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I GOT THE JOB!!!

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Date: 2/26/2008 8:25:20 PM
Author: sumbride
Congrats Robbie!!! I''m so excited for you!!!

The ladies here have covered salary negotiation very well, so I don''t really have anything to add besides GO FOR IT. I usually ask ''is there any room for negotiation'' to find out if they are open to it, but I''m not as ''go get ''em'' as T-Gal.
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I know it''s semantics, but better to say, "I would like to negotatiate the compensation package." They will tell you it''s not negotiable if there is no room. If you ask "is there any room for negotiation?" they may hedge and say, "well, that is what we were looking to pay you," and put you in an awkward position of pressing the envelope. I''ve also heard employers say, "Well, not really" or "Well, not much" which limits you. And "Not really?" Is that a solid "no?" Hm....
 
Congratulations Robbie! That''s awesome that you get to move closer to your families now.

LOL...I''m not the person to give negotiating advice. I totally blew it at my current job. I was completely switching fields, and I knew they were interviewing people with far more skills than I had. When they asked me what salary I was thinking about, I basically replied with the bottom of the advertised range, which was actually still at least 8% more than my then-current salary. Of course, I was going in with the attitude of "maybe they''ll go for the cheaper, trainable person." When the director called (THE NIGHT OF MY INTERVIEW) to offer me the job, he offered me $2000 more than I had asked.
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So the negotiating advice here is pretty helpful to me too.
 
Yippee!
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Woo Hoo!
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We are so proud of you...hey hey!!!
 
Thanks Elmorton! That''s a good idea to ask for evaluation at 6 months instead of a year. I''ll have to remember that if they say no to my initial request. I''m definitely going to be asking for a few more vacation days as well. They start you out with 10, but it would be prorated since I''m not starting at the beginning of the year. I''m definitely going to need all 10 this year. I don''t think I''ll ask about any special equipment because anything is going to be better than what I have now.

Thanks mimzy!

Thanks allikatac! I''m so happy that we''re moving home! Downtown Ytown is definitely not my favorite place to work.

TravelingGal, I really like how you worded it. I think I''ll be using "I''d like to negotiate the compensation package" when I call the HR rep back on Thursday.

Thanks Addy! It took all of my self control to not scream "YES! I''LL TAKE IT!!!" at the top of my lungs when she offered me the position. Lol.

Thing2of2 I hope they don''t ask me to take a proficiency test! I minored in Spanish and included that fact in my thank you note. Agh! Tests make me nervous.

Thanks diamondfan!

Thanks Sum!
 
Thanks Selkie! I don''t think I''ve ever even tried to negotiate salary. My current boss is way too intimidating when it comes to negotiating and I was just so ecstatic to have a job that I didn''t care. My job before this one it wasn''t open to negotiation.

Thanks dks!
 
Congrats Robbie!

That is awesome. I have no advice re: negotiating...I''ve pretty much always just accepted what they gave me...

Also, don''t mean to threadjack, but Selkie, Eddie Izzard is my favorite comedian ever. We named one of our dogs after him! His AKC name is Serandida''s Three Rivers Leaping Izzard. He is my avatar and his call name is Izzie. End threadjack.
 
Congrats on the new job, Robbie!!! I''m really happy for you! I hope you are able to negotiate a mutually fair compensation package.
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TGal you rock, I love the way you worded the compensation package. I agree women really need to negotiate more, we fall short in that department too often. You can''t get what you don''t ask for. In my jobs I always negotiated, and actually enjoyed it. It''s all how you look at it.
 
congrats girl!!
 
Congrats on your new job, Robbie! I hope you get the salary you ask for... I would be queasy about negotiating, too... so I hope it goes really well for you.
 
Date: 2/26/2008 11:35:37 PM
Author: littlelysser
Congrats Robbie!

That is awesome. I have no advice re: negotiating...I''ve pretty much always just accepted what they gave me...

