Comment by kris-jagasia

I used to be involved in the hiring decisions of big corporate consulting co. (software + other stuff) and they would consistently negotiate salaries that were 50% above the initial offer. Their strategy was to low ball, and work up from there. I'm not sure how many companies employ this strategy, but I report that it definitely does happen. Another point is that as you move away from fresh grad opportunities and more experienced, it's less obvious what "market rate" really is.