You seem to realize that the jobs are so different that a pay cut is reasonable, and they know it too. What, exactly, did you say to the HR person when they told you this?
    – FrustratedWithFormsDesigner
    Sep 11, 2013 at 15:22
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    I edited this post to focus the question on an actual goal. Too many of the answers here appear to be commentary or opinion, not answers based on facts, references, or specific expertise. I've considered closing the post as too opinion-based; I'll let the answerers and community have the opportunity to clean up the existing posts. Hope this helps!
    – jmort253
    Sep 12, 2013 at 13:58
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    You should never have let them know your previous salary. It's none of their business. A job pays for what the employee offers, his time, skills, and experience. Previous company salary is irrelevant. Never tell an employer your previous salaries. If they demand it, there's a serious problem with that company. You could have avoided all of this by keeping your previous salary confidential.
    – workaddict
    Feb 9, 2020 at 21:52

2 Answers 2

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The HR Manager was extremely worried he would offend me by bringing the smaller offer and I was very gracious for his call and told him that it was a different position and a different end of the industry but I look forward to hearing what they can offer.

You are in a pretty good position - their HR director has basically told you, "we really want you, don't want to offend you, and are going to try to figure out how to make an offer which will be acceptable."

Keep in mind if they want you to work there. They are, theoretically, going to try to find something which works.

They've been prompt on responses up to this point so their delay worries me slightly

It is entirely possible they are looking at ways behind the scenes to be able to increase their funding for the position. Or some of the HR people could be on vacation or otherwise occupied. Or the management needing to approve/discuss a change might be gone. Or something urgent came up. Lots of possibilities here.

Its now been a week and I haven't heard anything else, what would you recommend (I do want the new job).

I would probably send an email like:

Hello [HR Director],

Just a quick follow-up on last week's conversation - is there anything you need from me to continue this process?

I'm excited for the opportunity to work for [NewCompany] and am definitely still interested in the position we discussed.

Best regards,

[Dopeybob435]

This:

  1. Indicates your interest in the position still exists, even though you know it may involve a pay cut
  2. Is fairly "non confrontational" and doesn't force the HR manager to respond a certain way, though you probably will get a "we're working on XXX internally, sorry for the delay!" response
  3. Reminds them you still exist
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  • 1. Indicates your interest in the position still exists, even though you've been informed that it may involve a pay cut. That let's them know that you're open to negotiation in a way that can make both sides satisfied.
    – thursdaysgeek
    Sep 11, 2013 at 21:55
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Depending on how soon they want to hire someone, if its been over a week after you have told them that you are open for negotiation, there really is nothing you can do without conveying desperation (which may have its own repercussions). If I were you, given the situation, although I would have very less hopes of hearing back from them, I would definitely send a mail asking if the HR was waiting on anything from my side.

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    I downvoted this because i disagree that 'there is nothing you can do without conveying desperation' sometimes people get caught up in busy schedules and it just slips their mind, a week is an acceptable time to wait before chasing up, this is his career on the line
    – user5305
    Sep 11, 2013 at 16:00
  • That's why I said depending on how soon they want to hire someone. It is extremely rare to find a HR manager, whose (one of the)responsibility is to hire people, who wouldn't communicate with a prospective candidate for over a week. Unelss there is no rush to fill the position - which is rare in most IT companies. Just my experiences with the HRs I have dealt with
    – happybuddha
    Sep 11, 2013 at 16:26

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