Negotiating salary when the minimum salary is more than enough? (interview, employer)
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How do you negotiate salary when the the minimum in the salary range is more than enough for you? I was offered a job last week that is offering $55K+, depending on experience, according to the ad. That is definitely a lot more than I made in the past and certainly above what I would realistically get in most jobs I'm qualified for. Its an accounting position for a small business. It's a long commute so the commuting costs are pretty high (~$300 per month). Should I just accept the $55K? Should I negotiate higher even though I'm more than willing to take $55K? I feel like if I negotiate higher I could set a precedent for higher wages in the future.
Let them make a first offer to you. Depending on what they say, you will adapt.
You said you were offered the job, but do you mean that you were offered one even though you did not have a proper interview to discuss salary matters?
Once salary is above sufficient it becomes hygenic...that is it has only bad effects if it is not enough.
If you see the salary as sufficient take it and knock them dead. Initial salary is not very important in starting position. Up the levels three or four it is more important...let them demonstrate they want you and appreciate your value. But at the start - be humble and grateful.
I don't believe in a salary that is 'more than enough for you'. You should get paid what you are worth to an employer. I think if you do not negotiate, you will regret later.
Every single employer leaves room for negotiation while they make an offer. I combined personal experiences and research and wrote a blog post about this. You can check it out here: 3 Common Regrets Following Salary Negotiations
Your starting salary is very important and even a few thousand dollars makes a big difference throughout your career.
I don't believe in a salary that is 'more than enough for you'. You should get paid what you are worth to an employer. I think if you do not negotiate, you will regret later.
Every single employer leaves room for negotiation while they make an offer. I combined personal experiences and research and wrote a blog post about this. You can check it out here: 3 Common Regrets Following Salary Negotiations
Your starting salary is very important and even a few thousand dollars makes a big difference throughout your career.
How do you negotiate salary when the the minimum in the salary range is more than enough for you? I was offered a job last week that is offering $55K+, depending on experience, according to the ad. That is definitely a lot more than I made in the past and certainly above what I would realistically get in most jobs I'm qualified for. Its an accounting position for a small business. It's a long commute so the commuting costs are pretty high (~$300 per month). Should I just accept the $55K? Should I negotiate higher even though I'm more than willing to take $55K? I feel like if I negotiate higher I could set a precedent for higher wages in the future.
What you made in the past is irrelevant. Salary should reflect what the job is worth, first in the market, and then in that specific company. If you're not comfortable negotiating salary and are happy with it, you can always try negotiating more vacation time.
If you have a couple of years experience, you can say, "Given that I have a couple of years experience, is there room for negotiation on the salary?" If they come back with, "What did you have in mind?" I would say, "I was thinking more in the range of $57 - $59K."
Always negotiate and do not accept their first offer. There are soooooo many reasons for this.
First of all, let's say you negotiate $5,000 more than the minimum they offer. That's $5K in your pocket in your first year. With a salary of $55,000 it will take you 2-3 years to earn that $5K if we assume you get a 4-5% CoL increase every year.
Second, of you accept the lowest offer, the employer will resent that because they will think they could have gotten you for cheaper. Also you will resent it down the line because you could have asked for more but chickened out.
I hired perhaps 300 or 400 engineers over a span of 30 years. I would think we had a dicker in perhaps 10 or 12 cases. Virtually all very senior engineers or engineering managers.
The belief here that employers all expect a dicker is simply untrue. Particularly on junior personnel. You first off start off hiring into generic positions with set pay grades...you might have latitude of a few thousand on the offer but that is it. And you don't mess very much with the classification levels as that can cause bad internal problems down the road.
Second, of you accept the lowest offer, the employer will resent that because they will think they could have gotten you for cheaper. Also you will resent it down the line because you could have asked for more but chickened out.
I'm not following this logic. I don't see how the employer resents you.
I'm not following this logic. I don't see how the employer resents you.
No, he's making an important point. Imagine you're trying to sell something on eBay and you set a "Buy It Now" price (that is, for those not familiar with eBay, a price where the buyer presses "buy" and the auction is instantly over, with the item sold at the stated price).
Imagine that within minutes of listing the item, someone buys it at your price. What's the first thing going through your mind? "Should have set my price higher!"
And the employer in that story is thinking that he shuld hae made his initial offer lower; he would probably still been able to land the candidate.
So even if the offer is far more than you had imagined making, you still want the employer to think that he got you for a good price. Even a momentary "Well, I suppose that could work," followed by a question about benefits or vacation is better than to enthusiastically accept without reservation. Even a slight frown on your face when you say "OK" is a good idea. Always make the other party think you have options.
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