This conversation is where senior level deals go off the rails because both sides make the same mistakes.
You walk into the final interview. The hiring panel nods. Everyone likes you. The chemistry works. So far, so good.
Then the salary talk starts, and everything falls apart.
- The candidate says: “I’m flexible on compensation.”
- The company hears: “I’m desperate.”
- The candidate thinks: “I’m being reasonable.”
- The sad news? Both sides just destroyed the deal.
In Thailand, this dance happens every day.
Candidates avoid naming their number to avoid appearing greedy. On the other side of the table, companies push for flexibility because they think it means cheaper.
At the end of the day, everyone loses.
The flexible candidate gets lowballed
The company that pushes too hard loses top talent to competitors who pay market rate. By week three, when reality hits, the deal is dead.
I have watched this pattern destroy perfect matches. An example:
- A regional director role with an annual compensation budget of 8 million baht.
- But the “flexibility” conversation starts, and suddenly we’re negotiating at 5.5 million.
The candidate is worth every baht. The company budget is approved.
The candidate feels insulted. The company feels the candidate isn’t committed. Trust breaks.
When candidates shoot themselves in the foot
You present your expected number too early. You share your current or most recent pay.
Hiring managers lose interest fast when they hear inflated expectations without evidence.
You reduce your chances when you tell employers what you want instead of showing how you create value.
You close doors when you say you will not move on your number.
Senior hiring needs flexibility, market data, and a clear value story.
Silly mistakes from hiring companies
Are you trying to buy top talent at yesterday’s price? You expect a senior leader to join without a market-based package.
You hide the real budget until the final step and then act shocked when the candidate declines.
You damage the trust when you run a long process, and then, even worse, you offer a number well below expectations.
Running a long hiring process that destroys every deal happens as often as the misunderstanding that recruiters do not find jobs for people (they find people for jobs).
As the hiring company, you lose candidates when your approval process drags on for weeks.
Senior leaders read this as a sign of slow decision-making, and it is a red flag for what your company culture is sadly all about.
Here’s what works for candidates and companies
As a candidate, you need to prepare before you enter the negotiation. You must know the market for the role.
Use real numbers and examples from your industry. Show how you increase revenue, reduce cost, or solve critical problems. Bring data from your past performance.
- Candidates: State your real number. Not your dream number. Not your minimum. Your real walk-away number. In Thailand’s market, transparency beats strategy.
- Companies: Share the real budget range. Not the HR approved lowball range. The actual range you would pay for exceptional talent.
An employment agreement is never only about salary. You have many levers that help close a senior hire. Both sides can put alternatives on the table.
Sign-on bonus paid with first month’s salary. Company car with driver. Housing/apartment allowance. International school fees for the children. Home leave tickets to your home country. Language allowance if you speak a third language (in addition to your native and English).
Health insurance (life, accident) also for immediate family members. Membership in a top business club. Employee Stock Options. A guaranteed extra month at year’s end. A higher performance bonus calculated as a percentage of annual salary.
When both parties explore the full package, not only the base pay, deals close faster and with fewer headaches.
As a headhunter with over 20 years in senior search, I have rescued many deals that were about to collapse. A trusted recruiter gives both sides a neutral voice, cuts through the noise, and helps candidates and companies reach common ground.
This feels uncomfortable in Thai culture
Yes, this feels uncomfortable in Thai culture. Do it anyway.
Discomfort lasts five minutes. Bad hires last for years.
When both sides skip the dance and talk real numbers early, deals close. When they play games, deals die.
After recruiting and helping clients hire executives across Thailand for over 20 years, I can tell you this:
The best hires happen when both sides respect each other enough to be direct about money.
Stop being flexible. Start being honest. Join the 10% of deals that actually close.
Executive hiring is a commercial negotiation
Senior hiring is a commercial negotiation.
When both sides understand the market, respect timelines, and focus on value, deals close smoothly.
When they enter unprepared, the deal dies in minutes.
