A recent hiring incident involving Vanshiv Technologies has sparked intense online debate about professional ethics and salary negotiation tactics in the Indian job market. The case highlights how short-term bargaining strategies can have long-term career consequences.
The Controversial Job Offer Negotiation
Gaurav Kheterpal, founder and CEO of Vanshiv Technologies, shared on social media platform X how a prospective employee created a complicated situation just days before joining his company. The candidate, who was scheduled to start work on Monday, sent an email requesting the company to match a competing offer that was nearly ₹2 lakh higher than the agreed package.
Kheterpal's team responded promptly by reaffirming that the candidate was welcome to join at the originally agreed salary. They clearly stated that the offer would be withdrawn if the candidate was no longer interested in the position. Shortly after this communication, the candidate informed Vanshiv Technologies that he would instead join the other company, leading to the immediate cancellation of his offer.
The Unexpected Twist and Double Negotiation
The situation took a dramatic turn when the founder of the competing organization, whom Kheterpal knew personally, reached out to him. It emerged that the candidate had allegedly used Vanshiv Technologies' offer letter as leverage to negotiate a higher salary with the second company.
"He played the same trick at the other company showing our offer letter & asking them to bump it up," Kheterpal revealed in his post. The second company recognized the pattern and contacted Vanshiv Technologies to verify the situation. After learning that Kheterpal's firm had already withdrawn their offer due to the candidate's behavior, the second company also decided to rescind their offer, reportedly displeased with the repeated renegotiation attempts.
Social Media Reactions and Career Lessons
The incident triggered widespread discussion on social media platforms, with professionals weighing in on the ethics of such negotiation tactics. One user commented, "Honestly, he played it badly. Negotiation is fine but flipping offers like poker cards kills trust. He didn't lose a job; he lost credibility and that's much harder to earn back."
Another observer noted the growing trend of such practices, stating, "This kind of negotiation has become a matter of pride amongst engineers now, just like any marketplace. And it works for them, no doubt, but it eradicates the sanctity of workplace. Leaving a place for better opportunity is not wrong, but this is different."
Kheterpal added that the candidate later attempted to rejoin his company at the original salary, but the opportunity was no longer available. The CEO concluded with a valuable career insight: "Only if such candidates realized that they can always get a 'job' which pays them more, but they can't build a 'career' with such bargaining skills."
The incident has prompted discussions about creating better systems for employers to identify such patterns, with some suggesting a shared reference database to flag candidates who engage in unethical negotiation practices.
