If someone's going to turn down a great job over a couple of grand that means he's insanely greedy. Why would you want to hire an insanely greedy person?
Salary matters-- you need enough that money isn't a personal problem for you, and salary is an indication of how the firm perceives your professional maturity-- but small margins don't.
>If someone's going to turn down a great job over a couple of grand that means he's insanely greedy.
False symmetry. For a company, an extra 5k per year shouldn't even make a blip on the radar. If it does then I would have to question the stability of said company. For me however, as my sole income it does make a very obvious difference.
Salary matters-- you need enough that money isn't a personal problem for you, and salary is an indication of how the firm perceives your professional maturity-- but small margins don't.