Reddit Viral Post: How much percent salary cut did the company offer to digital marketing professionals? How did the company view the candidate’s freelancing experience and what impact did it have? How much increase did the candidate demand compared to his previous salary?
When a job seeker was offered a 27.5% salary cut for a senior management position, he shared his experience online. After this a new debate has erupted on the internet. Many professionals are raising questions whether the hiring policy of some companies is not made to test the ability of the candidates, but to find excuses to pay them less salary.
This candidate narrated his ordeal on Reddit’s r/IndianWorkplace forum. The title of the post was, “Offered 27.5% salary cut for senior roles. Know how the company justified it.” This professional, who has 10 years of experience in digital marketing, said that he had recently given an interview for the post of Digital Marketing Manager in a company. This company manages a marketing budget of Rs 8 crore annually. He expected the salary to be negotiated, but was surprised to hear the reasoning behind the final offer made by the company.
According to the Reddit user, the company’s first objection was regarding his freelancing experience. He had worked remotely with international clients, which he considered valuable experience in his industry. But the company reportedly termed that experience as a ‘career gap’ instead of considering it as part of the job.
He claimed that this one decision of the company spoiled the entire conversation. Since freelancing was considered a ‘gap’, the company refused to consider his freelancing earnings while determining his salary. Also, the recruiters did not consider the salary of their previous job. Thus, he was left with no ‘reference point’ for salary during negotiations.
The candidate further told that after working in Bengaluru for 8 years, he shifted to Kolkata in 2024. He also told that in his previous remote job, he was already getting 50% less salary than what he was earning in Bengaluru. Despite this, the new company’s offer was 27.5% less than even that reduced salary.
The candidate claimed that he was demanding only 8.7% more than his previous salary and had also given the option of a six-month performance review. Yet, the recruiters reportedly told him that his profile did not justify the salary he was demanding.
According to the post, he was told that he was demanding “Bangalore salary in Kolkata”. The candidate responded by saying that his expectations were based on the current market standards in Kolkata and he had expressed his expectations with complete transparency before each stage of the hiring process.
On his experience he wrote, “The most galling thing is not the money. It is that each of their policies was designed not to properly evaluate one’s worth, but to find a reason to pay less.” In a later update, the candidate informed that the HR head of the company contacted him with a new offer. However, he claimed that the updated package was also Rs 5,000 less than his previous salary, and they were trying to convince him to accept the offer.
He also said that after all, the role was being offered on a retainer basis, which further confirmed his belief that the salary structures of many companies in the city favor the owners rather than the employees. This post quickly went viral and professionals gave their opinion strongly on it. People started debating salary negotiations, hiring practices and workplace culture. Many users argued that telling a candidate that your profile is not worthy of the asked salary is an unprofessional approach that can destroy trust in the beginning.
Others suggested that salary discussions should be based on the candidate’s skills, experience and market demand rather than past earnings. Some advised the Reddit user to turn down the offer altogether, arguing that a company’s attitude during negotiations often exposes its culture and organizational issues long before the person joins the job.