Also, don''t mean to threadjack, but Selkie, Eddie Izzard is my favorite comedian ever. We named one of our dogs after him! His AKC name is Serandida''s Three Rivers Leaping Izzard. He is my avatar and his call name is Izzie. End threadjack.
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LOL, I just told Selkie on another thread the some thing re: Eddie Izzard. He''s brilliant.

Kaleigh, thanks!
 
Congratulations Robbie! And a big WooHoo on being able to move back to your hometown!

I''m in civil service so I have pretty much no salary negotiation experience, but... I can certainly use all of the wonderful advice everyone''s giving on standing up for yourself and demonstrating your worth, and I''m taking it all in! Thanks everyone...
 
Congratulations on your job Robbie :)

Tgal your advise was awesome :) I will have to remember that :)
 
In addition to the salary negotiation, I have usually negotiated vacation time. Most jobs seem to come with 2 weeks to start. I ask for 3 weeks starting at 1 year and 4 weeks starting at 3-5 years. If you are thinking of having a family, these extra weeks off will really come in handy. Even if you don''t think you''ll be in this new job 3-5 years, it never hurts to ask for the 4th week of vacation because you never know you just might still be there.

And oh yeah, get EVERYTHING in writing. Salary, bonus plan and extra perks like the vacation time. My supervisor has left the company several times so I''m always breaking in a new one. That little piece of paper that spells out what I get has saved me several times.
 
I am so very happy for you! A new job is always so exciting, especially if it''s one you really, really wanted. Congratulations!!!
 
Congrats Robbie! I''m glad things are going so well!
 
Hello Robbie,

I''m a lurker who has finally decided to actually get involved in a discussion. I hope I have some useful advice for you.

Nearly four years ago I changed jobs and was offered a salary that was $8,000 less than the bottom of advertised range for the job. Since the amount offered was a significant improvement over the salary I was receiving at the job I was at I didn''t even blink and immediatly accepted the job. The working conditions at that job were beyond terrible and I was thrilled to finally be leaving. The new job opportunity was as close to my dream job as I could hope to find in this area and I have never regretted accepting it. What I did regret was not trying to negotiate a higher salary... at the very minimum I should have been given what the job was advertised for. Unfortunatly the job I had been at killed my self confidence and at the time I think I doubted my qualifications and assumed I was just lucky to be given the chance in this field. I should say that I was qualified for my current job. For a little more background... I finished college in 2001 and immediatly went to work for a non profit making next to nothing. I changed jobs in 2004. Unfortunatly the leadership at the time I accepted this job was a bit on the stingy side and tried to cut corners where ever possible. Our organization was not in any financial trouble (to be honest we have plenty of money and can easily afford good salaries).

Last year a new CEO was hired around the time that employee evaluations were due. Needless to say he was horrified when he started seeing what some of the employees were being paid compared to others. He immediatly took steps to ensure that the pay scale was brought up to date and offered me a significant raise. The raise would have brought me up to what I should have been given to start with. As thrilled as I was that I was being given this increase I still regreted not trying to negotiate my salary in the first place and did not think it was fair that after several years with the company I was only being offered the starting salary. I approached my boss with an alternative... one based on an increase for each year that I have been employed here (3 percent for each year). He was pleased that I had based my proposed figure on something and approved it. I am now making $16,000 more than my starting salary.

Anyway... to get to my point... maybe that''s a technique that woudl work for you.... look at the number of years experience you have in the field and use that to calculate a new figure. In my field it''s common to receive a 3% cost of living adjustment each year so that''s how I picked my number. Knowing that you have something to back up the figure you''re proposing may help you to be more confident when you approach them about your salary and could show your new employers that you''ve done your homework.

My technique may not work for everyone and only you know your situation but I wanted to share what worked for me..... most of all GOOD LUCK with your new job
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I think applequeen makes a good point. When negotiating, it''s good to have solid reasons. As I mentioned, sometimes saying "I am looking for X" works. Othertimes, like with my experience with Company Tightwad, I had to back up my reasons with some numbers. Saying "because I''m worth it" doesn''t always work!
 
Yay! Congrats Robbie!
 
