alluviallandscape in 
Software Engineer
Mishandled negotiation?
I recently interviewed for a senior level engineering position for which I had been directly recruited - my name had come up internally when considering candidates for the role. Early in the process, I was dealing with an initial recruiter who sent me the job posting that included a US salary range. I felt like a strong candidate for the role, checking almost all of the boxes, and having already interviewed with and received an offer from this company in the past.
After my first interview, which went well, I was handed off to a new recruiter. In our first conversation, I reaffirmed my interest in the role as well as my feeling that the fit was extremely good. They asked about my situation with my current company, and I said that I was very happy but have to consider all opportunities, since this would be a step up in responsibilities and compensation.
Here's the kicker, and I know it's conventional wisdom not to do this: when asked about salary range, I gave a 20k range in, but below the max of, the upper end of the originally listed US salary range.
The next day, the recruiter emailed me saying that the range I provided, while within the range given by the first recruiter, was no longer within the range on their end - they had altered the salary for the position. Looking at the job posting now, the US salary range has been removed.
I feel that I should have at least verbally confirmed the range they were operating within before giving a number. Any other thoughts on how I could have handled this differently? The obvious answer seems to me to be "don't give a range, and continue to kick that can down the road while citing a need to further evaluate fit". I probably would still be in the hunt if I had been a little more evasive on that point.
I'm also unsure about how to proceed in terms of trying to get back to the negotiating table, and if that's even a good idea or worth doing. I am very happy at my current company but am also ready to step into a larger role. Any advice is welcome!
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At this stage, if I still don’t feel like labeling my actual number, I only end up saying “we are not too far away from what I expect in terms of compensation, however, I would like to evaluate the fit for the role first and we can revisit the salary Discussion a little later”
The above process worked very well for me and nine out of 10 times. I did not disclose my number. If the recruiter is pressing to know a range or a number, I would always provide 15 to 20% more than what I would actually take as a base salary expectation so that way there is room for negotiation in both directions.
Good luck for the search!