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Founder rejects techie's 2x hike demand: ‘All those giving gyaan here…’
A tweet by Sumanth Raman about a candidate demanding double his salary has ignited discussions on India's hiring practices.
A Chennai-based founder has sparked a heated debate online after tweeting about a job-seeker who demanded more than double his current salary while switching. Sumanth Raman, founder of Algorithm Health, shared an X post that proved polarising on the social media platform.
Raman said that while hiring for a tech role, he interviewed a candidate with four years of experience. The candidate was earning ₹7.2 lakh per annum in his current role.
When Raman asked his expected CTC, however, the job-seeker replied saying that he wanted ₹16 LPA. The founder chose not to proceed with his job application, implying that his 2x hike demand was the reason for his rejection.
(Also read: Founder defends 7-day salary delay, LinkedIn users say: 'Employees shouldn't absorb the risk')
The post sparked backlash as many said that Raman should have asked about the candidate's salary expectations before the interview.
The entrepreneur and political analyst did not agree with this take.
“All those giving gyaan here that I should have asked his expectation before evaluation, is this the way it is done nowadays? So we first ask the resource what he expects and then if we can afford it we evaluate? Seriously?” he asked.
Some context
“Interviewed a candidate for a techie opening yesterday. CTC for the candidate with 4 years experience in current company is 7.2 LPA. Asked what the expectation was,” the founder of Algorithm Health, an AI-powered digital health solution company, said in his X post yesterday.
“Candidate says 16 lakh. I said that's more than double current CTC. Candidate says yes that's what I want. Conversation ended soon after,” added Sumanth Raman.
“Increasingly feeling out of touch with today's generation,” he concluded.
Post sparks debate on salaries
The post led to a heated debate on salaries and expected hikes. In many countries across the world, recruiters advertise a salary range with the job description. The salary, therefore, does not depend on the candidate’s last-drawn paycheck.
In India, on the other hand, more hiring managers base a successful candidate’s CTC on his last-drawn salary. A raise of 30% is generally accepted to be standard.
However, the practice of basing salaries on previous CTC has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. The comments section of Raman’s post reflected this.
“Why did the conversation even have to happen? You could've mentioned your budget and they would've left the interview process early on. Why should your salary scale for an employee with a certain experience be based on their previous CTC. What if their previous CTC was 15?” asked X user Resh Susan.
“Admittedly lot of youngsters are bit "airy" in their salary expectations. But why would you need to know their current CTC? What value addition does it make in selecting a candidate, except to restrict your offer to that number, if your internal budget is a lot more?” questioned Saimukundhan G, a chartered accountant.
To this, Raman replied: “Market average for a 4 year experienced candidate is more in line with 7.2 than with 16.”
“Only in India is your previous CTC a factor in the next job. You pay whatever the market demand is for that position. You're the one that is out of touch here,” an X user wrote.
“This is not a problem with Sumanth, but with corporate India as a whole. What the person was getting before is irrelevant. Put what you're paying in the job description, make that clear, and offer them whatever you were intending to pay! That is basic decency. Don't be cheap,” agreed another.
Sumanth Raman's post has gone viral on X with over 1 million views and hundreds of comments.
