My mother was a reference librarian and worked in public libraries before getting a tenure-track role at a major university’s library. But that didn’t happen until she had a second Master’s degree on top of her MLS. It’s a pretty standard requirement for large universities. Do you have one that specializes you in a second field? That might be what is standing in your way if you do not.
Negotiating a price higher than what the employer feels they should be paying and based on their short-term need is risky.
For one thing it will be very hard to get any sort of raise going forward. And you’re also at higher risk of being laid off should any be in the offing at some point.
I’m echoing some of what has already been said, but in addition, since I just negotiated my salary 2 weeks ago- and got what I asked for-
Know your low point-what you will accept because you REALLY want to work there. Remember the experience is a gain for you in other areas other than the bank account.
Have solid attributes that go above what your role requires- They asked you to interview- you possess at least the basic requirements of the position. Leverage what you’ve accomplished and done for your current location so far, it just might be what they are looking for as well.
Know your “ideal” salary within the industry, and ask for 25% over. If they balk, they can counter negotiate closer to what your ideal is, and you come out winning. I asked for the increase after the initial offer and indicated there were some standard benefits that they weren’t offering that they do in my industry, as well as referring to my certification and previous management experience that would be to their benefit in succession planning for that department.
Even if they bristle at the salary you request, you have to know the going rate for your tenure, experience and industry. What they offer has to be commensurate with that they expect from you. Maybe the reason its an open position with so many librarians available in town is because they are NOT paying what they should, and would you want to work with a hiring manager that doesn’t value your position and how it contributes to the department as whole?
The thing is, they can’t be offering something so low that nobody will take it because that salary literally does not exist. This town is crammed with people who have masters’ degrees but are stuck in hourly assistant jobs. They could be offering a sack of potatoes a week and if it came with the job title and health insurance there is surely somebody who would take it.
I’m going in tomorrow, wish me luck!
Luck!
No luck needed, you’ll kill it.
But good luck anyway.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Good luck! Hope today goes well - a good interview is always a confidence boost to me, even if I end up not getting an offer/taking the position if offered.
Well?
Well it went well I think but there was salary talk and it’s 38 firm. All the negotiation I read about was useless - it’s 38. If I do get offered it it will be a hell of a discussion with my husband. (He also has an interview scheduled but such that we won’t know, surely.)
I was two steps from getting out of my car to go to the interview when my phone rang - wouldn’t have answered it except I thought maybe it was interview related - it was the vet telling me our dog’s ashes are available to be picked up. THANKS.
Well, if they discussed salary it’s yours for the taking, I would think. Perfect timing on the phone call, life is funny that way…or not.
Can you live with that salary for a year or two? Because if your desire is to switch to academia, this is your chance to get a foot in the door and then you can start looking for something else in that niche that pays more.
Hey, sorry you lost your dog recently. Not sure if you mentioned it elsewhere - I know how you feel about pet memorial threads. Peace to you.
Eh, they might well have discussed salary with all the candidates. It seemed to be on the schedule.
If they are firm on salary, can you get them to give you tuition waiver for a second Master’s? Is that something you’re looking for?
Also, remember that this is entirely your choice. On the one hand, people in academia are starting to wake up to the fact that academics are generally terribly underpaid, and there is enormous social pressure to not perpetuate the system by accepting jobs that pay peanuts. However, if this is the job you want, take it with your head high! No one gets to judge you for your paycheck.
It would be something I’d be interested in if they had a masters I’d be interested in, but they don’t. Doesn’t mean they never will, of course.
The thing about salary is a) we are trying hard to pay down debt, most of which is mine, and do not have a ton of wiggle room, largely because b) my husband is monstrously underpaid. But! C) my husband has an interview for a job next week that insider information informs us he has a really good shot at! And if he got it it would even out the pay difference between this job and my current job. But d) it’s an employer at which the wheels grind notoriously slow. So.
Plus, if I stayed at my (God, increasingly hard to tolerate) job, him getting a new job would be a fast track to debt free. On the other hand, I am so burned out.
I dunno. I applied to grocery shop for Shipt on the weekends, haven’t heard back from them.
And thank you everyone for your sympathies about our dog. It was a really rough couple weeks - he declined very rapidly and there was a while where it just wasn’t clear what to do, and then it became Very Clear… It was awful. Sweetest dog I’ve ever had. And now there’s nobody to hoover up what the baby drops.
Can you delay saying yes (I’m assuming you are offered it) until after your husband hears one way or the other? More to the point, is it worth your sanity to stay in a job you increasingly dislike? There are always a means of cutting back and still paying down your debt effectively, Gail Vaz Oxlade has a few books that would help immensely I think.
I didn’t mention it but my sincerest condolences on your faithful hound. I sympathize, having lost my dog a few years ago and I still miss her sometimes. Once your grief subsides a little, it might be a good time to look at rescuing another dog from the shelter…
FWIW, I’d say go for the new job if for no other reason than starting a new chapter in your life. If you have the passion in, the money will follow.