Interview/Recruiter

[Confusedddddd]

Hey all,
I recently interviewed for a new position through a recruitment agency. I asked the recruiter if she could provide me on an approximate starting salary and she advised me not to mention anything about salary throughout the interview process but she assured me that I wouldn't be "low-balled" as they're a great company.
I was asked to provide my current salary to the company, which I did (not incl. what the current company has offered for next year). However, after 3 interviews they sent me an offer which is considerably lower than what I originally started on, 4 years ago in my current company (I have since gained a lot more experience and completed a masters degree in this specific field). They also sent an attached file regarding "The cost of living being lower in that area".

I don't want to start on less than what I started on 4 years ago considering all the hard work and $$ I have invested to get to this point however, really confused about what they're thinking? Is it a strategy or a piss take?

Turn down the job. Your peak advantage is when you start to negotiate the highest you can. It's much harder to get higher once you're in the job, even if you change roles or get a promotion. If they're cheap at this stage the signs are not good!

Also remember recruiters from agencies are basically like second had car salesmen. Don't trust them at all!

The recruiter should have given you the salary range for the role. It is common practice from recruiters, but next time, insist to get it.

And be careful if they make a higher offer, ask them what the band is for the role. If they put you at the top salary but in a low band, there won't be any room for increase in the next few years and you'll be stuck

It sounds like you're invested in the new job, is there a reason why you're leaving your current role?

Unless this new organisation is going to offer you experience you can't get currently, or anywhere else, I wouldn't even consider it.

I would go back to the recruiter, explain this, and say perhaps it would work better if the employer was upfront about salaries to start with as it's wasted everyone's time.

Don't take the job. Be very clear but polite with both the recruiter and the company why you can't accept such a. Low offer for your skills and expertise.

With the recruiter, it would be totally acceptable to ask them directly why they allowed the company to even consider that you would go so low.

Run. Even if the increase the starting salary they’ve shown that they don’t value staff.

Great advice

The reason the recruiter told you not to mention salary in the interview is because she knew damned well that it was a lower wage than you wanted. She was being underhand. I'll wager that she was just hoping that you would love the job and accept the offer of lower pay.

Unprofessional and I would be asking why she is sending you for such jobs.

Make very clear to the recruiter that you are disappointed that she put you forward for a role that was way below your salary expectations- now everyone’s time is wasted.
and don’t go for it. They might up their offer, but you might be stuck at the higher end of the band without room to increase. They have shown what you are worth to them.

Thank you all for your replies and advice. I messaged the recruiter back and said I couldn't accept the offer and that it would have been beneficial to disclose an approximate starting figure to save time. She offered to negotiate a little but emphasized the low cost of living and the opportunity for further prof. development and working for a good company. I thanked her and although I appreciate those opportunities I'm unable to accept the offer. She replied thanks, it's a shame we couldn't work something out - all the best for the future. I haven't responded to the company email offer directly that I'll continue my search.

Unless your new job is in for example India then I'm not sure where in the UK could possibly have a cost of living so low that offering you less than you were on 4 years ago would make sense.

Sounds like they use this line all the time.

You are literally worth more.

There is nothing wrong with asking about what the salary is right at the start. An applicant needs to work out if they can afford to live on the salary offered. I hate it when things aren’t made clear from
thw start. It is a waste of everyone’s time.

Outrageous, they have wasted your time.

Tell them as much as you would love the role and want to get started, you can't possibly justify leaving your current position for less then $X. Be clear you're not negotiable on it and you will be walking if they don't lift it to meet you.

The recruiter should know better and you should give her your candid feedback about this waste of time. A recruiter should not be at all squeamish about asking something as simple as a salary range.

I suspect she knew all along and just threw you in the mix to present her actual client (the employer) with a range of good candidates.

I possibly would have tried to negotiate, saying something like I believe the market value for someone bringing my skills and experience would be around xx, the minimum I could accept could be yy. This is reflected that I'm currently earning zz with ABC responsibility. Perhaps we can meet somewhere in the middle?

She did know the salary to start with, no recruiter would take on a role where they didn’t.
always make sure you know it before starting the journey, if they won’t tell you then run! They’re playing you.

the employer will be just as pissed off at her wasting their time too but she’ll be telling them that you took a better offer, or similar, where she doesn’t look like she’s played the system.
as a pp said, recruiters are not to be trusted.

just reject the offer, my current job tried to lowballed me and when they called with the offer I literally said “that’s a joke I assume?”. A lot of businesses do it

Absolutely a waste of your time and v unfair of the recruiter.

I always insist on salary range, package (inc pension, bonus and holiday) and expected hours/remote/hybrid upfront. I also only give my minimum expected salary, never my current. Any recruiter who refuses this, I refuse to pursue - only once have they not provided the information after I said I wouldn't continue without it, and really wish more people would demand this as it's really not on!

I will caveat that I work in a very niche industry and have an unusual skillset, but even if there is a lot of competition, it is common sense people need to know this information before applying!

A lot happened in 2 hours before 9am?
I cant believe that they went back to the company between 6 am and 8am thsi morning

Really @SwedishDeathClearance that's your take on this? No thoughts at all that the OP could be on in a different time zone to the UK?

I don't want to start on less than what I started on 4 years ago considering all the hard work and $$ I have invested to get to this point however, really confused about what they're thinking? Is it a strategy or a piss take?

The piss taker is the recruiter, who knew what the client was willing to offer (no recruiter would accept the brief without knowing the salary) and who continued to string you and the client along. She's only interested in her commission.

There is of course no way that you should accept the job, but use the experience as a chance to learn the rules of the game.

If a recruiter won't give you the details of the entire package - the base salary plus the benefits package: company car, healthcare, expected working hours/weekends etc., WFH, holiday entitlement, pension etc - then refuse to engage. If they ask about current salary etc. don't give them these details (somewhere in your current employment contract there will be something about this being confidential) as it weakens your negotiating hand, but instead tell them that in order for the job to be of interest, it would need to come with a salary and package of £X,000 plus XYZ benefits as appropriate to your industry. Model Linda Evangelista once claimed that she didn't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day - so make sure that you have a similar mindset when approaching a possible job offer.

Thank you for all your replies. I'll know going forward how to better approach the situation regarding recruiters and yes, I'm currently in China hence the different timezone (7 hours ahead of the UK).

I'll slightly amend my comment - there is one circumstance under which you might consider continuing the negotiation.

If you are still interested in the job (for all the right reasons) then you could tell the company that after all the time and expense that you've both invested you're disappointed with their offer, that from the beginning you were led to believe that the salary and package would be worth £X plus benefits (i.e. your required rate for the job, plus maybe a bit more to give yourself some negotiating room), but that if they wish to amend the offer, you might still be interested.

The company too is presumably under a bit of pressure. They have also invested time and money (management time does not come cheap) in order to reach the conclusion that you are the best person for the job. The job needs to be filled - someone is leaving, the business is expanding etc. - so if the role is not filled, there is some sort of loss, delay or additional cost to the company. And if you turn them down, they will have to go through the whole time-consuming and costly process all over again. Imagine next Monday's management meeting: the business director asks about Confusedddddd's starting date and the HR director has to confess that their costly recruitment campaign has been unsuccessful, the ideal candidate has turned them down and they're all back at square one.

Unless they have a 2nd-choise candidate lined up who is willing to work for the low salary they've offered you, you have nothing to lose.

So that may be the way it works in China?

It probably would have been helpful to say this was in China in your first post.