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We all know its tough out there right now and thats the reason for this question. If some one gets to the point in an interview where they offer you a certain amount of pay, should you negotiate?
I would think the company would say why should I pay this guy more money when I can pay the other guy less who is just as qualified?
Or maybe this is the wrong way of thinking??
Figuring that you have gotten far enough that they offer you a salary, and you are the one they would like to hire so its ok.
I did a search and K-Luv posted this great comment.
""""You need to do research. Before you make/receive that phone call you need to know:
-What people with your experience earn yearly in the position that you are applying for.
-If possible, what the company that you are applying to offers applicants/new hires for the same position that you are applying for.
The problem with negotiating salary is to find that sweet spot somewhere between what you want/deserve to get paid and what the company wants to pay you. If you go too high they will think that you are full of yourself and/or you know very little about the position (because if you knew anything you would know that your request was nuts). If you go too low then they will wonder why you feel that you are worth less than what you really are.
You should only say that you want to negotiate the salary if, and only if, you have the skills (impressive resume) to back this move up. If the potential employer asks you about your required salary needs and you reply with It's negotiable, that sends the message that you are not bringing anything to the table, that you came unprepared, or as stated above, you are an over confident twit who believes that he is hot stuff.""""
I think that it's fine to negotiate to an extent, but it really depends on what you do and your local job market.
For example I'm in the metro Orlando area. If you are looking for a basic clerical job and have intermediate skills, don't speak Spanish, and really didn't have much "extra" to bring to the table (ie you can manage the companies web site or have some other skill that maybe isn't really in the job description but would be useful) then you'd be lucky to be getting the offer to begin with, and I wouldn't try to negotiate.
On the other hand, if you are an experienced physical therapist in this area, by all means negotiate, you're very likely to walk away with what you are looking for.
Don't companies usually offer you a lower salary assuming you will negotiate? I am not very good at negotiating, however, I always think that if I do not counter offer, I will lose out on the salary they intended in the first place.
Find out what kind of salary is earned by your occupation. Then compare that with what others make in different parts of the country. You can use a salary comparison like this one:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed
If you feel that the salary offered is too low, then definitely negotiate.
Negotiating will be a little tricky. Your potential employer will give a figure hoping you'll cave in. If you're not happy, pause and then say how disappointed you are, and then give reasons why you should get more (basically list off the skills, experience, accomplishments, etc. to sell yourself).
You should always have some kind of idealized figure -- a monetary value that you wish you could get but most likely will not. This figure should be a high figure for people in your field with comparable skills, work history, etc. Compare that to what they offer and if you get something in-between then that might be realistic.
Go to a Barnes & Noble or Borders Book to the Self-Help/Career section and look at some of the books on negotiating a salary. There are a lot of helpful tips and advice there.
Remember, what you negotiate is tied to how you see yourself valued. If you accept something that you aren't happy with, you'll probably be disgruntled sooner or later. Good luck!
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Yes, and I did in November 2009 for my current gig. I figured if I was the best out of all the people who applied, then I must be quite valuable to them. I also knew that I was highly qualified and assumed that the first offer was just the beginning. I wouldn't say that I played tough, though. I just asked if that was the best they could offer. While waiting for the offer, I had taken a class that directly related to the position, so I brought that up, too. In the end they came back with more and I accepted. Granted, it wasn't that big an increase, but I appreciated the gesture.
Don't companies usually offer you a lower salary assuming you will negotiate? I am not very good at negotiating, however, I always think that if I do not counter offer, I will lose out on the salary they intended in the first place.
??
If they offer $25K and that's the average for the area/position, it's certainly OK to try to negotiate up a little by emphasizing what you are bringing to the table. But don't expect to get $35K out of a $25K offer. I wouldn't expect much more than 10% tops over their initial offer in most cases.
Know what you are worth. Obviously, if they come in below what you believe you are worth, you need to negotiate. Should you go higher than what you want in case they come back again? Not sure, but I would at least shoot for my desired salary.
Never take a job for less money than you think you are worth. Most likely you will end up leaving in a year or two. Not to mention you will probably get poor raises over your career there so get that money while you can. A good company will pay you what you want up front, but those are few and far between.
If you are currently unemployed and have people depending on you, I would say it is a little risky to negotiate for more than 5% or a week's vacation. However, if you are currently employed, the sky is the limit. It all depends on how much you need to earn to make the job switch. It is easier to negotiate when you are already employed since your prospective employer knows you have leverage (you could just stay where you are).
With that said, when my wife was offered a job while unemployed, she asked for 10% and 1 extra week vacation. They conceded the 10% but not the vacation. Go figure. But, that is risky.
Yes - but as others have pointed out - it has to be reasonable. And wages isn't the only thing you can negotiate on, also look at vacation, tuition reimbursement, moving costs, bonus, car lease allowance etc.
Albeit things like car allowance is for mgmt levels.
Albeit things like car allowance is for mgmt levels.
Actually car allowance can be negotiated for any job you might need to use your car for as well. I had a sales job (combination inside/outside) many years ago and got a $400 a month car allowance. It was the thing that lured me from the company I was previously with (that didn't give the car allowance) to the one I joined.
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