Hi all. Moved away from the Bay Area to a very rural part of the country in March. Severely underestimated the amount of professional work available and how long it would take to achieve same. I was offered a position yesterday, I was not ready for the offer, and out of sheer relief and probably a bit of dumbassery I blurted “I’ll take it.”
Now I’m kicking myself for not negotiating. Even a few grand tacked on to the salary offered would a big help. I haven’t worked in eight months, there are significant expenses that need to be incurred, and so on. Is there any way to gracefully open up a salary negotiation talk, or is it too late? What would you do, good Dopers? As always, thanking you.
That’s a tough one. I think I would resent a new hire trying to renegotiate. It really depends on the personalities involved.
Perhaps, “I’ve been thinking about your offer. I’m excited to join the team, but I think $xx is a more appropriate salary, if not now, maybe after I’ve proven myself during the first 90 days.”
As an employer, I very much recommend performing the job for a year (for a professional job) before asking for a raise. Maybe six months if you are really killing it.
Speaking for myself (and I have hired several and fired a few), a new hire that ask for a raise prior to their start date would piss me right the hell off, and I’d never trust the sumbitch.
My first thought would be that you had another offer, and were playing us against each other. Unless you had a skill set I desperately needed, I’d tell you to take the other job, even if you didn’t say you had another offer.
Even if I did hire the person, it would always be in my mind that they would jump ship at the first chance at a bigger paycheck, and probably wouldn’t give notice when they left. I’d likely have made no effort to retain that employee. Unless they we’re outstanding, raises (for the first coupla years, anyway) would be as low as I could justify. Promotions would go to others, as well as any other perk.
I would suggest sticking it out for, say, 6 months, and then, maybe, saying something like ‘money is really tight, is there any way to increase my rate?’. That’s something I think everyone could understand, and not be offended by.
DrDeth, yes it was. To the rest, thanks so much for responding. I hear what you are saying. I guess I’m wondering that since the offer was yesterday and came out of the blue (directly after an interview), and I said yes so quickly, if it is the same as asking for a raise. I don’t know if I would ask to negotiate, but I do wish I had the wherewithal to do so. Dobbs, as a hirer, is it common for someone to come back to you with a counter number for starting salary? How do you typically react to that? Thanks all.
My thoughts are pretty much in line with the replies so far, but keep in mind that personally I tend to be low-key about salary issues and to respect the formalisms. And also, that it does of course depend on the specific situation and on the culture of the organization. But in general if I were an employer and someone tried to renegotiate a salary this way, I’d consider it inappropriate. My thinking would be, if he’s having second thoughts about salary after it was all settled, what else is he going to have second thoughts about?
What I would be inclined to do in your situation is work my ass off for a year and make your case at salary review time, framed in the terms that you came in under market in order to prove yourself. If you can support that case and have done well, you have a good argument. If you just want more money, well, don’t we all – so that’s not really an argument. Just my opinion, FWIW.
Your opening was between the offer and you accepting the offer.
“We would like to offer you the job, at this amount"
"Wow, that is very exciting! I can't wait to start! Is there any possibility of moving the to this $ amount?” (You still haven’t accepted the job.)
Their response will be either “Sorry, the salary offer is firm.” Or “We can’t go to your amount, but we can meet halfway at this amount.”
So, in conclusion, the ship has sailed on this one. Take it as a lesson learned for the future.
First off, is the salary reasonable? Is it commensurate with the prevailing salaries for your type of work in your region for employees with the same skill set and experience? If it’s low, is it significantly low?
I’d argue that if the salary you were offered is anywhere close to reasonable by this standard, you’ve missed your chance at negotiation, and will have to perform well enough to justify a raise in six months or a year.
If they severely low balled you, however, you’d be justified in reconsidering their offer if they won’t increase the salary. But you’ll have to be prepared to actually say “no, I don’t want this job after all” and hope that waiting a few weeks for a more reasonable offer will be worth it in the long term. If you ask for more money immediately after accepting a job offer, you have to expect that they might ask you to take a hike. Make sure you’re prepared for that outcome if you decide to renegotiate salary.
We would discuss pay in the interview. The offer would include not just pay, but also the benefits package. Sometimes they ask for more money at that point, and nobody is offended. I’ve never had anybody say ‘I’ll take it’, then ask for more money any time later.
If you’ve already said ‘yes’, and it sounds as if you have, I would suggest sucking it up and living with it for a while. I suggested 6 months, because we had a review at 6 months anyway, and it wasn’t uncommon for somebody to get a pay bump at that point, maybe 10% of the time. Also, after 6 months or so, you will have a better feel for the ‘corporate culture’, and know if you want to stay. They will also have a better feel for you, and they would know if they want to keep you. You will probably know too, at that point.
In addition to the advice above, consider how unique your talents are in the new area and how difficult you are to replace.
As a hiring manager for a larger company, salary ranges for positions I offer are defined in terms of % against standards for the industry, adjusted for location. I (in theory) know how much you will be paid on average by other employers. I can offer above the 100% point (or throw in a signing bonus) if positions are plentiful and you are a good fit for the position. I have not looked but I bet you can find what the average is for your position in your area. If I hired you and you immediately asked for a raise, I’d react in the same manner as have been stated above. Easier to cut losses early before you are embedded in the position.
If it’s a small employer you need to be a bit more tactful. Is the company successful and can afford more salary? Are there other perks such as more holidays or bonuses? Does your manager accommodate reasonable needs for family issues, Dr visits or the like? Do you enjoy walking through the door every day?
I think one important lesson we can take away from this episode is: never answer big, money-oriented questions with a “yes” or a “no.” Always answer with “Let me get back to you on that.” Even if it’s just for an hour, it gives you time make sure you are sure.
So many factors to consider here. Did they lowball you? Is anything in writing, or just a spur of the moment verbal commitment? Did you strike up a pretty good relationship with the hiring manager right away? If you do try to renegotiate and they sour on you, are you confident you can quickly find something else? That last one might be the most important, and based on your description the answer is probably “not very confident.”
However, were it me, I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t at least* try *to negotiate something higher. If you feel like there is a tactful way to approach it that won’t turn them right off, I say go for it. But you need to be able to read the situation and make the call.
Come join us in the workplace griping thread once you’ve settled in. It’s in the Pit.