What’s a ‘Fair’ Offer?

In today’s compressed employment market, companies ARE still hiring, but candidates and recruiters are lamenting that nearly every offer is disappointingly low—particularly in light of whatever salary / compensation range has been tendered. While most companies shy from offering the very top of the range to any one candidate, it’s almost a given that whatever your expectation, even if you regard your expectation as realistic, the offer will be for less.

A fair offer. Not a great offer, not a good offer. Just fair. Another way to look at it, is, in this economy, if a company offers you the middle of their range, they’re trying to be fair, but their checkbooks aren’t even in fair condition. We bring this up for a good reason: People’s expectations are that they should still be receiving Top Market Value, raises and sign-on bonuses; essentially, all the perks they’d received to change jobs a few years ago during the Technology Boom.

Wake up, friends! Join the economic times. We’re all part of the same Value Chain and we all need to get over ourselves. Fair offers are not bad. In fact, most are VERY fair offers, in relation to a company’s current market share. It’s dangerous for us to complain about the economy, yet also complain when we don’t get offered the top of a salary range for changing business cards. It’s a Buyer’s employment market and the Buyers set market value.

So, what IS a fair offer? A fair offer is at or above your walk-away number, should at least duplicate your current compensation if employed; it should be in some line with previous income, if you’re not currently employed. But, you mustn’t take it personally if you heard a Recruiter tell you the salary range is $75-85k and you don’t get an $85k initial offer. Particularly if you weren’t making that before or are currently unemployed.

What’s NOT a fair offer? Offers below the stated minimum of the salary range seem to be fraudulent. Offers that break out to a much lower actual salary and the advertised or stated ‘salary’ is really counting a bonus or commission that isn’t guaranteed. That compensation plan should have been disclosed prior to a verbal or written offer. Is this a valid offer of full time employment or a trial period? A contract-to-hire? The compensation may need to be higher if your employment isn’t guaranteed as a permanent position.

In the end, a fair offer is what we’re seeing in the marketplace. Not great, not good, but usually VERY FAIR. Good Hunting.