Forgive me for being rude here, but I laughed at your comment. I made that rookie mistake, and I paid for it. I also kept making it and didn't realise what I wa

Forgive me for being rude here, but I laughed at your comment. I made that rookie mistake, and I paid for it. I also kept making it and didn't realise what I was doing wrong. So, the thing here is a little more complicated than getting/giving a straight answer for this question, however logical that might sound. 1. Yes. Companies do specify a budget when they tell a recruiter to look for candidates for a position. 2. How much you get offered in the end defines what the recruiter's cut is going to be. 3. Companies want to low ball you for 2 reasons. a) Get the guy for a minimum at first, so that the damage is minimum when and if he doesn't work out in the short term. See what we can do in the performance review some months down the line. b) The recruiter's cut will be lower. As you obviously know already, there are many opposing forces at play in the this game and your salary is always going to be x% of increment over your current salary (with a minimum of $y, maybe). Hence, asking a direct question has never worked for me. Neither do I see why it will work for someone else (until of course, you're charming).