Ask a Recruiter: What's in a Name?

Title vs. Salary

by Marc Cenedella of The Ladders

It's always tough to land a job with a top title. Making concessions to secure one could be a mistake, however, according to career coaches. Candidates trying to land their first peak management job — one in which they have full profit-and-loss responsibility for a discrete organization — face intensive competiton when highly qualified people are scrambling for position. That's the advice of Roy Cohen, who holds the title "master career coach" at the Five O'Clock Club, a private outplacement and career-counseling club based in New York.

Their rarity makes prestige titles seem even more valuable to many job seekers — so valuable they may give up substantial salary or other benefits to obtain them. Big mistake, according to Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing. Desperation — whether that means consenting to take any job that's offered or accepting an inflated title with a deflated salary — makes a candidate less appealing.

 It's possible that a good title will give you better opportunities in the future — but only if the company has enough reputation that your position there can get you a commensurate job somewhere else. Titles and responsibilities vary significantly, and they are often inflated by companies that will "promote" valuable employees to higher-level titles without the salary or responsibility to match. As a result, the value of most titles has been deflated. In fact, increasing the seniority of your job title is a better tactic for a counteroffer than for an initial discussion.

Ask a Recruiter: Compensation

When is the best time to ask about compensation?

If you're talking to a recruiter: after you volunteer what you're currently making.

If you're talking to a hiring manager: never.

Never, you ask? Yes. Seriously. Never.

The compensation discussion should always be initiated by the hiring manager.

1. In most cases, the person you are speaking with already knows what you make, so unless you have given him/her some reason to believe you're willing to take a ridiculous pay cut to be considered for this opportunity, it's fair to assume that what they're looking to offer is within a reasonable range of your current package.  The hiring manager isn't going to waste time talking to you if your expectations are light-years apart. 

2. The number one red flag in recruiting is a candidate who seems overly concerned about the money.  It's our job to get you a fair offer and it's in our best interest to get you the best offer we can because what we earn is based on that number.  So, have no fear; we will not invest countless hours taking you though a process that we know won't get you the number you're looking for.  Asking too soon or too often gives the impression that you're for sale, that you're willing to work for the highest bidder.  And there are a about a million reasons why that makes you a terrible investment for us and our clients.

3. It's the law of supply and demand; the more they like you, the more they need you, the closer you are to a generous offer.  Don't ask them to commit to a number or a range before you've had the opportunity to demonstrate your true value.

For more on the topic, visit The Ladders.