JFSanders031 @ 14: I agree with what you say, with a big but – at *some* point you have to talk money, and that can still blow the deal. This is a *serious* problem in IT and most STEM jobs these days. It is a waste of everyone’s time if we do everything you suggest – and then the salary is half what you made last time. And such opportunities abound in IT these days. I’m talking about me, here. I’m sitting home right now, rather than take any of several very low pay offers. It’s a hard game to play – but also one more and more are going to get caught up in, in this New Economy. But, I have an entire sales campaign on right now, through a recruiter (which is norally like pushing on a string, when it comes to compensation issues, but this recruiter is a bit of a friend), to land what sounds like it might be a very good job at a local (and Name) employer, who nonetheless is offering what I see as very low compensation. Odds are long, but it passes the time.