Case Question
Consider this realto find someone to fill a highly specialized job. When I asked an impressive
candidate her pay rate, she named a figure far below the industry standard.
I could have rejected her for this lack of sophistication or exploited her low
bid. Instead, I coached her to a figure nearly twice her bid yet about 30
percent below my client’s budget. I did not inform my client about the
discrepancy, and she was hired at the rate I recommended. Did I do wrong
by either party?
Question:
1. In coaching the applicant to request a higher salary, did the project
manager work against the interests of the client organization by which he
or she is employed? Why or why not?
2. Could the manager have avoided this dilemma by proposing a salary
figure that was the industry norm? Would that be in the interests of the
client organization?
3. If you were in the project manager’s situation, would you have handled
this negotiation differently? If so, how so