My daughter got a job offer (great with the current times as many companies have suspended new hires). The job is great but she would like to negotiate a slightly higher salary. The new offer is a little lower than what she made last year (her current job includes a bonus and stock options which this company doesn’t) and she would like to get at least get even.
I read all over the internet that you should negotiate a salary when given an offer, especially if you are a woman. My husband and I have no experience with this (he just retired after working in the same place for 37 years.) Any tips for how she should approach this. Any success stories doing this.
Always ask for more, how much more is up to her. Send them and email in writing with specific, not just salary but also vacation. She can’t really negotiate bonus or stock option or benefits. Those are company policy wide and depend a lot on her performance. But ask for more money and vacation time. She can tell them what she currently make and vacation time, and let them match or beat, if she isn’t comfortable telling them the exact number. No one withdraw the offer because of the ask, unless you give them an ultimatum. Don’t ever give them an ultimatum even if you were willing it walk away. It’s almost as bad as burning bridges. Good luck and I am so excited for your daughter!
In the past I’ve said “is there any room to negotiate the offer” and then said, this offer is less than my current salary or vacation time or whatever.
I will say…in better economic times, my husband successfully negotiated PTO. Really that was important to him…and didn’t really cost the company money in salary.
I recommend any salary negotiation be done via a phone call or facetime/zoom/skype, not email.
Have your D get all of her facts lined up…is she asking for a higher salary? If so how much? What is her bottom line number, the current offer?
As alternatives would she accept a signing bonus? Annual bonus? Stock options (if available)? Salary review in 6 months? The idea is to extract something extra, even if it doesn’t come right away in the form of salary.
She could say something along the lines of 'In my previous job my total compensation was X in salary/bonus/options. Based on my experience doing X, X, and X, and my ability to immediately hit the ground running in this position, I request that my starting salary be X."
Stop there, the shorter the better…don’t go on and on trying to justify the ask.
She should be matter of fact, and unemotional when making the request. The unemotional piece is difficult for many women, IME.
Of course don’t make it sound like an ultimatum, and I don’t think there is much risk of losing the offer just for asking for a higher salary.
I think I will recommend she go with what @promom4 said - short and simple and truthful - is there any room to negotiate the offer as this offer is less than my current compensation of $N
Before settling on a negotiating tactic, it would be necessary to know more background information about your daughter’s situation as well as about the new position & new firm.
For example: Your daughter’s years of relevant experience; whether or not she currently has a job & whether or not she can remain at that position; why your daughter is seeking a new position & a new employer; does your daughter have any highly sought after skills or special relationships that make her particularly attractive to the new firm ? There are more issues to consider, but this is one way to start assessing the situation from both perspectives–important because she doesn’t want to negotiate herself out of a job offer.
Also important to consider: Is your daughter willing & able to walk away if negotiations are unsuccessful from her perspective ?
I was given an offer with a specific salary. I said I was delighted to receive the offer but I needed to sleep on it.
The next day I told them again that I was thrilled to receive the offer, that the company is wonderful and has a great reputation, blah blah blah, and that I would very much like to work there. However, I said, I would be much happier if the salary could be $X. Is that possible?
They said they’d have to see. They called back (I don’t remember if it was that day or the next) and gave me what I asked for.
I flattered them by telling them how much I liked the offer, and I didn’t give an ultimatum. I just said I’d be much happier. And if they hadn’t come through, I would have taken the job anyway. (It was 2010 and I had been unemployed due to the recession for waaaaaay too long.)
She is currently employed, wants to leave her job as there is zero work-life balance, and they have not treated her well in the last year. She has been looking for a new position since September of last year.
She has more than the minimum number of years in the job description for the new position, but I wouldn’t say she has skills which are extremely rare or special. The new company is well established and is doing well (non-profit). She will most likely take the job even if they don’t up the salary. Since it is illegal for the company to ask, they have no idea of her current compensation.
I keep reading about how the only way to cut the salary differences between men and women is to negotiate your salary when you get an offer. I also read that most men negotiate and women do not.
@kiddie: The approach suggested in your post #8 above is designed at best to generate an offer equal to her current compensation.
This, of course, re-raises (I assume) the issue of why she is seeking the position and, if applicable, why she is willing to leave her current position.
Overall, this is a weak approach to negotiations, although it could work.
P.S. We have cross posted so I read your post above only after this response was posted.
How much does the new employer know about your daughter’s situation at her current place of work ? If they know what you have just shared, then the new employer doesn’t need to negotiate beyond “take it or leave it”.
Your daughter needs to assess what her priorities are; is it equal pay or better working conditions & lifestyle, for example.
Without fully understanding the situation and knowing the individuals involved on both sides, it is hard to recommend a strategy beyond assessing the situation from both sides & understanding priorities.
One type of negotiating for a specific minimum salary is to show the potential new employer a list of expenses required to meet one’s obligations. For example: If one’s current salary meets all of his or her obligations with little leftover for savings or unexpected expenses, then a new employer should understand that the potential new hire cannot leave his or her current position if the new salary makes one unable to meet current obligations.
@fendrock: While some may disagree, continuing negotiations after one receives a formal written offer puts everything back into play. That, I think, is why OP is willing to approach this in the low key manner outlined in post #8 above.
I am in healthcare & work prn/short-term unbenefitted positions & to be honest, my salary recently increased (6 months ago - long before covid) due to a first offer that was much higher than I was making at other jobs. The market had tightened (more jobs, less workers) and some companies had adjusted their salaries. Others, like the one where I asked if there was room to negotiate had not increased their pay.
I think if you are in a female dominated career (since OP mentioned that), it can be beneficial for women to be more vocal about their salary. The secrecy has kept pay low. But NEVER LIE - in the example I am giving from 6 months ago, I was asked to prove my current salary and I was able to. They were not willing to increase the pay and that job is still open 6 months later. Other offers I have received since there are in line with or more than that first bump.
Being in healthcare, I would be hesitant about what the future holds regardless of what it looks like today. I believe healthcare entities will look much different in 1-2 years.
I think you can say (and I agree, better in person than email), “This job is exactly what I was looking for and I’d love to join. I’m struggling a bit with the compensation package as it’s lower than what I have now, and it just covers my living costs. Are you able to move at all on compensation? X$ more would be ideal.” If the person you are talking with says "we can’t negotiate ", you can say “let me see if I can make this work”.
I don’t think they’ll rescind, but your d may need to decide between the current job and this one, both as is.