> I think the reason "Let them make the first offer" is such common advice is because most people, when faced with the prospect of choosing a number, usually go

> I think the reason "Let them make the first offer" is such common advice is because most people, when faced with the prospect of choosing a number, usually go too low, perhaps out of discomfort with appearing arrogant or for fear of losing an offer entirely. The former's probably the bigger concern for engineers, given how notoriously bad at appropriately valuing their own skills they are. The latter is rare in tech, but is occasionally a legitimate concern for other fields with worse job markets. I don't think it's really unique to tech. The information asymmetry you describe below is more than enough reason for this to apply to nearly any prospect in any field, and it applies doubly in situations where the pay is generally low to begin with (eg. shiftwork). Only the most exceptionally informed prospects will be able to make an opening offer that won't stand a good chance of getting them shafted.