salary negotiation with a new job offer

vincentnyc10

any1 here ever have any experience especially in this recession with a job offer and negotiation for their salary? when they offer the position and a salary number, do you tell them give me a day or 2 to think about it and will get back to them or what? how would u go about doing it? please elaborate. thx in advance.

ps this is in nyc and i want this position and i think they also want me (otherwise, they won't offer me the position...lol).

skrpune

Even in a tough economy, you have to at least try to respectfully and reasonably negotiate your salary. Note the key words there - if you come back at them without consideration or respect for their position, then buh-bye job offer. So proceed with caution & know what your own threshold is before you start the negotiations.

The first thing you need to do is say thank you for the offer - choose whatever words/way seems natural to you, but don't be overly gushy or act surprised that they are offering. A simple "thank you for the offer" will often do. As for what comes after that, you'll get different opinions, but here's mine:
- let them make the first mention of money if at all possible. The general rule of thumb is that he/she who mentions a number first loses. (Although I broke this cardinal rule when pressed during my initial phone interview...if you must, give a broad range that can be further narrowed after discussing job details.)
- if you get a number from the potential employer, is it a firm offer? (i.e., will you just be wasting your breath if you try to negotiate at all?)
- do they need an answer right away? This is a big decision, and unless you're gaga head over heels or in desperate need of income, you want to sleep on it and give it a day or two to review & see if you have any other questions before you accept decline.
- counter with another number...or you can do what I did and just don't say anything and wait for them to raise the number themselves. You will likely have to go with the former & not the latter. I was lucky enough that I got a relatively new HR person who was a little nervous and apparently really wanted to bring me on board so she countered herself before I even asked her to. Don't ask for $40/hr if their initial offer is $15/hr though - be reasonable, otherwise you can blow it.
- ask questions. If there's anything you're unsure of about the position, ask away. It will give you more info to make your decision & see just how much this position is worth to you salary-wise.
- are there other non-salary benefits or perks to take into account? Discounts, tuition reimbursement, vacation, retirement accounts, & insurance are among some of the perks you might want to consider as non-salary yet still valuable compensation.

Good luck, and keep us posted!!

undomiel

Not much need for my advice here, skrpune has it pretty much covered. Once an offer is made thank them and head back home to think things over rationally. Then it is time to negotiate. Play to your strengths. If you're a good talker then meet in person for negotiating, otherwise stick to letters if you're a better writer. As mentioned, if you haven't stated what you are looking for yet or what you are currently making, then keep that number close. You most likely will not hurt things if you ask for more money. At my recent gained position we went back and forth several times on salary before finally landing on a number. Don't forget to keep in mind other non-salary items such as cell phone, company laptop, insurance and so forth. Those are all numbers that the company may have more wriggle room on.

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you!

Xcluziv

Well, skrpune and undomiel gave a pretty good response on what to do. Genreally, when they place the offer on the table the company usually gives you a certain window of time that they want you to make your decision. Also, as skrpune stated above check and see if "...there are any other non-salary benefits or perks to take into account? Discounts, tuition reimbursement, vacation, retirement accounts, & insurance are among some of the perks you might want to consider as non-salary yet still valuable compensation." Also, maybe if the salary is not what you would like, you could try taking that and negotiating a certain $$$$ bonus for a set amount of years....probably 2 or 3.

Bokeh

Another tip that has worked well for others in the past. If they offer, say 40k and you are hoping for 45. You could go back and say you propose 40k to start, 42.5 at six months, and 45k end of year.

Again, look at the whole package. If they are offering 100% of insurance, that should put an extra 200-600/month in your pocket, vs a company that offers a bit more yet does an 80/20 split. Do they have an 401k program, and do they match? Matching is getting harder and harder to find.

