Negotiating an offer

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BDV

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 12, 2006
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How do you typically negotiate after an offer has been presented?

Straight up accepting it is out of the question. :)
 
BDV said:
How do you typically negotiate after an offer has been presented?

Straight up accepting it is out of the question. :)
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I usually land 2-3 jobs at once so I have LEVERAGE. It's risky but I pit them against each other...it once got me a nice 20k/yr difference in the offer. I've done it twice so far, once for 20k as mentioned and another for 10k.
 
One thing that's worked well for me: negotiate vacation.

If you want better compensation but can't get the numbers you're after, ask for more paid vacation time in lieu of more money.
Often the manager won't be able to go above a certain salary, communicated from the higher-ups. They often do, though, control the scheduling of people under them.
 
I like the vacation idea. I'm sick of only having 2 weeks vacation lately. Good call.
 
PTO, Sick Time is very important to negotiate these days. Remember this is part of your compensation and like said above gets around some salary cap issues.

I'd also review their benefits in detail, if any. Make sure they are in writing up front. The crap tech company I'm working for now lied about the benefits... actually offered medical at half the price and realized their mistake 2 months in and changed it double the price without notifying myself or the team.

Agencies are really doing some scumbag tactics these days. Do not let them slide, get a rate and benefit package you are comfortable with and be confident in your negotiation.

Best of luck!
 
ValeTudo said:
Agencies are really doing some scumbag tactics these days. Do not let them slide, get a rate and benefit package you are comfortable with and be confident in your negotiation.
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Take out "These days" and that's about right.

On another note, I looked at a job offer for a company and none of the benefits kicked in for at least 3 months,no vacation time allowed for six months, medical @ $400 per check (family)...in the end, it just wasn't worth it even though the salary on paper was really good, I had to put together a spreadsheet to figure out what my actual pay might be and it was not as good.

My current employer ended up giving me a massive pay raise so I wouldn't leave, so it's all good now.
 
Buckus said:
Take out "These days" and that's about right.

On another note, I looked at a job offer for a company and none of the benefits kicked in for at least 3 months,no vacation time allowed for six months, medical @ $400 per check (family)...in the end, it just wasn't worth it even though the salary on paper was really good, I had to put together a spreadsheet to figure out what my actual pay might be and it was not as good.

My current employer ended up giving me a massive pay raise so I wouldn't leave, so it's all good now.
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"No vacation time allowed for 6 months" isn't a deal-breaker for me, so long as I'm still accruing my vacation time (or it's pre-alloted per contract at X days/year) at a normal rate. If the company is hiring for a new position the expectation is that they want that person to hit the ground running and they (presumably) already have a project to start on. Having someone take a week of vacation a month after they're hired could be a significant disruption to the development process if day-to-day development updates are required to move forward.

Medical @ $400/check isn't uncommon, IMO, depending on the benefits conveyed. With a low deductible and excellent coverage I could see it being a bit higher, even, depending on your location and the company's overall profile (is the company employing 40 guys who have all had a heart attack in the last 3 years, or does it only employ former high school and college athletes?) My current employer covers a significant portion of a single-person's health coverage, but if you want to cover a spouse and/or family with the plan that is almost 100% out of your pocket.

I've also seen where benefits (mostly health insurance) aren't started from Day 1. This is likely due to the structure of their agreement with the insurance provider where you can add anyone during the enrollment period or if they're a new hire, but you can only remove people during the enrollment period. A company I interacted with frequently a few years back had this type of system, and it was great for them because they had never fired or laid off an individual.... until 2009. In 2009 they had to let go of nearly 40% of their engineering workforce due to the significant downturn in work provided by Caterpillar and other companies that outsource their engineering work. People who were let go were primary removed in February and March, but the company had to continue to pay the health care costs associated with those employees until the next January, which was when the enrollment period began. It was a HUGE money sink!
 
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