Even far below C-suite, confidence in market value is often over-played. Recently a young man that I know in his mid 20s told me how he was convinced he'd done his homework thoroughly, so was genuinely taken aback when on answering the 'what are your salary expectations' question they clearly intimated he'd low-balled himself. A few interviews later the offer came in at more than twice what he'd asked for.
He was lucky — they liked him and were hiring him for his technical expertise, not business savvy, and they clearly wanted him to stick around. I suggested to him that kind of generosity would be unlikely to be replicated in future and maybe he might not want to answer that next time...I think he learned an important lesson!
At the top of the market, you’re no longer competing on competence—everyone in the room is competent. You’re competing on precision. The buyer who values you highest needs to recognize their exact problem in your exact story, fast... Vague seniority gets benchmark offers... Precise relevance breaks the band.
Excellent advice.
Appreciate you saying that.
Even far below C-suite, confidence in market value is often over-played. Recently a young man that I know in his mid 20s told me how he was convinced he'd done his homework thoroughly, so was genuinely taken aback when on answering the 'what are your salary expectations' question they clearly intimated he'd low-balled himself. A few interviews later the offer came in at more than twice what he'd asked for.
He was lucky — they liked him and were hiring him for his technical expertise, not business savvy, and they clearly wanted him to stick around. I suggested to him that kind of generosity would be unlikely to be replicated in future and maybe he might not want to answer that next time...I think he learned an important lesson!
Good lesson to learn in your mid twenties. Some never get there. It's a blessing.
Love this:
At the top of the market, you’re no longer competing on competence—everyone in the room is competent. You’re competing on precision. The buyer who values you highest needs to recognize their exact problem in your exact story, fast... Vague seniority gets benchmark offers... Precise relevance breaks the band.
Right on point ;)