They will ask your expected CTC. Here is what to say.
Four conversations every Indian job seeker has and almost nobody prepares for: the expected-CTC question, the low offer, the competing offer, and the close. The exact words, and why they work.
against a ₹4.8 L offer
a sentence, not a demand
Whatever you think is fair, the most expensive sentence in Indian hiring
"What is your expected CTC?" is asked in the first ten minutes of nearly every Indian interview, and most people answer it wrong in the first five seconds. Deflect too hard and you sound difficult. Give a number and you have anchored low. There is a third option, and it is a sentence.
"And what is your expected CTC?"
"I would rather understand the role and the band first. If you can share the range for this position, I can tell you straight away whether we are aligned."
Four scenes, every line written out.
Real scripts for real conversations. What to say, what they will say back, and what to say then.
"We are able to offer ₹4.8 lakhs for this role."
"Thank you, I am glad to have the offer. Based on what I have seen for this role in Gurugram, and the certifications and campaign experience I bring, I was expecting something closer to six. Is there room to move on the base?"
"The band is fixed for this level."
"Understood. If the base cannot move, could we look at the joining bonus or a six-month review with a defined step? I want to say yes to this, and I want it to be at a number I can stay at."
You named a number with a reason, not a demand. You gave them a way to say yes that is not the base. And "I want to say yes" tells them you are not shopping.
Do one mock interview. If the report does not give you one thing to change before your next interview, write to us within three days and tell us what it missed. We refund in full.
Read the scene. Practise it out loud. Use it.
Read the four scenes
Each one is a short exchange, both sides, with the reasoning under every line.
Put your numbers in
Your market range from the calculator drops into the script. The words stay; the number becomes yours.
Say it out loud
The mock has a salary-round mode. The interviewer asks; you answer; you hear whether it sounds natural.
Use it
One line for the CTC question. One for the low offer. You have already said them twice.
Written for India, not translated from a US book.
CTC, variable, notice period
The scripts handle the questions Indian recruiters actually ask: expected CTC on the first call, buyout, and variable pay dressed as base.
Practise it in the mock
A script you have read once is not a script you can say under pressure. The salary round in the mock lets you hear yourself.
What not to say
Every scene includes the line people usually say, and why it costs them. "Whatever you think is fair" is the most expensive sentence in Indian hiring.
From the number to the sentence.
Built to be honest, which turns out to be rare.
Every one of these exists because a lie was found and removed. They are not features. They are rules.
Reads the layout of your file
Columns, tables, fonts, page count, contact placement, across seven hiring systems. Every other scanner reads the text and calls it done.
Never invents a fact
Dates, employers, metrics, skills. If it is not in your document it does not appear, and the removal is named so you can add it yourself.
Scores that hold still
The rubric is fixed. The same answer scores the same on every run, so a second attempt measures you, not the mood of a model.
Rewrites your answer, not a better one
“Say it this way” is built from what you actually said. Not a model answer from someone else’s career.
Stop halfway, still get a report
Answer two questions or twenty. Anything we could not measure says “not enough to measure” instead of printing a number.
Absence is always stated
Salary not listed. Page count not measured. Company pattern unknown. Never a green tick nothing earned.
You have an interview. Pick how long you need.
The same product either way. A week if it is Thursday, a month if the hunt has just started.
Free
Check your resume, build it, and read a real report before you decide.
- Unlimited ATS structure checks, all seven systems
- One keyword match against a job posting
- Resume builder, four templates, manual editing
- Download with a ClearRound footer
- Eight salary calculators and the negotiation scripts
- A full sample of every paid report, start to finish
The pass
The same product either way. The only choice is how long your hunt lasts.
- Unlimited mock interviews, voice, up to twenty questions
- Feedback and a model answer on every question, not just the weakest
- Unlimited keyword matching against any posting
- Resume tailoring, cover letters and STAR stories
- Pre-game briefing for the company and the round
- LinkedIn optimiser, prep reports, clean exports
Do one mock interview. If the report does not give you one thing to change before your next interview, write to us within three days and tell us what it missed. We refund in full.
No form. One email within three days of the payment, saying what it missed.Things worth knowing before you start.
Will this work for a fresher?
Yes, and it matters more for a fresher, because the first number you accept sets every hike after it. Scene 01 is written for someone with no prior salary to anchor on.
What if they insist on a number?
Scene 01 covers that. You give a range built from the calculator, low end above your floor, and say it once without apologising.
Is this negotiation advice or a script?
A script. The exact words, in order, with what they will likely say back. Advice tells you to "be confident." This tells you what to say.
Can I practise it?
Yes. The mock has a salary-round mode that asks these questions. Say the lines twice before the real call.
"Whatever you think is fair" is the most expensive sentence in Indian hiring.
Read the four scenes tonight. Say them out loud once.