Reddit Experience · 2026 Q1

They offered $65k I countered with $75k am I cooked?

1146 upvotes 321 replies

Interview Experience

Long story short, the salary range for this job was posted as $60k-$80k. During the first interview the recruiter caught me (28F) off guard by asking what my expected salary was. Since I didn’t want t

Full Details

Long story short, the salary range for this job was posted as $60k-$80k. During the first interview the recruiter caught me (28F) off guard by asking what my expected salary was. Since I didn’t want to be disqualified from the interview process for saying something too high I panicked and said $65k. Really though I wanted closer to $80k given my experience and the rising cost of living… literally everywhere. After 5 interviews and a lot of waiting I got a call today where she offered $65k, I word vomited a bit but eventually was able to get my thoughts out “given my experience and other similar positions salaries I’m hoping for closer to $75k”. She said she would see what she can do and would call me back, but that it’s likely she won’t be able to do $75k but maybe $70k and that she’d call me back. I’m curious if I shot myself in the foot? I feel like it’s a reasonable counter, men counter all the time, I need more pay and I want to trust I did the right thing. But I’ve heard horror stories on here too. Curious your thoughts? UPDATE: They came back and offered $70k and I accepted. They did not provide the full scope of responsibilities or how often I qualify for raises etc. I want to know how to get information on those things.
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