YEAH!!! Congratulations Robbie!!!
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robbie, I''m in the middle of my negotiation and I already got an extra week''s vacation right off the bat. It doesn''t cost them anything so it''s worth asking for. Also, a good friend of mine who''s been working her way upwards in her field the past several years, just reminded me to negotiate on the following:

1. Office space (cublicle vs. office, depends on your level though)

2. Flex time (are they ammenable to you coming in early/leaving early or coming in later/leaving later)

3. Cell phone (do you need a cell phone for your work to be more reachable and if so, will they provide you with a phone?)

4. Signing Bonus (If they cannot accommodate your desired salary number, are they able to provide a signing bonus to make up the difference? Often the signing bonus comes from a totally different pot of money).

5. Business Entertainment Acct (I have no idea what it is you do, but if you''re expected to take clients out for meals, etc., it''s better to ask for a corporate card, rather than putting it on your personal card and waiting until you get reimbursed and possibly incurring interest rate fees that you wont get reimbursed!).

6. Office laptop (will you be expected to travel and/or do work overtime? If so, ask for an office laptop).

That''s all I can think of for now...Good luck!
 
Date: 2/27/2008 6:21:10 PM
Author: surfgirl
robbie, I''m in the middle of my negotiation and I already got an extra week''s vacation right off the bat. It doesn''t cost them anything so it''s worth asking for. Also, a good friend of mine who''s been working her way upwards in her field the past several years, just reminded me to negotiate on the following:

1. Office space (cublicle vs. office, depends on your level though)

2. Flex time (are they ammenable to you coming in early/leaving early or coming in later/leaving later)

3. Cell phone (do you need a cell phone for your work to be more reachable and if so, will they provide you with a phone?)

4. Signing Bonus (If they cannot accommodate your desired salary number, are they able to provide a signing bonus to make up the difference? Often the signing bonus comes from a totally different pot of money).

5. Business Entertainment Acct (I have no idea what it is you do, but if you''re expected to take clients out for meals, etc., it''s better to ask for a corporate card, rather than putting it on your personal card and waiting until you get reimbursed and possibly incurring interest rate fees that you wont get reimbursed!).

6. Office laptop (will you be expected to travel and/or do work overtime? If so, ask for an office laptop).

That''s all I can think of for now...Good luck!
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Ooh good points!

I always try to negotiate for more vacation time! My last two jobs, it did not happen. Still, I''ll always keep trying, especially if I got more vacation at the previous company than the current one. My current company has a good policy...3 weeks right off the bat, with 4 weeks coming at 7 years. I tried to get the 7 years to come down to 5 years, but they would not budge. Oh well.
 
Congrats!
 
Oh super congrats.

Story on the salary negotiation. Woman was working as a tech in a biology lab. Lets call her Tech. Decided to teach high school instead. Principle offers her the job and says oh and this is the salary we can offer.

Tech says, "Oh no I don't need that much!"

Principle says, "Well that's an interesting negotiating tactic!"

"No really I didn't think you should pay me that much! That's much more than I earn now!" Tech protests.

Principle replies, "No look, this is what the pay chart says. You have a masters, a science Bachelors, X years experience as a scientist, this is what the chart says you should be paid."

"Oh my, well I don't think I need that much."

"Well why don't I just write it down here on the contract and you can think it over. If you still object in the morning call me back. Otherwise turn it in to the secretary and I'll see you in August..."

-----------------------

Oh, and an interesting/depressing note on the gendered negotiation studies. Yes, women end up with lower salaries because they don't negotiate as much as men. But, the perceptions of women who do negotiate is much more negative than men who negotiate with the same level of aggressiveness. Both men and women have more negative opinions of women who attempt to negotiate than they do of men who negotiate, and they are generally less willing to raise offers to female candidates than male candidates. And the negative impressions persist into the job (Woman X is aggressive, ungrateful, pushy, etc. vs Man Y is persistent, assured, etc.) So its not as simply as saying that HR reps aren't sexist, or that it is meek female personality traits that are the problem - those personality traits are developed in a social feedback environment that penalizes aggressive traits in women. And acting "masculine" by negotiating can negatively affect the perception of female workers while it positively affects the perception of male workers.

