Job candidates who jokingly requested ridiculously high salaries received a 9% higher wage offer than candidates who made no such jokes, according to a simulation conducted by Todd J. Thorsteinson of the University of Idaho.
In the experiment, students applied for imaginary jobs as administrative assistants, stating that their previous salary level had been $29,000; those who kiddingly said they’d like to earn $100,000 were offered an average of $35,385, compared with $32,463 for the nonjokers.
In a negotiation, an initial offer — even one offered in jest — can serve as an “anchor,” affecting the eventual outcome, Thorsteinson says.
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