When an HR Tried to Lowball Me — and I Schooled Her on My Worth!

Wanted to share an interesting experience I had recently with an HR from a service-based startup. This company has about 200 employees and has been around for 11 years, mostly chasing clients in the US market.

So, I applied for a Salesforce Developer role through LinkedIn. The HR called me for a quick discussion. Everything was going fine — the usual intro, experience, skillset questions — until she asked the inevitable:

“What’s your expected CTC?”

I told her, “I currently hold an offer from one of the Big 4 with a 100% hike on my current CTC, but I believe I’m worth more. I’m looking for a long-term opportunity that keeps me motivated and satisfied without making me think about switching again in a few months.”

Her response?

“OMG, you’re already getting a 100% hike and you want 30% more? Why? With your experience, that’s too high. I don’t think anyone would offer you more than this.”

I was honestly taken aback by her sarcastic tone. So I calmly responded:

“Well, market standards are much higher these days — maybe your company’s aren’t. Can you be clear about what you’re offering?”

She then said she could only match my current Big 4 offer at best and added a little jab: “I think you might deserve this much.”

At this point, my ego was like — Excuse me? Who are you again? Even my boss wouldn’t talk to me like this.

So I replied, “You call yourself a startup? I have an offer from one of the Big 4 — their expectations and standards are sky-high. If I can crack them and secure a 100% hike, you better believe I’d bring even more value to your company.”

Clearly annoyed, she randomly threw a few Salesforce questions at me in a smug, testing way. I answered them all confidently. And guess what? After all that, she generously offered me a 5% hike on my current offer.

Wow. What a joke.

But I thought — you know what, let’s treat this as interview practice and see how deep this rabbit hole goes. So I said okay, let’s proceed.

And then came the deal-breaker:

5 days WFO Night shifts (no night shift allowance) No travel allowance No extra benefits Handling multiple clients solo

I asked her to send me an email with the JD and details so I could “think about it” — knowing full well this was the last conversation I’d be having with them.

Lesson learned: Some startups out there will try to squeeze every drop out of you, undervalue your skills, and still act like they’re FAANG-level. Don’t let their attitude shake your morale. Know your worth. Stand your ground.

Hint: The startup’s name is jumbled somewhere in this post — see if you can spot it. 😉