Yes Rate

I’ve been on the job hunt lately and one question I always get and always dread answering is “What do you want to make?”. Every recruiter asks this question before letting you know what the client is willing to pay for the position. Why? Because they are hoping you will give them a number below or within the clients range (depending on if it’s an internal or external recruiter).

You can search the web about how to negotiate salary and get hundreds of results telling you the best ways to negotiate. This isn’t really one of those posts, go read some of them if you need negotiation help. This post is about a concept I’m trying to champion that I’m calling the Yes Rate.

What Is It?

What is the Yes Rate you ask? It’s the number that if you were offered by a company you’d say yes to, no thinking, no negotiating, no asking the significant other/family. It’s the amount you want to make and the number you will be happy to receive. The Yes Rate is the number you won’t balk at taking if you like the company and they like you. It’s the no-hassle no-negotiation number that you will accept no questions asked.

What It Is Not

It is not the lowest number you will accept. This is important to understand, do not use the Yes Rate to define your minimum acceptable rate. So now that you know what the Yes Rate is, here is what the Yes Rate isn’t. This isn’t the number that will get you to say yes to a company that you don’t fit with, or a position that you aren’t comfortable doing. This isn’t the number that will let you retire after 1 year of work (or maybe it is, but don’t expect many offers unless you have some meager retirement goals). This number also isn’t the amount you need to make. It’s not the number you can’t live without.

Goals

My goals for the Yes Rate concept is to get recruiters and companies to start negotiating from a baseline understanding of what it will take to get you to come work for them. By being upfront with recruiters and companies about what it will take to get you, you can stop taking interviews for positions that are never going to pay what you want.

Interviewing is a time and money consuming process, for all involved, so why go through the hassle if you’re never going to get even close to saying yes. If companies knew going into an interview that to guarantee you’re employment they only have to meet your Yes Rate then interviews can get down to what really matters your skills and the fit between you and the company/position.

Suggested Usage

I believe that the best use of the Yes Rate is to end an interview with a prospective employer with something like this:

Thank you for taking the time to interview me. I really like the company/position/team and would love to work here. If you and your team feel the same I’ve already given the recruiter my Yes Rate.

At this point you can explain to the Yes Rate if your interviewers never heard of it. This interview ending is a great way to show your interest in the company/position and help reinforce the concept of the Yes Rate. Letting your prospective employer know that they can can hire you if they want to and it’s just a matter of money makes it easier for them to sell you to whoever might be controlling the budget.

Having been on the hiring side it sucks to see a quality candidate slip away over something as trivial as salary. And having been on the job seeking side it sucks to interview for your dream job just to have them low ball you. I’ve not taken jobs because I was so disgusted by the initial offer and just felt there was no way to bridge the gap between their offer and my Yes Rate to get to a rate that I’d find acceptable.

Example Yes Rate

I have a rule I go by:

Never leave a job you like for less than a 20% pay increase

I have this rule because leaving somewhere you like working and losing your seniority/co-workers/momentum for something unknown needs to be worth it.

Using that rule if I were to be contacted by a recruiter when I was at a job I liked I’d quote my Yes Rate as 25% or 30% increase over my current salary, depending on how much I liked my current job. The reason my Yes Rate is higher than my 20% rule is because as stated above the Yes Rate isn’t the minimum amount I need to say yes, it is the minimum amount they need to offer me to guarantee that money isn’t a reason for me to say no.

In Conclusion

If we all start doing this, maybe just maybe we can make the hiring process a bit better. For too long this process has been hidden in the shadows and has felt like a first date that turns into a no-limit high steaks poker match. The first part is all getting to know each other, and the second is full of suspicion and paranoia.

How high will they go?

Will they not hire me if I ask for too much?

Did I ask for too little?

Get off that emotional rollercoaster and just state up front, before any interviews even start the amount they will need to offer to guarantee that money isn’t a factor in your decision. Give them your Yes Rate.