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Offer Negotiation

jf198400jf198400 member
in Working Moms

I have an interview for a new job, and the HR person told me up front that the salary range is a little below my current salary.  I expressed that I was still interested, especially because the commute is perfect (not a lot of jobs close to my house).  Do you think I could try to get anything else out of the negotiation since I would be taking a pay cut?  Has anyone negotiated a signing bonus or anything else?

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Re: Offer Negotiation

  • AshleyF1234AshleyF1234 member
    My husband switched jobs in August. He wasn't taking a pay cut, but would have been giving up senior level vacation schedule. He negotiated 50% more vacation time and a signing bonus.
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  • AZ123AZ123 member

    They expect  you to negotatiate the salary. I personally wouldn't take a bonus. I'd negotiate a higher salary because what if you stay there 10 years and love it? You don't want a one-time payment.

    Consider the money saved not commuting, etc, because even with a slightly lower salary after taxes it may not be that much of a difference.

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  • jf198400jf198400 member
    I intend to try to get as much as I can, but the recruiter was very upfront that their max budget for this position is x amount.  I am okay with that, b/c like you said it's not a huge difference.  But I am wondering if I can leverage that to get something else out of the negotiation.
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  • Karla CSKarla CS member
    Agreed with PP that you can possibly negotiate some additional vacation days, but you may be limited to that if they have a hard cap as to what the salary is.

    When I've looked at opportunities in the past, even though I'm salaried, I calculate my 'hourly' wages. I figured commute into my hourly rate and seen how they stack up on that basis compared to my current job/commute so I can compare apples to apples. (Ie: if my commute would be an hour a day, I would calculate my hourly rate based on a 9 hour workday.)
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  • LJUTCMommyLJUTCMommy member
    Not sure what industry you're in, but could you receive quarterly commissions or profit sharing?

    Maybe also negotiate a flexible schedule, if not already offered?
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  • LoCarbLoCarb member
    I was able to negotiate add'l PTO but not salary since it was maxed.
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  • jschmidt6jschmidt6 member
    I would also look into how often they given promotions, bonuses and/or cost of living increases. DH and I started working around the same time. He started off making 20% less than me and in 5 years is now making more than me. His company gives more promotions, but my company gives a pretty decent 3% cost of living increase plus a 5% performance bonus every January.

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  • RoxyLynnRoxyLynn member
    Could you get an office, if it's not already part of the deal?  Training/classes?  If you pay dues to a professional association, perhaps you could ask to have those paid by the company.
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  • traveltheworldtraveltheworld member
    I think more vacation days or "personal days" would be your best bet.  And make sure you get the schedule you like in terms of work hours.
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  • Livinginclip84Livinginclip84 member
    In the same situation and I negotiated two work from home days a week.
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  • aeh72aeh72 member
    I would see what you could get in the form of a signing bonus - that may help you, at least in this first year make up or get closer to making up the salary difference.  Also, ask if they have an annual bonus - that also may be a way to make up the difference.  Aside from money, I think vacation leave wouldn't be unheard of to ask for.  Good Luck to you!
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  • FemShepFemShep member
    Look at your short-term compensation (salary), mid-term compensation (bonus), and long-term compensation (equity).  If there's no flexibility in salary, can they provide a signing bonus or other bonus plan?  Can they increase any equity you might receive as part of the offer?  

    Often, benefits plans are pretty defined and it's hard to change anything around insurance, STD, etc., but additional vacation is pretty easy to grant and is always handy with kids.

    If there's a conference you want to attend, you can ask for that.  You can also request training time off or tuition reimbursement for work-related classes.  If you need a phone for work, you can request a cell phone allowance as well.
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