low job offer

How do you propose a counter offer when the offer sent to you is too low. I received an offer on a project that would be pretty good to work on but I would actually go down around 5k compared to my salary now. How is the best way to try to counter.

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thenjduke

I would usually offer them about 5k more then what they offer you. If they really want you they will budge. Remember though this is a tough economy right now.

laidbackfreak

is your current role in IT ? If so then be straight with them and tell them you'd like to accept the role but your not prepared to dop below what your making now.

As an aside was salary discussed at any other stage? ie before you started the process did you know what the range was ?
As another aside if there was a range and your not at the top of it ask them why? Given they think you can do the job ok

Always throws them when asked that lol

Therhino

laidbackfreak wrote: »

is your current role in IT ? If so then be straight with them and tell them you'd like to accept the role but your not prepared to dop below what your making now.

As an aside was salary discussed at any other stage? ie before you started the process did you know what the range was ?
As another aside if there was a range and your not at the top of it ask them why? Given they think you can do the job ok Always throws them when asked that lol

Yes currently im a systems engineer. We had discussed it right off the bat before even the interview i shot about 20k higher than they offered me. I even stated what I was making with all my perks but they were unsure if they could cover that. I may see if i can try to get a slightly higher offer from them if not I guess I don't have much to lose.

Do companies generally get offended if you don't accept a position after an interview? A lot of this is new to me now that I have the skills and certs to back up my knowledge.

Mojo_666

My rule of thumb is to ask for whatever would get you to leave your current position.

ssampier

Before you write the new employer off compare the whole package from health insurance to time-off and any bonuses, etc.

In some cases better fringe benefits may give you more money than your previous employer.

If the package still seems light negotiate for a salary $8,000 more than your offer. Then the boss can always come back at $6k or $7k more instead.

If they are not willing to negotiate feel free to walk away. If the company is offended that's their fault not yours. A good employee is worth their weight in gold.

Stand up and show a strong backbone.

Edit: Also consider negotiating for better vacation time. Very few of us tech workers use theirs, but negotiate for 3 weeks and use 2 (or whatever works for you and your family).

BradleyHU

Therhino wrote: »

Yes currently im a systems engineer. We had discussed it right off the bat before even the interview i shot about 20k higher than they offered me. I even stated what I was making with all my perks but they were unsure if they could cover that. I may see if i can try to get a slightly higher offer from them if not I guess I don't have much to lose.

Do companies generally get offended if you don't accept a position after an interview? A lot of this is new to me now that I have the skills and certs to back up my knowledge.

i've turned down offers that were ridiculously less than what i was making @ the time. i dont give a flyin fawk if they're offended...i'm offended by them tryin to pay me some crap ass salary. And that brings me to something i hate about job hunting...alot of employers dont list the salary, or salary range that the job is. cuz i'm sure they have an idea of the range they're going to give that position. if they list the salary or at least the range, that would cut out alot of bs, then pplz who are expecting higher wont waste their's & the company's time...

laidbackfreak

Therhino wrote: »

Yes currently im a systems engineer. We had discussed it right off the bat before even the interview i shot about 20k higher than they offered me. I even stated what I was making with all my perks but they were unsure if they could cover that..

Trust me if this was the case and you were open etc then they can cover that else they wouldnt have carried on with the process. IF all other things are equal then I'd be looking to get around 5k more than your currently making.
I usually work on percentages I always counter there first offer at about 20% higher and aim to settle around 10% higher than their first offer. It usually works.

In this case I'd go back to them and tell them your disapointed with the offer and that while your aware that they said they might not be able to reach your original figure you didnt think it would fall so short.
See what they say to that, try not to commit to a figure yourself unless your willing to stick to it.

Is the actual role a better opportunity\better learning etc? If so maybe negotiate a training package etc ?
lots of options available and dont forget they WANT you so you have the upper hand

brad-

you have to ask yourself if you have the leverage to ask for more starting pay. Do you have experience, work history, references, etc? qualifications above what are asked?

