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I was contacted by a recruitment agency and they showed interests in me to be interviewed with one of their clients. They asked if I am interested if the hourly rate is from X to Y and I said yes.

I was interviewed last week and the Engineer liked me and said that he will recommend me but he does not know what would happen next because of the agency's logistics, so we agreed that I will wait for their offer letter and we will go from there. The agency contacted me after two days and said that there is a good feedback and that I need to wait for their call and asked if (X+Y)/2 per hour would work for me.

I said I was expecting more than that, they asked how much I am expecting, I said Y+SmallPortion (To get the Y), They said they will check with their client and get back to me.

They did not get back to me yet. I sent the below via email:

Hello MyContact,

I hope you are having a good day.

I was wondering if there are any updates regarding my application from TheClient and the offer letter?

Please and thanks.

And they replied:

MyName,

The dollar amount would be X+Y/2 per hour. And if that's not acceptable, TheClient is not interested in moving forward.

Kind Regards,

I did not see the job offer to see what benefits does it incude (from that I assume it does not include any). I want to go with Y Salary. How can I approach that professionally to get their offer letter that I like?

EDIT: Based on the accepted answer, and my personal perspective, I went with the below email:

AgentName,

I am sorry I can't accept your current offer which is X+Y/2 per hour as I think it is a little low. And if TheClient is not interested in moving forward with better than that, which would be the Y per hour, then I guess it is what it is.

I would like to thank you, OtherAgent and TheClient for your time and for the interviews, and I would have really enjoyed working with you in that position.

Sorry and thanks

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  • You may want to consider adding a country tag to this question.
    – Neo
    Jan 20, 2017 at 16:54
  • Possibly relevant How do I properly follow-up with a hiring manager, to check on the status of a position?
    – Dan Pichelman
    Jan 20, 2017 at 17:09
  • @DanPichelman I think not since the interviewer just interviewed the OP without showing any selection feedback. However in my case, they said I was selected (only salary issue here). But thanks for pointing it out.
    – Sandra K
    Jan 20, 2017 at 17:17
  • 1
    Are you negotiating a salary or hourly position? You said you were offered "(X+Y)/2 salary" but after asking for an update they said "X+Y/2 per hour".
    – Timmy
    Jan 20, 2017 at 17:51
  • 2
    I mis-understood. I was under the impression this was a salaried postion, not hourly. My bad.
    – Neo
    Jan 20, 2017 at 18:08

1 Answer 1

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How can I approach that professionally to get their offer letter that I like?

If the employer is unwilling to negotiate, there's no way to get an offer that you like.

Based on their reply, they are either telling the truth, or bluffing.

Your only real options are to write back, politely, and:

  1. Stand firm with your request for Y
  2. Counter with a request for something less than Y
  3. Accept their current offer

If they are bluffing, then they are hoping you will be pressured into accepting their offer, by making you think this is your last chance.

The only way to know is to turn down the offer, to see if they respond with something better.

I was once in a similar situation, and turned down the offer. The company called me back 2 weeks later to accept my original request.

Things don't always turn out that way, but if their current offer is truly unacceptable, it may be best to walk away and see what happens.

Could you format an email example that states these two ides professionally but with the will to go a little less than Y?

Based on the email you cited in your question, I think you will be fine writing the email yourself. I would keep your reply short. You don't need to say you are turning down the offer -- giving them a new request implies that fact.

I would recommend including the following points:

  1. Say that you can't accept their current offer, and include reasons why if you want
  2. Name your final request, and say that you can't go lower
  3. Thank them for their time and the interviews, and mention that you would have enjoyed working in the position

And do you think I should ask for an official offer letter in that same email?

No, I would wait until there's an offer that you both agree upon. Right now you're in the process of negotiation.

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  • Hi and thanks. I liked your answer and I think I want to turn down the offer and state that I want Y per hour. Could you format an email example that states these two ides professionally but with the will to go a little less than Y? Please. And do you think I should ask for an official offer letter in that same email?
    – Sandra K
    Jan 20, 2017 at 18:07
  • Good answer. Another point to consider is if the position is hourly, the recruiter will be taking a cut of your hourly rate.\
    – Neo
    Jan 20, 2017 at 18:10
  • @MisterPositive Why? Are you saying that if I worked 40 hours per week, I won't get 40 * TheHourlyRate?
    – Sandra K
    Jan 20, 2017 at 18:10
  • 1
    @SandraK It most likely EXCLUDES their cut.
    – Neo
    Jan 20, 2017 at 18:16
  • 1
    @SandraK Looks good to me...
    – mcknz
    Jan 20, 2017 at 21:17

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