A hiring experience shared by KnotDating co-founder and CEO Jasveer Singh sparked online discussion after his post about renegotiating a developer’s salary just days before he started went viral on X.
In the post, Singh described an interview with a backend developer who was making money ₹21 crore per annum (LPA). According to him, the company offered the candidate ₹28 LPA, which was roughly a 33% pay hike. The applicant accepted the offer and confirmed the start date.
However, the situation changed shortly before the expected start date.
“The guy was at 21 LPA. We offered 28 LPA, about a 33 percent increase. He agreed and confirmed the connection. Emailed yesterday that he got an offer of 32 LPA elsewhere and now wants 36 LPA from us.”
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Singh said he was frustrated by the timing of the request, especially since the company had already suspended the hiring process after the candidate confirmed the offer.
“Nonsense. Why even agree. If you’re still buying offers, say so upfront. We’ve stopped interviewing other candidates and waited past the notice period for a join date.”
He also wrote that the candidate came back with a new salary expectation just days before starting.
“Now two days before the start he came back with a new price tag,” he concluded his post.
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Singh also shared a screenshot of the candidate’s email. In it, the developer demanded a revised compensation package ₹36 LPA.
Check out the viral post here:
The post, which was shared today, quickly gained popularity online and has already crossed 1.3 million views, prompting a wave of reactions from users.
Some users defended the candidate, arguing that bid negotiation is a common practice in the competitive tech job market.
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“What’s wrong with that? The candidate has all the rights to negotiate. He has the skills that are in demand. This is the world of capitalism, companies do the same – reorganize, lay off, etc.” one user wrote.
Responding to the comment, Singh clarified that he was not concerned about the negotiations themselves, but the timing.
“There’s nothing wrong with negotiating. The problem is doing it after the hookup date is agreed upon and confirmed. Negotiation should happen before commitment, not after. It’s like saying your fiancé is still dating after you’re engaged.”
Other users pointed out that the candidate could have strategically used competing offers to increase their salary.
“Used your offer of 28lpa to get 32lpa and used that 32lpa to get to 36lpa. Calculating and smart,” quipped one user.
Another user added: “Why blame the candidate. The market decides the salary. He’s just optimizing for himself.”
Some also offered practical suggestions for employers.
“Next time get their signatures on the work agreement, that’s the only thing that will hold up in court,” the user suggested.
Others said this problem is common in the IT sector, especially during long notice periods.
“The market is competitive and this is a common problem especially in the IT sector that most people buy offers while they are served with a notice. It only needs to be fixed within the system – it can be, to some extent the shorter period clause is solved which is more like 3 months,” another user wrote.
(This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)
