Comment by BoorishBears | Hacker News Reader

Comment by BoorishBears | Hacker News Reader

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So this is just (relatively inexperienced) me, or maybe it's just some misplaced mistrust of even the best places to work but...

I would never have confidence in my job security after negotiating a 50% raise with a competing offer.

I have negotiated some large increases in compensation in short period of times due to changing output and expectations from a role, but I feel like bringing a competing offer is inviting being replaced or made redundant, because companies don't want everyone to hold that level of negotiation over them just by saying "I could leave you know?"

Also, in my head, if they were underpaying me by 50%, I'd assume a big part of my value proposition was I cost 50% less than market rates.

And maybe this is even more paranoia, but I'd imagine a laser pointed at me and my performance afterwards, which ironically might end up affecting my performance (or at least my enjoyment of work)

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Also for context, I just accepted an offer from what will be my first company in a "superstar" city last week, even the signing + relocation bonus almost felt like life changing money compared to what I've made at other companies.

One big problem is companies are moving to "up and coming" cities then paying less based on cost of living... but the cost of living on those cities is rapidly rising due to their "up and coming" status, as more and more "superstars" move into the area.

So COL ends up rising faster than your salary unless you're on a seriously fast moving career path.

I had every intention of taking the competing offer, things just ended up working differently.

The company I work for is very small (~10 people), so the negotiating dynamics were probably different than they would have been somewhere larger.

Plus, even if I did get "made redundant", that just means the next time around I have a larger base salary to negotiate from.

Who knows.

you know, you can just lie about your base. It's not unethical to lie if the only reason they're asking is to use it against you during negotiations.

when interviewing, tell the prospective employer you already have the base you want, and that you're only looking for a small pay bump, or retaining the same pay. New employer is now forced to evaluate your pay on an "absolute" basis (Are they really worth X?), rather than a relative one (am I willing to give them a pay increase of Y?). This eases tensions a lot. Don't let anyone hold you back because your previous employer underpaid you.

Yes, someone in HR might find out when they process your tax slip (P45 in the UK), but:

a) the salary person almost definitely won't be looking out for that, they have no interest in screwing you out of a job, unless it's a very, very small company, and the CEO is also the HR guy and the team lead.

b) they're probably not allowed to tell your manager, legally speaking.

c) they simply won't care.

If they really do find out and kick up a fuzz, who cares? you have a legally binding contract. besides, screw those people, if they thought you were worth the money before, what changed? Nothing, that's what. Besides, you now have proof you're worth that money, so someone else will think that too.

I second this. Never tell an interviewer what you are currently making, only what you want them to pay you. There is no need for them to know and it only gives them leverage.

That's the strategy I took, but there is also a psychological aspect to asking ridiculous amounts more than you are currently making. Particularly if you are unsure what the true market rates are for the area you're living.

What I more-so meant was since I pulled it off once, I'd be more confident the next time I went to interview to ask for even more.

If I wouldn't tell my salary to my parent or friends, I won't tell it to some random recruiter. They get lies when they ask for salary.

The people you _should_ tell your salary to are colleagues at similar levels, especially those from often-underpaid groups (immigrants, women, etc.).

Isn't the risk here that they find out what your real base was in the background check and rescind the offer? I have been honest up until this point and feel that I have been anchored by my base pay at least two times. Still got 5 figure increases but who knows how much I could have got.

The way I did it was to never directly say my salary, so I wasn't lying. I just said, "I need an offer of $X to seriously consider this position", which was true.

It just happened that $X was a 50% increase from what I was previously making.

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