'First salary offer is never final': Ex-HR says freshers are too scared to try’ and reveals trick to negotiate for the best salary

A Reddit post about salary negotiation is going viral for saying something many Indian freshers rarely hear before entering the job market. The post, shared on Reddit’s career discussion space, claimed that one of the biggest mistakes freshers make is accepting the first salary offer a company gives them without questioning it.

You are allowed to negotiate.

“Not because they’re greedy,” the post read, “but because nobody ever taught them that the first offer is almost never the final offer.”


The post explained how many companies allegedly operate with salary ranges for a role. According to the user, if a company has a budget between ₹6 lakh and ₹9 lakh per annum, they may begin with the lowest number first to see whether the candidate pushes back.

“If you say nothing they pay 6. If you push back professionally they move,” the post claimed.

The discussion quickly exploded online because it touched a nerve for thousands of young Indians entering a difficult job market where freshers often feel they have little bargaining power.

Can freshers negotiate salary in India?

That became the biggest question in the comment section.

Several users agreed with the advice, saying many candidates undersell themselves simply because they are scared companies will withdraw the offer.

The original post argued that most employers do not reject candidates merely for negotiating politely.

Instead, it suggested using a calm and professional approach such as: “Thank you so much, I’m genuinely excited about this role. Based on my research and the skills I’m bringing, I was expecting something closer to X. Is there any flexibility there?”
The user also advised candidates to research market salaries on platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox before entering negotiations.

But not everyone was convinced.

Do companies reject freshers for negotiating salary?

One comment from a person claiming to have hired freshers gained significant traction for offering a much harsher reality check.

“As a person who has hired freshers, any fresher who negotiates or talks too much is seen as oversmart, problematic and is rejected,” the commenter wrote.

The person clarified that this especially applies to large service-based companies in India that hire freshers in bulk.

That comment shifted the conversation completely.

Suddenly, the debate was no longer just about confidence or communication skills. It became about how different India’s hiring culture can be depending on the company.

Why are Indian freshers scared to negotiate salary?

Another widely discussed comment pointed to the core issue: supply and demand.

One user argued that while salary negotiation sounds reasonable in theory, India’s fresher market is heavily tilted in favour of employers because there are far more candidates than openings.

“Good companies will indulge in negotiation,” the user wrote, “but let’s be honest, the number of them is quite less.”

The original poster later agreed with that criticism, admitting the negotiation window in India is often “narrow” and depends heavily on the company type.

That honesty is partly why the thread resonated online.

Instead of becoming another motivational “know your worth” post, the discussion evolved into something more real: a conversation about how career advice often sounds very different from workplace reality in India.

What skills help freshers negotiate better salaries?

The thread also sparked discussions around what exactly gives a fresher leverage during salary talks.

After one commenter sarcastically questioned what “skills” a fresher could possibly bring, the original poster responded by listing:

• Internships
• Personal projects
• Certifications
• Domain knowledge

The user argued that while not every fresher has strong leverage, many candidates with decent profiles still fail to negotiate because they assume negotiation itself is forbidden.

And that seems to be the part many people online connected with most.

Not necessarily the idea that every fresher can secure a huge salary jump — but the fact that many graduates enter interviews without ever being told how compensation conversations actually work.

Why this Reddit debate is resonating with young professionals

The viral discussion reflects a bigger anxiety among young Indian professionals right now.

Freshers are entering one of the most competitive hiring environments in years. Layoffs, mass applications, AI fears, and oversaturated entry-level markets have made many candidates feel replaceable before they even begin working.

That is why the debate became so divided.

Some people saw negotiation as basic self-respect.

Others saw it as a risky move that only works in privileged situations.

And somewhere between those two opinions lies the reality most freshers are probably trying to figure out during placement season.

(Disclaimer: This article is based on a viral social media post and online reactions. The Economic Times has not independently verified the authenticity of the content and does not claim or endorse it.)