Tell: Got 50% bump for faking a counter offer

Reminds me of myself a few years back, but it was a different tactic. Ok maybe it was 13 years ago, but still... I was offered $14/hr for some job at a factory as computer support. I had an interview with the customer, and the agency accidentally forwards me what they were making. I asked for $17/hr or no deal. It was a fair deal because I knew how much they were making and their profit was still good. They threatened to get someone else, I hung up, they called back later and accepted the deal. After working there for a while I found the timesheets of the previous person ... at $17/hr. So I was glad that I held out. It was a fine moment of negotiation on my part. I could have asked for more, but I gave them a fair number that I knew they couldn't refuse.

Forget the guilt and channel your energy to creating more than $260,00 of value for your company.

During my first internship at a a start up that was about to IPO, I was so grateful, I would have worked for free. After a semester and the IPO, I was offered a different internship that I thought would provide more learning value. I told my mentor/manager, and he pulled me aside.

He said, "name a pay hike, and we can easily get it for you." I remember being so surprised because I was replaceable, and my work could easily be shifted to a new intern. Also, I remember the chance they took at taking an unproven undergrad on a rocketship of a startup. He told me that I didn't understand how businesses work yet, and I would soon learn that you are worth the value you provide.

Since then, I focus on knowing that at any company, I will provide incremental value, not just the status quo, but against competitive peers. And if a company offers more than I believe I can provide at a given time, I'll work my ass off to get to point where I can provide commiserate value.

Any argument against this? Jamespitts seems to make perfect sense here. @jamespitts, thanks for the valuable comments. As per my experience just asking $260K from the professional negotiator would have not landed me anywhere near this figure, he would have at-most increased 10K. Not arguing against what you said, just saying I cannot win with recruiter on negotiation without counter offers.

We were wondering about that. Now several of us have stumbled across this item. So, report to HR tomorrow morning for your exit interview.

If the world operated as a true meritocracy, not faking or bullshitting and just being 100% honest would work.

However, has asking for a 50% raise in the same company ever worked? Can you imagine a scenario where it would work? Maybe I am lacking in imagination.

The reality is that in our current business climate, various morally repugnant actions take place all the time. The examples you listed of dishonest climates, you keep getting a raw deal. Do you just take the short end of the stick to maintain the moral high ground?