HR Negotiations in India: Job Seekers Express Frustrations
A job seeker’s candid commentary about HR negotiations in India is gaining attention—pointing out the exhausting, time-consuming process and alarmingly low offers.
The Reddit user, who has mainly worked in the U.S., recounted their experience of returning to India and encountering hiring challenges. They shared that one company took three months to reach the ‘HR discussion’ stage of the interview process. “That call was quite entertaining to them…” they remarked.
The company then slapped them with a staggering lowball offer. “They proposed a salary 20% lower than my quotation, referencing ‘parity’ nonsense. That’s an exceptionally low offer.”
What compounded the issue? The user had already communicated their salary expectations with a third-party recruiter for the same position. “I informed him—considering my financial situation, I need clarity on the salary range… I stated a figure that was precisely in the middle of this range to the company HR.”
Rather than engage in negotiation, the HR team opted for a straightforward method. “One HR representative mentioned—if you think the salary is insufficient… why not take another job as well? They found that quite amusing.”
The user further expressed, “The sense of entitlement displayed by HR agencies in India is both perplexing and humorous. And no, they are not naive enough to expect the same HR experience as in the U.S. (where a skilled candidate usually has an advantage)… but this unacceptable attitude of HR indicating a take-it-or-leave-it stance is rarely appreciated.”
This frustration resonated with others on Reddit, leading to various responses. One user was straightforward: “It’s India. There are no corporate ethics here.”
Another user criticized the bargaining methods used by HR: “The quality of corporate staff in India has declined so significantly it’s quite laughable… Now there are individuals who behave as if they are bargaining for vegetables at a local bazaar.”
Others remarked that HR practices greatly differ. “In my company, HR requests the candidate’s salary expectations first, and if it exceeds the budget, we don’t proceed with the interview. This often wastes a lot of the hiring manager’s time.”
For many, this post reflects a broader issue: a lack of regard for talent. “Candidates who believe they aren’t being fairly compensated often do not contribute their best efforts,” the author observed.