<prompt> Human: See edit below.I was unexpectedly fired from my job in Information Security last Tuesday. Ive been very fortunate to be able to quickly line up interviews, and Ive landed an offer for a 3-month contract that has a good chance of renewing indefinitely. I was originally told 22hr 45,760 by the recruiter, but as it turns out, that salary is slightly higher than the clients internal team lead, which they the client cant justify. The recruiter just called to inform me of this, and while he said they the recruiter are trying to see what they can take cuts on, he asked if I would be willing to take 21hr 43,680.My previous salary was 45,000, although I told a fib to the recruiter and said it was 55,000, and that even the original rate would be a large pay cut. He supposedly feels bad that Im being asked to go down even further. He said that theyre trying to get it wrapped up by noon CST today, and asked that I try to give him my answer by then.Some things in my favor:- I was obviously the strongest candidate and Ive been performing the core tasks of this job at every IT position Ive held, so Im very experienced.- Ive applied and done a phone interview for another non-contract job that I have a good feeling about, which pays a lot more 60,000 bonus and benefits, however the process is going extremely slowly and Im not sure if the hiring manager has even started interviews.- I hold certifications relevant to the job.Some things that are against me:- Im unemployed, and while my wife has income and we have a large emergency fund to rely on, I need another job quickly.- If I decline this offer in hopes of getting the other job, and then dont get it, Id be shooting myself in the foot.So, how do I negotiate this? In all reality Im fine with taking the lower rate for a few months while I look for other things, but I dont want to leave money on the table. Im thinking of countering at 45,000 which is slightly less than halfway between the two rates, and exactly what I was making before.Also, would I be burning a bridge with the recruiter by accepting this offer, and then if I get an offer from the other job, quitting this one right away? On one hand, theyre a good and respected IT recruiter in this area that I dont want to ruin a relationship with, but on the other, Im sure I wouldnt be the first person to do it.Edit: Well, I stuck to my guns and didnt budge, and after talking to their Director to get it approved, the recruiter was able to keep me at 22hr in exchange for my commitment to the full 3-month contract. In case anyone finds this thread and is in a similar situation, heres the verbiage I used with the recruiter:Ive run the numbers on my budget and going below 22hr would really be an uncomfortable situation for my wife and me. You mentioned the possibility of lowering your percentages to make it work, so I wanted to see if that could happen.Please reply back by email as I prefer to keep communication about salary in writing.Thanks!  <response>: Edit: Well, I stuck to my guns and didnt budge, and after talking to their Director to get it approved, the recruiter was able to keep me at 22hr in exchange for my commitment to the full 3-month contract. In case anyone finds this thread and is in a similar situation, heres the verbiage I used with the recruiter: Ive run the numbers on my budget and going below 22hr would really be an uncomfortable situation for my wife and me. You mentioned the possibility of lowering your percentages to make it work, so I wanted to see if that could happen.If you respect yourself, you negotiate for more or walk away. You know what youre worth, they know what youre worth. Anything else is an attempt to lowball you. You discussed one salary with them, then they turned around and offered you less. What other things that you discussed with them are they will to change on your once youve started? Its a matter of basic integrity, after all.I know you said that you told them that you were making 55k before, but the fact that you settled for 45 sent a clear message to the recruiter that either a you were lying, b you are so desperate that they can take advantage of you, or c both a and b.In either case, you never take a pay cut, and if you lied to the recruiter about your salary then you dont take an imaginary pay cut, either. An employer who has any interest in you long term doesnt want you to take a 20 pay cut to come work for them, because they know that youll only be there until you get a job that pays you what you were allegedly making before. To be honest, if you had told them that you were previously earning 55k and didnt come across as someone obviously lying or desperate, then they would have likely come back with something in the 55k-60k range. If they were shopping you around for 10k less, then theyre not interested in finding a good fit for you, theyre just trying to fill an open requisition and get a quick payout. I was originally told 22hr 45,760 by the recruiter, but as it turns out, that salary is slightly higher than the clients internal team lead, which they the client cant justify.The team leads salary isnt your problem. He might be a poor negotiator and failed to negotiate a reasonable salary for himself. He might be drastically underpaid and looking around for another job anyway. What they pay other people isnt your concern, what is your concern is getting paid what you are worth. 