IS PAY REALISTIC

When a candidate tells you what their pay rate is for a particular position, you need to ask yourself if the pay rate they are requesting is realistic to the skills that candidate possesses and the opportunity at hand. What you have to remember, is that just like you may be trying to negotiate a candidate’s pay rate down, they are always trying to negotiate it up. It is not uncommon for a candidate to hit you with a high number right off the bat to see if they can get away with it. If you feel that the candidate is unrealistic in their pay expectations, sometimes it’s best to just tell them.

This is a direct approach and can show the candidate that you are knowledgeable and mean business. You never want to be mean or rude, but it is perfectly acceptable to tell a candidate: “Mr./Miss Candidate, in my experience that is just not a realistic pay rate for this type of role. I would really like to work with you but for that to happen we need to honest with one another.”