S2 graduating in May had his first interview Friday. He has a 3.1 gpa in computer engineering. Before even asking any technical questions the guy (a VP) extended an offer and said “how soon can you decide?”. S2 was caught completely off guard and said 1week. The salary is mediocre.
He’d like to keep looking (is the second round of calls with another company), but this is a good opportunity. What should be do?
Your son needs to say he cannot commit until he has time to review the entire job offer, including salary, PTO, benefits, etc. provided to him in writing.
He will need at least a week to review the written offer.
Also, your son should not be afraid to ask questions about things like the salary, when his performance will be reviewed, etc.
How far “off” is this job? Is it where he wants to be? Does it have growth potential?
Was this interview arranged through the career office of his university? If so, check into their rules about accepting and then declining offers, and also about students continuing to interview through the career office once an offer has been accepted. Some schools consider it an integrity violation and do not allow continued job search once an offer has been accepted for a company they hosted on campus. However, if this was an opportunity your S found on his own, he may have more wiggle room to accept but keep looking, depending on the terms of the contract. Delay as long as possible, ie. by asking the first company for a little more time. He can also push the second company to speed up their process by letting them know he has a good offer on the table to which he must respond.
Both my kids were in your S’s shoes, and it is terribly difficult and stressful. S accepted his first good offer, even though he was in the early rounds with a much better opportunity, and regrets that to this day. But he couldn’t hold them off any more, and since he had loans to pay off and it was a sure thing, he took it. D accepted an offer she didn’t like, but then went back a week or so later and turned them down when she got a better job. She told the first company it was an issue of location and wanting to be closer to her family on the other coast. Luckily, they didn’t give her any grief. She found out later that several other kids at her university had also turned down the same company when they found better jobs. I think it happens all the time.
He applied to an ad from indeed.com. They are a consulting software company (ie body shop) so they hire quite a few entry level folks. Sounds like a great job. The only downside is the salary and it’s not terrible, but from listening to friends with offers, it seems a little low.
I told him to call the hr lady who screened him as he did she say very nice, but wasn’t sure how long of an extension he should request.
He got an email with the salary that same day. There’s also a bonus program if some sort. Great problem to have though ! I’m so happy for him. His roommates both have had several job offers so he’s been very sad.
Has he tried negotiating a higher salary?
There are a lot of “it depends” in this scenario. My oldest son graduated from Carnegie Mellon, accepted the first offer he got, but later wished that he had negotiated and kept interviewing. The offer was for 100K plus benefits, which we thought was a pretty good deal for a first job, but later on he felt disappointed that he hadn’t asked for more.
My other son, graduated from a school with a small program in CS, looked for a job for 5 months, settled for a lesser salary, and is happy to get it. But he told them that he either needed another week to decide, or 7K more in salary. He got the salary. Apparently, they do expect you to negotiate.
So I’d want to know what the average graduate from your son’s school’s starting salary is, in computer engineering. That information should be available. And yes, he should negotiate for a higher salary. If he isn’t 100% satisfied with this job offer, I think it’s totally fine to keep interviewing, but at least he has something in hand.
To add…that seems weird that the guy would give him an offer and ask him how soon he could decide before asking any technical questions. Does he go to a very highly rated CS school?
Yes, his school is well respected in our state. Good point about checking average salaries. My chem engr son started quite a bit higher, but his major is known for high salaries. Asking for more money would be awkward. I’ll mention it.
It may be awkward, but most probably expected. I would think that the worst they could say is no, wouldn’t you think? I’d also look at glassdoor and see what the average salaries are there.
To add… a few minutes of awkwardness is well worth a potential salary increase, and not regretting it for months afterwards. It’s a hard thing to do, but I think they need to get used to it., particularly if it seems low. Hopefully someone in the industry will weigh in.
Unfortunately, to get paid properly one always needs to ask (push) for it, it doesn’t end at the job offer, and it is especially true for women.
D1 works on her year end compensation every fall. She meets with her senior leadership to make sure she is on track to get the highest pay. She’ll provide them with market data to substantiate her ask, and she makes sure they all know her contributions through the year. She recently found out her base salary was 20K lower than another division. she had no issue in going to her division head to ask for an adjustment.
There are ways of asking for more money. As posted up thread, by providing average salary for a particular field is a good way to negotiate for more. I also think it is fine to let this potential employer know you are waiting for other offers. If you feel you must take the offer or risk losing it then I would accept it and continue to look. As an hiring manager, I would put my best foot forward with the offer and give the applicant sufficient time to make sure it is the job he/she wants. I wouldn’t want to pressure someone to take a job and then have him/her to back out of it later.