If you have leverage, ask. If you dont, take the job, then after you prove yourself you can decide to then.

eansdad

Sometimes it isn't the pay but the stability that could be the problem. Is your current job stable? How about the new one? I turned away a great job with a lot better pay all on the phrases "this is the only office in NJ" and "our lease is for 3 years and we might stay here". After 3 years they packed up but I'm still at the job I turned them down for although I hate this place it is stable.

Don't worry about what they think of you if you turn them down. They don't care about the people they turned down. If they don't think enough of your skills and their needs to pay you at least what your making now then screw them.

You did say it would be a great opportunity. How exactly? That would play a large part of whether the cash is worth it or not.

Therhino

eansdad wrote: »

You did say it would be a great opportunity. How exactly? That would play a large part of whether the cash is worth it or not.

It is a great opportunity just because it looks to be a very large project.

The current job is stable and the new job would be stable. I am respected rather well in the current company but down the line I am unsure if higher roles would ever come about.

I ended up sending a counter offer email back to them. I hope to potentially here a re-counter and then attempt to go from there.

themagicone

My uncle always tells me to double your asking salary. And when they say they'll pay half, tell them it's fine - you only work half the time.

Just had to share that.

ssampier

Respect is always a good thing. I wish you the best for negotiations. I bet they'll come to their senses.

themagicone wrote: »

My uncle always tells me to double your asking salary. And when they say they'll pay half, tell them it's fine - you only work half the time.

Just had to share that.

LOL. What does your uncle do?

tpatt100

Man if I asked for double they would email me a virus in a response email telling me to go to hell..

BradleyHU

lolz @ double your asking salary....man, ya'll tryin to definitely NOT help this dude get a job...

Paul Boz

I set for myself an objective to never take a new job that doesn't pay $10,000+ more than my last one. Changing jobs is a pain in the ass and to me that effort isn't worth less than 10 grand. That and you only get so many shots to advance in your career so you have to make sure those changes are impactful. There is no condition an employer could meet for me to dislike my job to the point where I'd take a pay cut to go somewhere else. I care about money more than being happy at work and liking my co workers 100%.

snokerpoker

I would simply tell them that you want (or were hoping) your next position to be a step up in responsibility and salary. This basically tells employers that you are not willing to take a job that is a step up or in the right direction for less money without being rude. It also is a very valid point. I want every job I move into to be a step up in responsibility and duties and because of that, more money should be earned.

I actually took almost a $10,000 pay cut to get into my current position. That was only due to my previous employer outsourcing everyone to India so I needed to find a job very quickly. Good luck!

DoS9

What happened on this? Any movement on the offer?

Paul Boz wrote: »

I set for myself an objective to never take a new job that doesn't pay $10,000+ more than my last one. Changing jobs is a pain in the ass and to me that effort isn't worth less than 10 grand. That and you only get so many shots to advance in your career so you have to make sure those changes are impactful. There is no condition an employer could meet for me to dislike my job to the point where I'd take a pay cut to go somewhere else. I care about money more than being happy at work and liking my co workers 100%.

This is very true I feel. Changing jobs can be a Major Pain. Way more than I for one could have ever expected it was going to be when I did it to advance.

I seriously LOL Paul.. about money over being happy at work and co-workers.

-- Matt

powerfool

BradleyHU wrote: »

...And that brings me to something i hate about job hunting...alot of employers dont list the salary, or salary range that the job is. cuz i'm sure they have an idea of the range they're going to give that position. if they list the salary or at least the range, that would cut out alot of bs, then pplz who are expecting higher wont waste their's & the company's time...

Exactly. I am tired of this practice. And what makes it worse is that 90% of the time they want your salary history. If they want my salary history, then they need to tell me what the salary history of the position has been. So, if they want to know my salary, then what they are told is what I can skew to be what I want now, bottom line. It is not a good practice... if they can't be straight with me in the interview process, they won't be later either.

Config

How exactly do these negotiations work, do they mention a number and then you mention another number?

rogue2shadow

Config wrote: »

How exactly do these negotiations work, do they mention a number and then you mention another number?

From my experience, it starts out in one of two forms:

1) They say "We're prepared to offer you x"

or

2) They ask "What are you looking to make?"

After you've felt them out a bit (as in where you think you stand in the interview), you can kind of gauge what you may or may not be able to get away with. As was said above, if they really want you, they'll budge accordingly.