Not invited to an interview because the salary range I gave was too high

Question

I applied to a job, and filled out their Candidate Profile by e-mail. Under "Requested salary/pay rate" I put a range of X to X+10 per hour. (This seems to be the low end of the going range, based on what recruiters for other jobs have been telling me lately.)

The HR person responded:

Well not good news – your salary is significantly above the budget for this position.

Please keep ____ in mind for future opportunities

This wasn't a case of them trying to lowball me; they made no counteroffer or anything.

That said, if they had offered a lower number, I would have considered it.

Is it too late to tell them that? How would I go about that?

EDIT:

Yes, Brandin, I actually copied and pasted what the e-mail said. (And removed the company name)

"X" per hour is what I really need, but in the last few months, recruiters have been submitting me at X+5 or X+10 (or, in one case, X+15). But I'd rather take a job at X-5 than not work at all.

(I should edit that last part out before too many recruiters read this post.)

I'm going to try Tim B's suggestion: write back saying "I'd be willing to compromise on the salary -- what was the range you had in mind?" That seems to be the most dignified way to say "Hey, wait a second!"

Answer 1

You do nothing. The process worked.

You don't want to be underpaid. They don't want to pay you the going rate.

What you got was an HR form letter. This is far from an offer of a job. This was just them doing due diligence before interviews. Everything worked.

Mainly the problem with following up is that you seem desperate with this company and you are just wasting your time when you could be applying to companies that are a better fit.

Answer 2

This wasn't a case of them trying to lowball me; they made no counteroffer or anything.

Yes, it was. You just seem to have a different definition of what lowballing is. They're obviously fishing for someone who's willing to go lower than industry average.

Either that, or you went through a third party recruiter who's adding 30% or 40% on top of your salary range before submitting to the company. Third party recruiters who don't have an exclusive relationship with their client are at an inherent disadvantage because they have to eat too and the company they're trying to service may be receiving resumes directly from job-hunters that require no such added commission.

That said, if they had offered a lower number, I would have considered it.

Is it too late to tell them that? How would I go about that?

It's never too late to change your mind (if that's what you want).

For all we know, that may be their strategy. If you reject enough candidates citing excessive salary requirements, may be one or two may be willing to call you back and offer to work for rock-bottom prices.

That being said, if you call this recruiter back, guard yourself from giving a specific number this time around. Just say that on second thought, you'd be willing to go lower than what you originally suggested. If the recruiter keeps on insisting for a more specific number, just say that you already gave a number, but that you're flexible and that you're willing go below that number, and now it's his turn to give you a range since you already gave one to him. And all of this back and forth is best done over the phone, not over email.

Answer 3

if they had offered a lower number, I would have considered it

That is to say, you did not accurately report your acceptable salary range.

And who can blame you? If you accurately report your acceptable range, then you're vulnerable to someone just offering the exact minimum they know you'll take. You'd have put yourself at a negotiating disadvantage.

If you now send them an accurate acceptable range, then you're putting yourself at the same disadvantage that you'd have put yourself in by reporting accurately in the first place. The reasons you had for not doing that still mostly apply: all you've learned by making the higher ask is that this job doesn't pay much.

If you honestly believe that the range you said was low-end, then you should not be tempted into going even lower just because there's one employer with an inadequate budget. Back your opinion, and look elsewhere.

You also shouldn't be tempted to assume that just because they say your salary demand was too high, that they must otherwise have liked you and that you have a real opportunity here that you'll lose by not responding. Most likely what actually happened is that you were caught by a very early filter, and they haven't even read the rest of your application.

Maybe you're wrong about the going rate (in which case the way to learn this is to ask around for advice or to make other applications and see if everyone says the same thing). Maybe the job isn't as senior/challenging as you thought. Maybe they're cheapskates. But letting them negotiate you down to a rate of pay you aren't really happy with (even if you're just about willing to accept it) is a last resort, don't do it early in your job search.

It looks like they're happy to keep channels open, so you can always come back and consider them again later, if it turns out you really are asking too much for the local market.

Answer 4

From the recruiter's perspective:

You are asking for a salary well abvoe what they want to pay. They could have made you a counter offer, and you may have accepted.

But what do they get then? A worker who is unhappy with their salary, and will be looking for higher paying jobs from day one, meaning they have to spend more time and effort replacing you when you leave. Even worse, there may be lost knowledge if you don't stay in the job long enough to learn the ropes, as you will not be able to train up your replacement in the same way that your predecessor would have trained you.

The only thing you can do is learn for next time. If this happens to you consistently, then you are overestimating typical salaries and/or your own skills/experience.

Answer 5

How would I go about that?

This is a common occurrence and recruiters don't often tell you the offer range.

So, you can definitely send then a simple mail saying:

Dear XYZ,

Thank you for letting me know. I have considered your request and compensation anywhere in the range < give the range > would be okay with me.

regards,

XXX

Answer 6

First of all, they advertised the position, so as the offeror the onus is on them to state the FULL TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT which includes the amount to be paid. Asking candidates for numbers is a dick move along the lines of rug merchant haggling.

Never give a number when a job advertiser solicits it from you. It's a different story if you approach the company asking for an unadvertised position, but if they advertise the position, then they should state the salary that comes with that position. If someone verbally asks you how much you want, say "You advertised the position, what does the position pay?" If they come back with "It differs depending on the candidate's experience." Then you say, "Ok, for someone with my experience, what does the job pay?"

If they pressure you, say "Look, you advertised the position. If you want to hire me, I suggest you offer me the most amount of money you are willing to pay for someone of my skills, and put it in writing."

Of course, you could always turn the tables on them and give them some of their own medicine. To do this, put down a low figure on their form. Then later when they give you some pathetic offer in writing, just reject it because it was way too low.