What to say when recruiters ask you to name the first number

Re:What to say when recruiters ask you to name the first number by mcgwiz on Sunday August 19, 2018 @02:28PM (#17795528)

Interesting, but I think how much you need is none of their business at the beginning of your relationship. How much you need depends largely on your healthcare needs, child or adult care needs including educational and developmental needs, current level of debt, etc. There's also a lot of subjectivity involved - do you need to travel across the country to visit your parents? Do you need to take a $1000 webinar to refresh/expand your skills? Do you need gigabit connectivity? Do you need a fuel efficient car?

How would he have responded to one of these replies?

"I need x dollars annually. That's also how much I want."

"How much I need is a personal question that I don't feel comfortable answering. How much I want is ..."

Or even,

"How much effort do you want me to put into my work? How much effort do you need me to put into my work?"

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Re:What to say when recruiters ask you to name the first number by komali2 on Sunday August 19, 2018 @03:30PM (#17795791)

Oh, I hadn't considered that interpretation of "need." I thought of "need" as being "the low floor below which I wouldn't accept an offer," which has nothing to do with how much I "need." I need so much less than I make to stay alive lol, cause I been there before.

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Re:What to say when recruiters ask you to name the first number by jnovek on Sunday August 19, 2018 @04:35PM (#17796035)

"How much effort do you want me to put into my work?"

I would hope that a candidate with that sort of response when handed an olive branch would have been screened out of the hiring process at an earlier stage than salary negotiation.

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Re:What to say when recruiters ask you to name the first number by marricks on Monday August 20, 2018 @12:19AM (#17797707)

It's very easy to see how the want vs need question could be yet another ploy. For a small company I could be inclined to believe the owner asking the question, but could I ask them if they're living within their wants or needs? I think skepticism can be warranted...

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Re:What to say when recruiters ask you to name the first number by TheCoelacanth on Sunday August 19, 2018 @07:35PM (#17796830)

There is also zero chance that I will accept an offer for the amount I need because there are plenty of people who are willing to pay me more than that.

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