How One Candidate Turned A Lowball Offer Into Her Dream Role

You’ve made it to the final stage of interviews.

On paper, everything looks promising. The role fits. The conversations have gone well.
But suddenly, every call with the external recruiter feels less about impact — and more about money.

“How flexible can you be?”
“What’s the lowest you’d accept?”

It can feel personal. Like your value is being negotiated down.

But here’s the reframe most candidates miss:
This isn’t about you. It’s about incentives.

External recruiters earn commission based on the fee tied to your annual salary and the client’s approved budget. Their job is to close the role efficiently. That’s why salary pressure often shows up late in the process.

The candidates who win don’t react emotionally. They respond strategically.

Here’s how one client shifted the conversation and turned a lowball situation into a dream offer.

1. Shift the Conversation From Past Salary to Expected Salary

When recruiters ask about past compensation, it’s easy to get pulled into defending numbers that no longer matter.

But your current salary isn’t the conversation.
What matters is the number that makes a move worthwhile for you.

Instead of over-explaining, anchor clearly.
You can say:

“For me to make a move, it would take a minimum guaranteed amount of X.”

That’s it.

No long justifications. No complicated breakdowns.
Clarity makes it easier for the recruiter to represent you accurately — and saves everyone time.

2. Anchor With the Three-Number Method

Before any negotiation, get clear on your three numbers:

• Minimum — the lowest you’d accept
  
  
• Ideal — your target
  
  
• Dream — your stretch number
  
  

You don’t lead with all three.

You communicate a figure between your ideal and dream. That becomes the anchor for every conversation.

For example, if your ask is 200k, expect the negotiation to move from that number — not up to it. Negotiations go both ways, but anchoring high gives you room to land where you actually want to be.

3. Expect Pushback and Stay Firm

Pushback doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong.
It’s often a test.

When that happens, the mistake most people make is softening their stance or over-explaining.

Instead, stay calm and consistent. You can simply say:

“As mentioned in previous conversations, my minimum to make a move is X.”

Repetition without defensiveness signals confidence.

One of my clients used this exact approach. She came prepared with clear success stories, redirected the conversation from price to impact, and stayed grounded when tested.

The result?

She landed an offer between her ideal and dream number.

Not by arguing harder, but by showing (not just telling) why she was the right hire.

Final Thoughts

Negotiation isn’t about winning or losing.
It’s about clarity, confidence, and alignment.

You can’t control recruiter tactics.
But you can control how your value is framed and how firmly it’s held.

If you want help preparing for these conversations, I’m building a private collection of 100 ChatGPT prompts my clients use to navigate interviews, craft negotiation scripts, and land top-tier offers.

👉 Join the waitlist here to get access.

Rooting for you,
 Angel Kilian
Founder | Career inFocus