LinkedIn’s Head of Recruiting Shares His Tactics for Handling Salary Negotiations | Talent on Tap

In this week’s Talent on Tap episode, Brendan Browne, LinkedIn's Head of Recruiting, shares his tips for navigating salary negotiations with candidates, without stepping on their toes.

[ChristianPretorius]

I really felt that *pause* around 5:38

[DanTrapp]

"Always take equity" - Come on, dude. Yes, LinkedIn was a great example of taking equity at an early stage and having it work out, but that is extremely rare. We're talking 1:500 or more with exits like that (IPO). In most cases equity isn't worth the digital paper it's printed on.

As a recruiter of course you're pushing for equity compensation, but is that best for thee employee? Most often it's not. It's like handing out a cross between an IOU and a lottery ticket and it's essentially dead money.

Please, people, don't take equity in-lieu of cash in any situation that you haven't researched thoroughly. You will be leaving money on the table.

[hardware]

Hard to focus on the speakers with all those wonderful ping-pong paddles in the background. J/k. Nice presentation. However I found in my own personal experience with LinkedIn I tried to talk compensation early but each and every LinkedIn recruiter did not want to talk comp.

[ryanpope]

That was an excellent video. Good to hear recruiters expect the negotiation phase.

[johnnyairplane]

I have a job offer that is 14k less than my current earning. the hiring manager said this is the allocated budget and cant go higher. This offer has better career opportunities than my existing job, so i communicated that im really interested in the position then I negotiated to close the gap a little more and they increased it by 5k dropping the gap to 9k. When I had a video call meeting with the recruiter, i said "i guess im good with that". The recruiter said with disbelief in her face "wait, are you sure?". Then i said yes. Only after the meeting i realized maybe i could have asked higher if i pushed back a second time. Why did i think of this? First, the recruiters reaction. Second, they said they cant exceed budget but they did. Third, im starting January 2022 arent we setting a new budget plan?

[BryantCabrera]

So one of his tips was to always negotiate. However, the recruiter immediately met me at the salary I requested and added a signing bonus and annual bonus package I was happy with, so I accepted. The salary I asked for was a tad higher than people with my experience level get, but the VP of Engineering said I did really well on the coding challenges and coded on par or better than some mid-level engineers he’s tested. I was ok to accept the offer right? I met the team and am really looking forward to working with them too!

[talithasuya]

Frustrating. I don't think people who put together videos and articles on this topic understand how little most of us know about it. I really need a step-by-step roleplay. Always negotiate? Really? Take equity? I don't believe I've ever applied for a job where equity was on the table. So confused. I was hoping LinkedIn would be more realistic and relatable.

[Sdfcarbuyer]

This addresses the situation of working with a recruiter. How does it differ when you are across from the hiring entity?

[jamesmorton]

In 1983 a colleage with 25 years was going to make $20K
I got $25K with just two years OJT.
Grab them and freeze their salary growth at 2%.
The gift that keeps on giving.

[guild_navigator]

Terrible video. No strategy or tactics offered except for "I'm not happy with the offer" and to pause. That's it?!

[raulespinoaparicio]

This was a very vague and useless explanation... Always choose equity? Really? I mean he was like holding all the real advice, and giving useless ones. Probably 1-2% of the companies actually offer things like equity...

[jaredebeling]

What about negotiating when you are already employed with your employer offering a payrise? Any tips? Thanks

[carolinekelly]

An excellent short video. Thanks for your insight and guidance. I really need help please.

[vc]

Interesting to see someone who is very transparent & real (LinkedIn guy) vs a 'typical HR' person.

[Royal_G]

If you are negotiating a salary for a remote job in a different city, how do I come to an agreement on salary? The cost of living in the city I live in is lower than the city that the remote job is located.

Do I ask for the salary that the company is located or do I ask for a salary based on my current location?

[krockit]

This is all about the recruiter and not the candidate.

[pravinerode]

My initial offer was XXXX/month which is a bit less than what I am making at the moment. (New offer is from a different country)
During negotiation!
Me: I am getting X at the moment. The current offer is less than what I make. I was expecting somewhere between x-Y.
HR: No, this is what I can offer for this role. (straight shot). Because we have something called "Collective Labor Agreement and can't offer more"

How do I deal with this situation? like the person who is straight shooting

[TheGoodfella]

I've been offered a non-managerial position in the UK and the notice period in the new contract is 3 months - which seems excessive given that it's not a super senior role and there are no direct reports. Can I negotiate to lower the notice period before signing the contract?

[frednance]

I give the recruiter a range and it's usually between 5 to 10 bucks more per hours thant my last or current

[EdwardAvila]

Thanks for the insights. It would be great to understand the different negotiations methods (aka "the dance") that are common in emerging countries like China, Taiwan, India, etc.