Job offer negotiation (appointed, how much, job market)

[treevernal]

Hey all,

Good news, I just got offered the job I interviewed for last week at a biotech company! They will be sending out the offer letter via email later today and want a reply tomorrow.

The only problem is, they're offering me considerably less than what I requested. They know how much I made at my last job (since they made me provide this info) and they're offering me this job for the exact same amount. When they asked for a number at the interview I gave them a higher one due to the much higher cost of living out here compared to the suburbs of philly, pa (and I said that was my reasoning).

I guess my question is, will they rescind the offer if I ask for a higher number or to meet me half-way? I've never really negotiated an offer before and I don't want to seem ungrateful.

Any advice? I know this may not be the right place to ask this question but I figured you've been such a big help so far it couldn't hurt.

Thanks,
Dan

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

If you need the money to make the deal work for you then negotiate away. The facts are that if you can not live in a style you desire then the job may not be for you.

Other considerations are will you be able to increase your earnings faster with the new company? Is it better to be at the new company than at your current job?

Are they holding out thinking that you will say yes? do they hire others at a larger amount? So many variables that you may want to weigh in on.

[cruitr]

Is the offer amount in line with what the local job market pays for the skills/experience you bring to the table? Or are they low-balling you?

[loveautumn]

As I recall you just moved to SD and you're not working, right? If so, I would take the job at the salary they offered and be happy to be able to get into biotech. You might have to cut back on expenses but having a job is a good thing. The biotech industry in SD is very close knit so once you are in, you will have a better idea of what career options are out there.

[treevernal]

Yes, true and I am very grateful. They are offering me much less than the number I gave (which I didn't really want to give but they forced a number out of me even after refusing to give me a ballpark for someone in this position)

I guess I just want to know if it will *hurt* to ask for more. Is it possible they will rescind the offer entirely just because a person requested a higher starting salary?

[loveautumn]

It seems you did give them a higher number in your interview and they have managed to reject/ignore that. We warn everybody about those "sunshine dollars" and that's for real here.

Come to think of it, I honestly don't know anyone who has negotiated their salary.

Is it a large or small biotech?

[Chieftains]

All salaries are negotiable, but your success will depend on how valuable you are to the prospective employer. The more niche/valuable you are, the more room for negotiation. I'm not a big fan of the "you should be grateful to have a job/offer" mentality, so I would say negotiate. At the very least I would thank them for the offer but then ask if they had considered the number that you gave them as you are curious why they asked you to provide it. Then take it from there depending on their response. The bottom line is will you be happy at this job with the salary that they offered?

[BRinSM]

i'm in a similar situation, but my currently salary is in the range of what is being offered by the company i'm interviewing with. if they don't offer the top end of the range i still have my old job to fall back on, so that gives me some leverage and lets me know how interested the company really is in hiring me. unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you have that leverage. you could always tell the company that you are weighing multiple offers and ask for a few extra days to make a decision. if they are really interested maybe they'll offer you some wiggle room.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by treevernal

Hey all,

Good news, I just got offered the job I interviewed for last week at a biotech company! They will be sending out the offer letter via email later today and want a reply tomorrow.

The only problem is, they're offering me considerably less than what I requested. They know how much I made at my last job (since they made me provide this info) and they're offering me this job for the exact same amount. When they asked for a number at the interview I gave them a higher one due to the much higher cost of living out here compared to the suburbs of philly, pa (and I said that was my reasoning).

I guess my question is, will they rescind the offer if I ask for a higher number or to meet me half-way? I've never really negotiated an offer before and I don't want to seem ungrateful.

Any advice? I know this may not be the right place to ask this question but I figured you've been such a big help so far it couldn't hurt.

Thanks,
Dan

Dan, it all depends on how much you want to live in the area and the future of the job, yes, they can resind, it happened to hubby several years ago and we were very disappointed but got over it. What you might want to do is ask for some perks, hubby has done that as well and it worked..Remember you are dealing in a market that has several candidates for every job, it isn't an employees market right now. Again, you have to decide if it is worth the gamble.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

As I recall you just moved to SD and you're not working, right? If so, I would take the job at the salary they offered and be happy to be able to get into biotech. You might have to cut back on expenses but having a job is a good thing. The biotech industry in SD is very close knit so once you are in, you will have a better idea of what career options are out there.

oh, I missed that part, if he doesn't have a job for heavens sake, of course he should take it...HOLY COW, a job is a job..

Nita