Tech CEO Says Last-Minute Salary Negotiations Cost Candidate 2 Job Offers: ‘Can’t Build A Career With Bargaining Skills’

A recent hiring story shared by tech founder Gaurav Kheterpal, CEO of Vanshiv Technologies, has ignited fresh debate around work ethics and last-minute salary demands. According to Kheterpal, a candidate

who was about to join his team reached out just days before the start date, requesting a salary match to an offer nearly Rs 2 lakh higher from another company. Kheterpal said his team stood firm, informing the candidate that he could either join at the originally agreed pay or have the offer withdrawn.

The candidate chose the other company, but the situation took an unexpected turn when the founder of that company contacted Kheterpal. It turned out the candidate had shown them the initial offer letter and asked for an even higher salary. Frustrated by the repeated bargaining, both founders decided to withdraw their offers. The candidate then attempted to return to Kheterpal’s company, but the offer was no longer available.

Candidate Asked For Higher Pay Just Before Joining

Taking to X (Formerly Twitter), Gaurav Kheterpal wrote, “A candidate was supposed to join us on Monday. He emailed us yesterday asking us to match the offer of the other company, which was higher by almost 2 Lakhs. We responded to him immediately that we can’t do that, and if he’s not interested, we’ll withdraw our offer. If he wants to join based on our original offer, we’re looking forward to having him on board. He responded, ‘I will join the other company,’ and we withdrew our offer. Apparently, he played the same trick at the other company, showing our offer letter and asking them to bump it up.”

“Coincidentally, I know the founder of that company, and since he showed our offer letter to them, they reached out to us. We told them, ‘We’re not hiring him. If they want, they can.’ They too got fed up with his constant negotiations and rescinded his offer. The candidate has now reached out to us to onboard him based on our original offer. Only if such candidates realised that they can always get a ‘job’ which pays them more, but they can’t build a ‘career’ with such bargaining skills,” the founder added.

A candidate was supposed to join us on Monday. He emailed us yesterday asking us to match the offer of the other company – it was higher by almost 2 Lakhs.

We responded to him immediately that we can't do that – and if he's not interested, we'll withdraw our offer. If he wants…

— Gaurav Kheterpal (@gauravkheterpal) November 20, 2025

Social Media Users Raise Questions About Fairness In Hiring

Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “You are in business for money. So are we workers. However hard we work, we will never be the owner, so stop this condescending tone. And yes, you did a cheap act by contacting another company. Only shows how small your enterprise is and how much extra time you have.”

Another shared, “People calling this ‘fair negotiation’ are completely wrong here. What if a company gave you an offer and then, after a week, came back saying, ‘We have another candidate ready to join at 2 lakh less, so let us know if you’d like to match the revised salary and join us.’ Would you call that fair?”

“Offer letters are confidential. No two companies would call each other to compare a candidate’s offer; that’s a breach of hiring ethics,” a comment read.

An individual stated, “I dislike people signing on and then walking away. It’s unprofessional, but it’s one of those ‘samay samay ki baat hai’ type things. When it’s an employer’s market, they screw around with candidates in a zillion ways. And when it’s a candidate’s market, this is what it looks like. Over a longer horizon, it all evens out. For both sides.”

Another mentioned, “People don’t realise that chasing a slightly higher offer can cost them long-term credibility. A career is built on trust and consistency, not constant last-minute negotiations.”

Why Just Candidates Are Branded ‘Unprofessional’

Meanwhile, one of them shared a story about their friend who faced a difficult situation after being selected by a popular startup. The company initially promised a salary of Rs 22 lakh per year, prompting him to confidently resign from his previous job. However, when the final offer arrived, the salary was unexpectedly reduced to Rs 19 lakh. Having already completed his notice period, he had no option but to return to his old job, and the HR team insisted that Rs 19 lakh was the best they could offer.

The person shared this example to highlight the double standards in how companies and candidates are treated. When a company withdraws an offer, it’s often seen as a business decision. When a company reduces an agreed salary, it’s explained as a budget constraint. But when a candidate tries to negotiate after accepting an offer, they’re often labelled unprofessional.