How to negotiate an offer on lower end of company's bracket?

Question

Hello,

So I recently moved to Australia from Norway. Have worked in India most of my life. I have around 6 years of experience. Currently I don't have working rights in Australia but expecting them soon, so that's a point not in my favour.

In earlier negotiations, when asked about salary range, I asked them about their bracket. So they told me 130k - 150K AUD. Which is a bit on the lower side in the Australian market already, not considering faang companies.

I did extremely well in interviews and the assignment for senior Frontend Developer. But they are trying to take advantage of my situation and offering only 130k since I don't have working rights right now and currently not working.

Their interview process was super hasty, company is around 100 employees. I like their company ideology but I think they overwork their employees a bit. I am not too keen on joining them. But a backup option is good.

How can I go about negotiating the offer letter? And how can I ethically delay them while I look for other offers which will only start after New years. Also is it ethical to start working for them so that I have source of income and change in first two months only when I get a better offer? Surviving in Australia is not cheap.

Rahul Pandey · Accepted Answer

Have you messaged to them earlier that you were talking to other companies? It's a bit odd if you only bring that up now, but you still can. I generally tell candidates that you can be transparent that you're making a big decision, and therefore you are talking to multiple companies. Don't reveal which company, and provide realistic timelines for when you will get back to them.

It is absolutely fine to start working for them to survive and then change after a few months if/when a better opportunity comes around. This is especially true at larger companies, but you do risk some reputational damage at a smaller company.

How far below-market is this offer? If it's 10-20% below your expectation, I may spend more time asking them what the options are for salary readjustment, bonus, or equity to get you more inline with your expectation. The main value of this company IMO is that it gets you to Australia, so I wouldn't sweat minor gaps too much.

The way to negotiate is:

Have a competing offer
If that's too hard, tell them "I will sign the offer if you give me $X sign on"

How to negotiate an offer on lower end of company's bracket?

Discussion