Struggling with Low Salary After 10 Years: Do Companies Value Experience or Just Current Income?

Hi, I am Narayan Patil. I have been working for the last 10 years as an Open ERP Functional Consultant in IT companies. However, in my previous companies where I worked for 7 years, there were no proper increments or substantial growth. I worked for knowledge and experience. Now, my knowledge has increased, but my income has not. My current CTC after 10 years is 324,000 per year, and my experience is at the manager level.

When I interview with a new company, if the interviewer asks about my current CTC, I feel guilty about disclosing the low CTC after 10 years. Consequently, the next companies avoid scheduling further interviews after learning about my current CTC. I find it challenging to communicate my expected CTC based on my 10 years of experience, skills, and knowledge. If I mention an expected CTC of 700,000 or more, companies tend to doubt my experience and knowledge and are hesitant to offer a substantial salary hike.

The Dilemma of Salary Expectations

I am unsure whether companies prioritize people skills, experience, and knowledge or the individual's income. If individuals meet the company's requirements in terms of experience, skills, and knowledge, why do big MNCs hesitate to provide a substantial salary hike or proceed with next-level interviews? While past mistakes cannot be corrected, we can strive to avoid them in the future. What is the solution to this dilemma?

I have a question: Do people judge based on experience, skill, and knowledge, or on an individual's income? Please help me. I now seek quantum growth.

Regards, Narayan

Understanding the Balance Between Skills and CTC

There is always a difference between what is ideal and what is practical. Ideally, employers should consider skills, knowledge, and experience, but not CTC, when assessing job fit. However, in practice, some employers (not all) seem to believe that CTC reflects talent. Therefore, when difficult circumstances confront us, there is no point in worrying about "why me," "why the world is this way," or "I have made a mistake," because those thoughts offer no solutions. You need to switch to a solution-centric mode.

There is an interesting story of an eagle that I came across on one of my social media platforms. When the eagle grows old, its wings become weak, and it cannot fly as fast and high as it used to, but it does not worry about its weakness. Instead, it takes a break, retires to a quiet place, plucks all the old feathers, stays hidden, and waits for new and robust feathers to grow. Then, it comes out to soar as high as it used to.

Similarly, when things are not working or do not seem to be working, we need to think quietly instead of becoming restless, focusing only on the positives of the past. An important positive from the past is that you developed a good knowledge and skill set during your ten-year tenure. Now, you have to market it to potential employers. To sell your skill set and knowledge, which you believe deserve a better CTC than what you are currently paid, you need to articulate it well in the interview. This means polishing your communication skills, researching the company well, analyzing the advertisement, understanding what the employer needs, and preparing for the interview by focusing on probable questions related to your job or the anticipated job challenges. Impress upon the employer that you are the solution to their problems or needs.

Employers are now looking for talent, and not all of them prioritize CTC. The trend is changing. However, it is essential to stay in touch with reality. The reality is that no employer may offer double your past CTC when hiring. Therefore, you need to find a middle ground where the employer can offer a decent package matching your knowledge and skills, and you do not feel underpaid. Subsequently, you can aim for a progressive increase in your remuneration as you gain experience in different establishments or sectors.

On this note, I wish you all the best.

Regards, B. Saikumar.

Question on Communicating CTC During Interviews

Thank you very much for your valuable feedback and reply. I have a question: some companies are ignoring or rejecting candidates due to a lower offered CTC. Can I update or communicate a higher CTC than my current actual CTC to increase my chances of getting an interview call or having my profile considered for their opening? I will then demonstrate my potential and skills during the interview. After that, I will disclose my actual CTC to the employer before any final decisions are made. This approach will help me face the interviewer confidently.

Please guide me on this.

Thank you and regards,

Narayan Patil

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