Lowball offer question

Hey Guys,

I had an interview with Booz -Allen for a Technical support position with the opportunity to move into the applications team within a year if I do well. However, during the applications process I put down my approximate salary for my current job (I believe that was a mistake). I passed the interview and was offered the job, but it's only $4000 more than what I currently make now. Currently my job has me working strange hours and I am looking for more opportunity, but I don't know if I can justify that little of an increase.

What do you guys think?

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Comments

ptilsen

$4,000 might not be so bad, depending on what you make now, but I would probably ask for more if money were the only negative to the opportunity. Also, if the opportunity to move in a year seems real, it might be good to get in even for only $4,000.

cw3k

You can always counter offer them. If they think you qualify, they will work with you. There are a lot more than just money when hiring a person.

Nutsy

This is one of the best videos that I have seen on how to play the corporate negotiation game.

"How to Negotiate Salary" with Ramit Sethi - YouTube

I heard this awhile back (I can't remember from who), but XYZ company doesn't care about the money they are going to give you when they negotiate. Let's face an extra $20K in your salary doesn't matter to a multi-million/billion company.

The next logical question is, "Why do they negotiate?" Brass tax: it is someones job to do so.

Bottom line: don't feel weird about negotiating. BAH has ten of thousands of employees working for their interests. You need to work actively to protect yours. At the end of the day if you can't reach a number that is agreeable to all parties involved, just walk.

alexander77

I countered them but they refuse to budge, I have some time to figure out what I want to do. It's a tough choice though because I currently can't stand the hours I'm working now but I feel that even though Booz-Allen is a known company..the offer is kind of lowball.

I saw the video nutsy, it's a good watch I'm going to apply that next time.

I also thought about using the company to transfer to a government agency that can sponsor for a clearance after a few months...does anybody have experience with transferring with one of the major defense contractors?

clouder

Booz is a major defense contractor, actually. As it was explained to me by a Booz employee here, it's easy to change places within Booz if you don't like where you're at, as long as another of Booz's customers will take you. She said you can also sit on overhead for up to 2 months I think, before you have to make a move. I think it wouild be a good experience, and would get you out of your weird hours.

Gorby

They may make you wait a year or a certain amount of time to transfer, and you might have to worry about whether your manager will let you even leave. My brother had this problem with Lockheed martin because he had to wait and fight with his manager to let him leave.

NetworkVeteran

alexander77 wrote: »

I currently can't stand the hours I'm working now.. it's only $4000 more than what I currently make now.. but I feel that even though Booz-Allen is a known company..the offer is kind of lowball.

They're offering you both better hours and better pay than you have now--that doesn't sound like a low-ball to me. There's no reason to feel raw. If you feel you're worth significantly more, just say no, and if you actually are worth more they'll either counter-offer or you'll get a better offer from someone else in a week or two.

I countered them but they refuse to budge

When you formerly decline the offer, they may make you a counter-offer, or hire someone at a better price point. In my experience, employers don't typically offer to pay more simply because I want them to. I wish!

N2IT

Sometimes the evil you know is better than the evil you don't know.

clouder

N2IT wrote: »

Sometimes the evil you know is better than the evil you don't know.

So true it hurts!

higherho

get either multiple offers going or get more info out of them to get the higher pay requirement. I stated my currently salary but it was on a 5 year contract and they tried low balling me for a 3 year contract. I stated I want X amount of money they refused and then stated "well I'm currently on a longer term contract and would get more money here". I worded this better but the end result made them move. Also if you already have your clearance that saves them 10k + easy so use that as a salary weapon.

alexander77 wrote: »

I also thought about using the company to transfer to a government agency that can sponsor for a clearance after a few months...does anybody have experience with transferring with one of the major defense contractors?

Yes I had my SCI processed through one but took a position at another. Sponsoring / change is easy and is all done in JPAS. You wont have to worry about any of that.

Plantwiz

@Alexander77

NetworkVeteran is correct.

I will add that now that you have exposed your cards, you can -
1. Walk away to prove you were serious.
2. Counter with an option for additional time off rather than more pay, private bathroom, free lunch, etc... this is your chance to make it NOT about the money but the incentive to join their team.
3. Take it as is (which at this point (IMNSHO)) would be a mistake...depending on how you handled the objection.

Even with #2, they may completely shut the door on you, so it is up to you. I don't think $4K ABOVE your current pay is low-ball either.

Nemowolf

Plantwiz wrote: »

@Alexander77

NetworkVeteran is correct.

I will add that now that you have exposed your cards, you can -
1. Walk away to prove you were serious.
2. Counter with an option for additional time off rather than more pay, private bathroom, free lunch, etc... this is your chance to make it NOT about the money but the incentive to join their team.
3. Take it as is (which at this point (IMNSHO)) would be a mistake...depending on how you handled the objection.

Even with #2, they may completely shut the door on you, so it is up to you. I don't think $4K ABOVE your current pay is low-ball either.

Very much agree. Many folks who are new to negotiating just assume its entirely based on salary. How much would an extra week of vacation after hitting the six month mark, gratis, work for you? How about them starting you with that 40 hours of vacation time up front but agree not to use it all at once?

Ramnit knows his stuff if you want the other videos he has but i saw another video that explains several points about negotiating that are very common mistakes and being flexible instead of just asking for cash is one of them. When it comes to interview time, I make a point to not discuss money until an official offer is presented. If the offer doesnt cover things like benefits, time off, medical/dental/etc coverage then i ask to have this in writing. A coworker negotiated a mandatory evaluation after 90 days for a promotion to a lead/sr position that was in their offer letter. Sure enough, approximately 100 days after their hire they were promoted with a nice bump in pay to go with.

Which reminds me that you can also see if you can sneak in conditional statements such as this with the hiring manager. Based on the interview, see if you can set a preliminary goal such as increasing productivity or cutting costs by X amount to earn a bonus/raise or something. Depending on the employer, they may not be willing to put this in an offer so this may need to be done during the negotiation with your future manager to happen post your acceptance.

Also to the OP: Whats the status?

Bokeh

Everything is negotiable. A $4k bump may not sound like a lot, but you do have to look at the big picture. Whats the benefit pkg like? Is their insurance plan cheaper and offer better coverage than what you have currently? Do they offer tuition reimbursement? What is the 401k plan like (if any).

You have to compare everything, not just the all mighty dollar amount. Perhaps the $4k bump will actually look like $6-8k if you compare all what they have to offer against what you have at your current employer.

When I had to switch jobs recently, I did get a 15k bump, but it turns out to be closer to 20k when I factored in the cheaper insurance, better medicine prescription costs, etc.

So, do the math and then see if the offer was fair (for starters). If you can still negotiate, perhaps an additional week off instead of their mandatory starting vacation term, maybe get reimbursement on certs, etc.

platinumnj

I currently work for Booz Allen. 100% remote opportunity and also the pay isn't bad at all. The benefits for the family plan are about 500 per month, but thats not too bad compared to other companies i have seen and heard of. They offer 5k tuition assistance each year as well, I haven't used it thought