[nep321]

I am appalled at the job offer that was made to me today, for the company I interviewed with in Middletown last week. The job is for a Tax Manager position. They offered me a salary of $68K, even though I was making $69K as a staff employee four years ago just 10 minutes up the street in Berlin. No bonus structure either.

I was also appalled that they only offer 2 weeks of vacation and 5 sick days per year. I was especially appalled that they offer NO 401k matching whatsoever.

So, I countered and asked for $71K with more sick days. The recruiter said she can try for $70K, but isn't sure if the sick time is negotiable, but will get back to me tomorrow.

It just doesn't make sense to me that they would pay me less for a more senior/manager role than what I was making in a staff level role four years ago, in that area.

If I don't get higher than $68K, and no more sick days, I'm going to decline the offer altogether. I'm sorry, but I will NOT be motivated to take on a managerial role with more responsibility while getting paid LESS than I've ever made in the past 4 years as a staff. Makes no sense to me.

Another red flag is that the current manager who I would be replacing, is now leaving the company after being there for just ONE year. What is up with that?!

[CTartist]

Per Capita Income Middletown $33,038
Household Income Middletown $58,676

Consider yourself lucky to be getting a job offer in this CT economy and at a rate 2X the average salary in the area/town. That offer is more than the average household income of the town. Do you further realize that many companies are leaving CT and the labor market in CT has been depressed since 2009-2010 especially outside of Fairfield County?

NEP, I think you should get acquainted with the economic laws of supply and demand. As someone who studied banking, finance and economics (before I went to art school) consider that darn good offer for that area.

[BicoastalAnn]

Did you look up glassdoor to see if that's the norm for that company? Pointing out the average going rate for that position in the area might make them think harder. If she can get you $70k and your asking is $71k, it'd be silly to turn it down if the sticking point was $1k - you'd be losing much more in opportunity cost unless you had another offer lined up. Not to mention, at the end of the year, you'll likely be getting at least $1,400 in cost of living increase anyway (2% of 70k).

I don't think it's necessarily a red flag that the person before you left in a year... things happen, and it's not necessarily that the job was bad. Could've been a bad fit for the person or they had other personal reasons for leaving.

[BobNJ1960]

15 days PTO year 1 is normal. I do agree no 401K match is terrible, worse than no bonus potential in some ways.


But this has been your only serious Ct opportunity in a long, long time, and the % of employers actually seeing you in person was better in Columbus , so bear in mind, this may be your best shot at returning to Ct.


Plus the value of a promotion is NOT solely tied to the corp offering it. Your short-term focus is self-destructive.

[JayCT]

Are you kidding me? You are lucky you got an offer. Your employment history is questionable at best which gives them the upper hand and they know it. Companies rarely negotiate sick time. They have a set policy which for this company is 5 days. They may negotiate vacation time. You can leverage the pay by saying their lack of 401k contribution means more out of your pocket. So now stop your whining, grow up and act like an adult. If you want to come back to Connecticut, you may not have a lot of choices. Good luck. Jay

[FunkOdyssey]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Are you kidding me? You are lucky you got an offer. Your employment history is questionable at best which gives them the upper hand and they know it. Companies rarely negotiate sick time. They have a set policy which for this company is 5 days. They may negotiate vacation time. You can leverage the pay by saying their lack of 401k contribution means more out of your pocket. So now stop your whining, grow up and act like an adult. If you want to come back to Connecticut, you may not have a lot of choices. Good luck. Jay

^ what he said

[nep321]

Originally Posted by CTartist

Per Capita Income Middletown $33,038
Household Income Middletown $58,676

Consider yourself lucky to be getting a job offer in this CT economy and at a rate 2X the average salary in the area/town. That offer is more than the average household income of the town. Do you further realize that many companies are leaving CT and the labor market in CT has been depressed since 2009-2010 especially outside of Fairfield County?

NEP, I think you should get acquainted with the economic laws of supply and demand. As someone who studied banking, finance and economics (before I went to art school) consider that darn good offer for that area.

Per capita income is irrelevant when it comes to evaluating an offer. What's relevant is my experience, education level, career field and the position itself.

As for supply and demand, it goes both ways. Like any reasonable person, I demand a salary and benefits that are typical and appropriate for someone in my position.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

Did you look up glassdoor to see if that's the norm for that company? Pointing out the average going rate for that position in the area might make them think harder. If she can get you $70k and your asking is $71k, it'd be silly to turn it down if the sticking point was $1k - you'd be losing much more in opportunity cost unless you had another offer lined up. Not to mention, at the end of the year, you'll likely be getting at least $1,400 in cost of living increase anyway (2% of 70k).

I don't think it's necessarily a red flag that the person before you left in a year... things happen, and it's not necessarily that the job was bad. Could've been a bad fit for the person or they had other personal reasons for leaving.

The Glassdoor reviews are average. But I don't bother to look at Glassdoor, because it's often misleading. Everyone's work experience is going to be different.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

15 days PTO year 1 is normal. I do agree no 401K match is terrible, worse than no bonus potential in some ways.


But this has been your only serious Ct opportunity in a long, long time, and the % of employers actually seeing you in person was better in Columbus , so bear in mind, this may be your best shot at returning to Ct.


Plus the value of a promotion is NOT solely tied to the corp offering it. Your short-term focus is self-destructive.

It's not 15 PTO days. It's not a consolidated PTO system. They give 10 days of vacation and 5 days of sick time. I can live with the 10 vacation days, which is normal and also because I wouldn't need to take vacation time to visit family. However, 5 sick days is very disappointing. I typically use about 8 sick days per year, because I tend to get sick pretty often, unfortunately. This past November I was sick for an entire week straight.

I don't really see much value here. Paying your employees under-market and giving subpar benefits is a surefire way to cause turnover.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by nep321

I am appalled at the job offer that was made to me today, for the company I interviewed with in Middletown last week. The job is for a Tax Manager position. They offered me a salary of $68K, even though I was making $69K as a staff employee four years ago just 10 minutes up the street in Berlin. No bonus structure either.

I was also appalled that they only offer 2 weeks of vacation and 5 sick days per year. I was especially appalled that they offer NO 401k matching whatsoever.

So, I countered and asked for $71K with more sick days. The recruiter said she can try for $70K, but isn't sure if the sick time is negotiable, but will get back to me tomorrow.

It just doesn't make sense to me that they would pay me less for a more senior/manager role than what I was making in a staff level role four years ago, in that area.

If I don't get higher than $68K, and no more sick days, I'm going to decline the offer altogether. I'm sorry, but I will NOT be motivated to take on a managerial role with more responsibility while getting paid LESS than I've ever made in the past 4 years as a staff. Makes no sense to me.
Another red flag is that the current manager who I would be replacing, is now leaving the company after being there for just ONE year. What is up with that?!

I can carry on, but I will get to the point instead.

Regardless of the salary if the position is a promotion from your previous position and is reflected in the job title take the job. Leave after one year. At the very least it will get you back into CT.

IF your title will be "Tax Manager" those jobs should be paying 90k plus in Hartford area. Somewhat dependent on the specialization, but tax people are ALWAYS in demand. If it were me I would take the job and ride it out for a year. 69k isn't poverty wages.

I can also add that salaries in accounting in general have been diving the last 5 years or so. My sister and I have experienced this first hand and she is a CPA. (I'm not)