Clear the rounds
The Salary Question Script (For Freshers)
Same company, same role, same week. Aarav was asked his expected package and said "₹4 lakh is fine, I just want to start." Riya was asked the same thing and said "Could you tell me the band for this role?" Priya said ₹6.5 to ₹8. Riya joined at ₹7.2 lakh. Aarav joined at ₹4.5.
10 min readFree, no email neededUpdated 11 September 2026
Why the first number loses
Same company, same role, same week. Aarav was asked his expected package and said "₹4 lakh is fine, I just want to start." Riya was asked the same thing and said "Could you tell me the band for this role?" Priya said ₹6.5 to ₹8. Riya joined at ₹7.2 lakh. Aarav joined at ₹4.5.
Before Priya calls you, a band is already approved for that role — say ₹6 to ₹9 lakh. Name a number below it and she will not correct you upward; she writes down your number. Whoever says a number first sets the ceiling, and a fresher's guess is almost always below the budget.
Four moments, four answers
Campus drive? Package fixed for everyone. Page 11 is what you ask instead.
The script, word for word
Say these out loud ten times before your next call. Not so you sound rehearsed, so you do not freeze.
“And what is your current CTC?” You are a fresher — you do not have one. Say: “This would be my first full-time role, so there is no current CTC. I have looked at the market for this role and I am at ₹7 to ₹9 lakh fixed.” Never quote an internship stipend as a salary. A ₹15,000 stipend becomes the anchor for the whole conversation.
The line that gets you information
Then they answer. Now what?
- The number is fine"That works for me, thank you for being straightforward." Do not accept on the call. Ask for it in writing and read pages 7 and 8 first.
- The number is low"That is a little below what I was expecting for this role in Pune. Is there any flexibility on the fixed component?" Then be quiet and let them answer.
- They refuse to share a bandGive your range (line 2) and add: "If that is outside your budget, please tell me now and I will not waste your time." Honest, and it usually gets a real reply.
The silence rule. After you say a number or make an ask, stop. The pause will feel three times longer than it is. Freshers lose lakhs by filling it with "but of course I am flexible, anything is fine really".
Finding a realistic range
Thirty minutes of homework, done before the call, not during it. Use at least three of these.
The honest note. These numbers vary a lot, and some of them are wrong. The same company pays differently by city, by team, by year, and by whether you came through campus or off-campus. Some reported figures include stock or a joining bonus. Treat everything you find as a band, not a fact — that is exactly why the script asks for their band instead of announcing yours.
Reading an offer
CTC means Cost To Company: everything they spend on you in a year, including money you never see in your bank. It is not your salary. Learn these five words and you will never be surprised again.
- Fixed payBase plus allowances, paid every month, guaranteed. This is the only number that matters. Negotiate this one.
- Variable / performance payPaid once or twice a year, and only if the company and you hit targets. Ask: "what percentage did last year's batch actually receive?"
- Joining bonusOne time, year one only. It makes the CTC look bigger forever. Usually has a clawback if you leave inside 12 months.
- Retention bonusPaid after 12 or 18 months of service. Real money, but not this year's money.
- Employer PF and gratuityShown inside CTC, never in your account. PF you get back much later; gratuity only after five years.
One question to ask about any offer: "Could you share the fixed component and the monthly in-hand, apart from the total CTC?" A real company answers in one line.
A ₹6.5 LPA offer, month by month
A realistic service-company fresher offer. Your letter will differ; the shape will not.
"6.5 LPA, so about ₹54,000 a month."
About ₹37,000 a month, plus ₹50,000 once at joining and ₹50,000 after a year.
Tax depends on your regime, state and declarations. At this level, under the new regime, income tax is usually nil. Do the same subtraction on your own letter before you celebrate or panic.
Negotiating
If the salary truly cannot move, ask for something that can:
- A joining bonus instead of a raise, or the base location you want
- A salary review at 6 months instead of 12, written into the letter
- Team or project allocation confirmed before joining, and a later joining date if you need it
What never to say
Every one of these costs money, credibility, or the offer itself.
- A specific low number, first."₹3.5 lakh is fine." She will write ₹3.5 lakh. Nobody in the history of hiring has said "actually, take more."
- "Anything is fine." "As per company standards." "Whatever you think I deserve."It sounds humble. It reads as no market awareness, and it earns you nothing — the band does not move because you were polite.
- A lie about another offer.Priya knows the market and often knows the recruiter at the other company. If she asks to see the letter, you are finished — and India's placement circles are small.
- A personal reason for the number."I need ₹8 lakh because of my education loan." Companies pay for the role, not the need. It makes you look risky, not deserving.
- Someone else's package."My friend got ₹12 lakh at that company." Different company, different role, different year. It only shows you have not researched this one.
- Anything about salary in the technical round.Wrong person, wrong round. The engineer cannot change it and will remember that you asked.
The one sentence that saves you: "Could you tell me the band for this role?" If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember that.
Fixed package? Still ask these 3
On campus the number is set by the company and your placement cell, and it is the same for everyone in that role. Do not negotiate. Do ask, politely, in the HR round or after the pre-placement talk — nobody is offended by a candidate who wants to understand the structure.
"Could you tell me the fixed and variable split of the package, and when the variable is paid? What percentage did last year's batch actually receive?"
Turns an announced "7 LPA" into a real monthly number."Is there a service agreement or bond? What is the amount, the duration, and what triggers it?"
Common in service companies. Get the amount and the exit terms before you sign, not after."Is there a training period, is it paid at the full package, and when are base location and joining date confirmed?"
Many companies pay a reduced stipend for the first three to six months. Better to know in October than in June.Open with: "I am keen to accept — I would just like to understand the structure." Ask your placement coordinator anything the company will not answer. And if the drive gives you an offer while a better process is live elsewhere, check your college's policy on holding two offers before you assume you can.
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