At my current job, they offered me what I was making at my last job. I told them I would get back to them the next day. Within 30 minutes they called and up'ed the offer another 2500. Again, I will get back to them tomorrow. Five minutes later they called and put another 2500 on the table along with partial tuition reimbursement. I accepted after that, and have been happy.

swabbies

I always try to get a range out of the hr person or interviewer before sitting down for the interview. This has worked well for me as I don't want to waste either my time or their time if the salary is not reasonable.

Ashenwelt

It is very rare for an offer to require an immediate response. Later the same day or the next day are normally reasonable.

Now if people would just stop low balling me:)

GAngel

swabbies wrote: »

I always try to get a range out of the hr person or interviewer before sitting down for the interview. This has worked well for me as I don't want to waste either my time or their time if the salary is not reasonable.

This.

I don't go to an interview without atleast having a general idea of if the job is worth moving to. If they come back with we're not sure I mention my approximate salary and if there budget would be able to manage that.

PPforLife

Just had an interview last week and i was ask for salary (this will be my 1st desktop role) i gave them a range of 37k-41k...think i should have asked "what is the positions budget. sighh...So i think if im offered the job the highest I will get is 41k. sighhhhh

powerfool

Bokeh wrote: »

Another tip that has worked well for others in the past. If they offer, say 40k and you are hoping for 45. You could go back and say you propose 40k to start, 42.5 at six months, and 45k end of year.

Again, look at the whole package. If they are offering 100% of insurance, that should put an extra 200-600/month in your pocket, vs a company that offers a bit more yet does an 80/20 split. Do they have an 401k program, and do they match? Matching is getting harder and harder to find.

At my current job, they offered me what I was making at my last job. I told them I would get back to them the next day. Within 30 minutes they called and up'ed the offer another 2500. Again, I will get back to them tomorrow. Five minutes later they called and put another 2500 on the table along with partial tuition reimbursement. I accepted after that, and have been happy.

That is awesome... I love hearing those stories. My current job asked me what range I was looking to get and they just straight up gave me the high end... and I felt like I short-changed myself, but I was also out of work when the offer came, and it was $12k more than I had been making.

I just did this job negotiation for a position that a recruiter found me on. I played hardball (but was respectful). If all other things were equal, the salary that they offered would have been great ($15k more), but I really needed a bigger bump because of the benefits (another $10k would have sold me).

amb1s1

vincentnyc10 wrote: »

any1 here ever have any experience especially in this recession with a job offer and negotiation for their salary? when they offer the position and a salary number, do you tell them give me a day or 2 to think about it and will get back to them or what? how would u go about doing it? please elaborate. thx in advance.

ps this is in nyc and i want this position and i think they also want me (otherwise, they won't offer me the position...lol).

I would like to know happen. Did you accept the offer? Did you ask for more?

Hypntick

PPforLife wrote: »

Just had an interview last week and i was ask for salary (this will be my 1st desktop role) i gave them a range of 37k-41k...think i should have asked "what is the positions budget. sighh...So i think if im offered the job the highest I will get is 41k. sighhhhh

They're probably going to come back with a 33-35k offer.

I actually took my first offer here, it wasn't as much as I wanted to be making but there was salary increases spelled out in my offer for certs etc. Also there is laptop, phone, and a nice travel allowance when I start going on site. Overall i'll end up making around the same as my last job, but i'm gaining a significant number of skills I would have never had at the previous place. The experience is exactly why I took the cut, it'll help me more than the money right now.

TLeTourneau

For my new position (which I start on 8/1) the stated base was 67k and I asked for 75k. When the offer came through it was 71k, I accepted. With the benefits and the fact that the company is on the top 100 employer list I am very happy with the outcome.

Good luck!

it_consultant

I recommended my buddy for a job with my company and he negotiated himself out of a job offer. He has had 2 tech jobs (one at Best Buy) and has not certifications, he wanted $60K for a help desk job where we would train him into a real system admin. To be brutally honest he commanded probably $47K based on my recommendation and because he does have 3 years of consulting experience. We countered and he countered again, at that point my boss said "to hell with this guy".