Not saying you shouldn't ask for more Robbie, just saying its not a perfectly gender-neutral world yet.
 
Yay Robbie! Congratulations over and over!
 
That''s really great news, Robbie! Congratulations! Will hubby be able to easily find a new job there. too?
 
CONGRATS Robbie!
And many THANKS to y''all for the invaluable advice on negotiating salary. I hope to be doing that any day now...
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Congradulations:

I always negotiate my package:

Biggest hitters other than wages: Vacation & flex time.

Or, perhaps a signing bonus too....

Perry
 
Ok, I called and spoke to the HR rep and asked for $8k more which would put me in the 50th percentile in the area for the job according to salary.com and it would also put me just below the middle of the salary range that I was told in the interview. She needs to get approval from my future boss and she didn''t seem to think that would happen, but she didn''t say that it couldn''t be done or that nothing could be done and that was the salary take it or leave it, so I''m still hopeful that they might increase it at least a little.

She originally told me that 10 days vacation is standard, but since I''d be starting partially through the year mine would be prorated to somewhere around 7. I told her I''d like to have the full 10 days and she didn''t think that would be a problem. I''m thinking that if she comes back with no increase in the salary I might ask for some additional vacation time.

I''m hoping that she''ll get back to me later today or tomorrow so that DH and I can make an offer on a house on Saturday (not that we know which one we plan on making an offer on yet though, lol). I''m pretty sure that I''ll need an offer letter stating my salary to get our mortgage in place.

Once we agree on the terms then we can set a start date, which I can''t wait for because that means that I can give my current job my notice! Woohoo!

Thanks littlelysser & monarch!

Kaleigh, I agree. That''s what made me decide go for it even though the thought of having to actually ask made me really nervous!

Thanks mintve, sera, MINIMS & Deelight!

IslandDreams, I''m definitely asking for it in writing! I got screwed over a bit on my vacation time at my current job because I didn''t have anything in writing.

Thanks lumpkin & ally!

Applequeen, that''s awesome that you were able to get such a great raise!

Thanks indy & Patiently_Waiting!

Surfgirl, thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks anchor!

LOL, cara, that''s a pretty funny story. I can''t imagine telling a job I want less money! It definitely sucks that women are perceived that way for doing exactly what we''re supposed to do. I hate double standards.

Thanks Fancy!

Thanks diamondseeker! DH''s current company has offered to allow him to work from home 4 days a week. So he''ll have no commute 4 days a week, but a 3 hr round trip once a week. I think it''s a pretty good deal. It breaks down to less commuting than I''m doing right now. I think he''ll eventually want to find a job in our hometown area, but this will make it much easier for him to do that as well.

Thanks charger!

Perry, signing bonuses are just for when you''re signing a contract, right? I''m pretty sure it''s at-will employment, so I wouldn''t really be signing anything.
 
Date: 2/27/2008 8:44:34 PM
Author: cara

Oh, and an interesting/depressing note on the gendered negotiation studies. Yes, women end up with lower salaries because they don't negotiate as much as men. But, the perceptions of women who do negotiate is much more negative than men who negotiate with the same level of aggressiveness. Both men and women have more negative opinions of women who attempt to negotiate than they do of men who negotiate, and they are generally less willing to raise offers to female candidates than male candidates. And the negative impressions persist into the job (Woman X is aggressive, ungrateful, pushy, etc. vs Man Y is persistent, assured, etc.) So its not as simply as saying that HR reps aren't sexist, or that it is meek female personality traits that are the problem - those personality traits are developed in a social feedback environment that penalizes aggressive traits in women. And acting 'masculine' by negotiating can negatively affect the perception of female workers while it positively affects the perception of male workers.


Not saying you shouldn't ask for more Robbie, just saying its not a perfectly gender-neutral world yet.
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Good job, Robbie! Hope they come back with what you asked for.

Cara, great post. This is exactly why people who claim that feminism and the equal rights movement are "over" or unnecessary chap my ***.
 
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