Professional recruiter Mercedes S. Johnson received backlash online after sharing on LinkedIn that she offered a candidate $85,000—$45,000 less than her hiring budget of $130,000—because they asked for it.
According to several online posts, Johnson explained why she stood firm in the final salary offer.
She wrote:
“I just offered a candidate $85,000 for a job that had a budget of $130,000.
I offered her that because that’s what she asked for and I personally don’t have the bandwidth to give lessons on salary negotiation.
Here’s the lesson: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE SALARY YOU WANT (DESERVE), no matter how large you think that might be. You never know how much money a company has to work with.”
Just a few days ago, Twitter user @TE_AMO_COURT posted a screenshot of Johnson
’s LinkedIn post in comparison to another recruiter’s tweet.“There are two types of ppl in this world smh,” she wrote in her tweet.
With over 34,000 retweets, users took to the comment section to share their disgrace by the recruiter’s actions. One user hoped that the company Johnson was recruiting for becomes aware of how “underpaid their new hire is.”
As the news on social media spread, one Facebook user shared her opinion on the matter, calling attention to the female wealth wage gap. She also updated the Facebook community with the recruiter’s alleged employer.
A Twitter user, confused as to why Johnson was receiving so much heat, found Johnson’s actions to be appropriate for her job.
On Jan 30, Johnson responded to the outrage on LinkedIn, which she then shared on Twitter. She explained that she wanted to instill confidence in candidates applying for jobs and negotiating their worth. Johnson acknowledged the impact she had on the social media community, especially the candidate she hired.