By Kevin be Amrine
Yes, but it wasn’t really a disappointment. A recruiter had called and emailed me repeatedly about an unsolicited opportunity at her company. I had ignored her given I was in a role I was happy with and wasn’t looking for anything but I finally relented and emailed her back that I’d be willing to speak with her. She set up a call for the next day. At the designated time, I was on a conference call that had dragged on and I couldn’t wrap up so I was 15 minutes late. The lady wasn’t at all put out by my tardiness and was very gracious that I’d made time to speak with her. She asked me to describe in detail what my current role was and said that my experience was exactly what they were looking for as they looked to build this particular function in their organization. Since I wasn’t desperate and only slightly interested at this point, my answers were casual and descriptions laid-back. We had spoken for a good hour when she said that she wanted to pass my resume along to the EVP and CEO for the next round but, to ensure we weren’t wasting each other’s time, asked if I’d mind sharing my salary and package expectations for such a role.
Now, since I was completely happy at my current company and not really looking for a change, I figured I’d just throw something out there to end the conversation. I said I’d need a guaranteed three year contract, 6 figure cash signing bonus, 25,000 stock options per year, 50% annual bonus, plus a base salary that exceeded my all-in current package and ability to work remotely (NYC was not in my family’s game plan). She didn’t hesitate, confirmed all my numbers, and said that shouldn’t be a problem, I’d have to go to NYC monthly, and that they’d be in touch. I thought, well, here we go, because if they really offer me that, it looks like I’ll be moving companies. I went through two more rounds and then was told they were going with an internal candidate, thank you, we’ll keep your resume on file, yadda yadda. I’d heard later through the grapevine that my required compensation package was large, yet not unrealistic, but that it was one of the reasons they went internal. As I said, it was no big deal, as I wasn’t looking for a change so it was simply an interesting interview and learning experience.
When contacted, I usually do talk to the headhunters/recruiters to keep abreast of what’s out there and to keep my interview skills honed. It also usually helps me appreciate my current company.
Source: Quora
