How to Respond to 'We Offered Other Candidates a Lower Salary'

When an interviewer says, 'We offered other candidates a lower salary,' this is typically a negotiation tactic aimed at making you feel pressured into accepting a lower salary offer. The key to handling this statement lies in maintaining professionalism and composure, redirecting the conversation back to your value and market standards.

Detailed Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Stay Calm and Understand the Other Party's Intent

• Description: Upon hearing this, your initial reaction might be surprise or discomfort. However, remember that this is likely not a personal attack but a common business negotiation technique. The interviewer might be testing your confidence, your level of interest in the position, or attempting to manage the salary budget.
• Key Action: Do not immediately appear defensive or ready to compromise. Take a deep breath and respond in a positive, cooperative tone. You can interpret the underlying message as: 'We hope to reach an agreement within our budget and need you to provide stronger reasons to justify why your salary expectation is reasonable.'

Step 2: Show Understanding and Reaffirm Your Value

• Description: First, express understanding and respect for the company's position. This helps create a collaborative, rather than confrontational, atmosphere. Then, immediately shift the focus from 'other candidates' to 'your unique value,' because compensation should be based on individual worth, not others' price tags.
• Key Actions and Example Phrases:
  1. Show Understanding: 'I understand that the company needs to balance budget considerations with different candidates' situations. Thank you for your honesty.'
  2. Shift the Focus: 'At the same time, I believe salary should primarily be based on the value I can bring to this specific role.'
  3. Reaffirm Your Value: Follow up by concisely and powerfully reiterating your core strengths, which must be closely tied to the job requirements. For example: 'As we discussed during the interviews, my experience in [mention 1-2 of your most relevant core skills or successful achievements] can help the team quickly address [mention a specific business challenge]. This supports the basis for my expected salary range.'

Step 3: Introduce Objective Market Standards to Ground the Discussion in Facts

• Description: To make your salary figure appear less subjective, you need to introduce third-party, objective data as support. This shifts the dialogue from a 'you vs. the company' tug-of-war to a rational discussion based on market conditions.
• Key Actions and Example Phrases:
  • Cite Research Data: 'Based on my recent market research, including references to [you can mention 1-2 authoritative salary reports, such as 'XYZ Recruitment Salary Report' or 'ABC Hiring's Industry Compensation Guide'], for a candidate with my [mention your years of experience, skills, background] in the [Industry Name] field for a [Job Title] position, [your expected salary range] is a reasonable market range.'
  • Emphasize Fit: 'Furthermore, the [re-mention key responsibilities or high-demand skills from the job description] required for this role align highly with my background, which is also why I expect the salary to be within this range.'

Step 4: Express Your Desire to Join and Return the Question to the Other Party

• Description: After demonstrating your value and providing market evidence, you need to reiterate your enthusiasm for the position and 'pass the ball back' to the interviewer, inviting them to make a more reasonable offer based on the information you've provided.
• Key Actions and Example Phrases:
  • Express Sincerity: 'I am very interested in this position and the company's growth prospects, and I am eager for the opportunity to join.'
  • Pose an Open-Ended Question: 'I would like to know, based on the specific value I can bring to the team and the market salary standards, if the company might be able to reconsider the salary package offered to me? I am confident we can find a solution that is fair to both sides.'

Summary and Key Points

• What Not to Do: Do not challenge the other party (e.g., 'Then why not hire the cheaper person?'), do not immediately compromise, and do not get drawn into a discussion about the specifics of 'other candidates.'
• Core Strategy: Understand -> Shift Focus (to your own value) -> Provide Objective Basis (market data) -> Express Willingness to Collaborate.
• Ultimate Goal: Transform a potentially pressure-inducing challenge into an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism, confidence, and clear understanding of your own value, thereby striving for a fairer compensation package that truly reflects your worth.