<p>We all know how tough the job market is right now, so I’d like to start a discussion about how to negotiate a starting salary in this economy, especially for recent college grads. Are you/your kids able to negotiate at all, or do you just take whatever they’re offering because it’s so good to finally have a job offer?</p>
<p>If negotiating is the way to go, what sorts of things can be requested aside from a larger salary, which employers might be willing to toss into the mix?</p>
<p>I have two who will be graduating next May (2014). One is already working part-time in his field - computer programming - and based on how things have been going for him, he’ll likely get at least a few decent job offers after graduation. The other will be graduating with a Civil Engineering degree, and I have no idea what the job market will be like for him.</p>
<p>Our son negotiated working remotely. He goes into the office once every two to three weeks. This can result in a substantial reduction in housing and transportation costs. It can potentially save money on income taxes too.</p>
<p>Before taking a job offer that my daughter thought was a little low, she negotiated being eligible for a raise at her 90 day review rather than at her 6 month or 1 year review. She knew she could exceed their expectations as a newbie- she did and got a nice raise at 90 days.</p>
<p>Our S got moving expenses reimbursed, including one trip to go to the area to look for housing and expenses for driving his car across country from CA to VA. He also got guaranteed promotions and raises according to a schedule. He will also qualify to get paid grad school and/or credentialing, as well as some flexibility in his hours, preference on what areas he visits (he has Los Angeles & Orlando, based in VA). His other benefits are per contract and given to all employees. He gets a lot of comp time due to his travel. Being able to work from home sounds great, for those who can swing it.</p>
<p>Re: Other perks. Unless one brings some sort of cutting edge research or some other exceptional skill then I doubt if a college grad has the leverage to negotiate any additional Perks. Sometimes a few lucky get a signing bonus but only to a lucky few where demand exceeds supply. That said a good white collar job should come with the basics like health, retirement & vacation. But it’s usually all the same for everyone.</p>
<p>One thing you could try and ask for is some vacation days after say 6 months instead of having to wait a whole year. It really doesn’t cost the company anything but it is nice to have at least a couple of days you can use for something.</p>
<p>axw - I’m honestly not quite sure. I was so new to “adult” jobs that I didn’t even think to try and negotiate my salary. I don’t think I could have done anything to it though. We have work from home opty’s after 1 year, are eligible for a raise at 90 days, start with a ton of vacation, etc, so all of the above things wouldn’t really matter to them.</p>
<p>That being said, the above things sound good. Just keep in mind there are a lot of people gunning for each new position.</p>
<p>You can’t negotiate basic benefits - health care, 401k.
You can negotiate salary, sign on bonus, relocation reimbursement, vacation, stock options, working remotely…
A lot of firms will offer their new graduates same starting salary, so it may not be as negotiable. The way to make a pitch for higher salary is to show you have a better offer. Another way is to show cost of living is X and you would need at minimum to make Y to get by. We had a new hire who showed us how much he needed to make in order to live in NYC. We changed our offer. We also adjusted our offer when we found out the recruit had an offer from a competitor. </p>
<p>If a firm is not able to up the salary then I would look to get them to up the moving expense reimbursement or sign on bonus. </p>
<p>As a new graduate I would not try to get more vacation or work remotely. If it’s your second or third job, I would let them know that you already get 3 weeks vacation and would they mind matching it. I am a believer of out of sight, out of mind. As a new employee, it is better to be seen instead of working remotely. To be seen working late and meeting up with various senior people in the office is priceless. </p>
<p>I would ask what kind of raise or advancement a new hire should expect - what kind of career path, training, opportunities within the firm.</p>
<p>agree with the above - as someone new it’s good to be seen. I started working at home after 7 years and even now I go in every once and awhile just to show my face. I see our big wigs in charge now then I did when I worked in the office!</p>
<p>asking what type of advancement opportunities are available is huge. It shows that you are committed to staying with the place and that you want to advance there and will work hard to do so.</p>
<p>I thought my starting offer was a bit low but they basically said they bring everyone in at the same rate and that it’s up to you to differentiate yourself from the pack and to advance. We have a lot of movement up in the company and I’ve changed jobs several times. I became a trainer after only 6 months which is almost unheard of there.</p>
<p>Son started with four weeks of vacation. I was floored when he told me as new hires start out with two where I work. Of course he really hasn’t been able to take much time off and he brings a laptop with him on vacation - which is kind of normal in our industry. A big chunk of his organization does a lot of physical work which I guess is why they get so much vacation time.</p>
<p>BC - we start with 4 weeks as well, and can buy an additional week. I buy an extra week and sell it back at xmas time as kind of an xmas club acct. Plus that way in case I ever need it for some reason I have it. I think a lot of the bigger companies are doing this these days to try and compete with each other. Could be wrong.</p>
<p>In high-tech, it’s more likely that they give you a lot of money because they want you to work so much. It’s definitely geared to younger employees and those with good stamina.</p>
<p>I got two weeks of vacation to start… I think I get 3 after 5 years and 4 after 10. Nobody ever stays long enough to get that.</p>
<p>I didn’t negotiate and maybe I should have. I started at 4k less than the typical starting salary for my position at this company, which is not competitive in the industry to begin with, for reasons that had little to do with me. After a year, when I had proved to be an invaluable asset to the team, and trained two new people who were making more than me, I told my boss I knew and that I needed to be making what the others were making. I got what I wanted, and I’ll get another raise in a few months with a promotion. I had much more leverage after that first year than I’d have had starting out.</p>
<p>Go ema. We start with four, at the start of the forth year get five, and at the start of the tenth year get six. Then at the start of 25 you get seven. Plus the one that you buy if you do that.</p>
<p>I currently have six weeks plus I work four ten hour days with Mondays off so that’s kind of like 10 weeks extra vacation as well yet not really. In another year and a half I’ll get my extra week. My mom laughs and asks if I ever work because I’m always seemingly off doing something!</p>
<p>The ability to make your own hours like that is a great perk.</p>
<p>I do think our salaries are a bit low compared to others but our benefits make up for it. Make sure your kids realize this. </p>
<p>Also another thing to ask about is tuition reimbursement. They might be able to build that in for him if it’s not in there already.</p>