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Official Pit Job Search/Employment Thread

TWDeac

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I think we should have one of these threads for questions about applying, interviewing, job offers, and new positions.

My current question. How often in your career have you counter-offered a job offer? If you have done so, what were your terms? What have you found companies most likely to accept?
 
I've always tried to negotiate higher salary. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Mostly yes. Only once did someone get snippy about it, but there wasn't really an offer on the table yet and the position kind of sucked anyhow.

I just started a new job last week that wouldn't budge on salary, but I asked them to kick in an extra week of PTO. Employees get an extra year of PTO after two years of employment, so I asked them to waive that. They did.
 
I interviewed with a company twice (3 times if you count a phone interview). After my last interview with the branch manager, he told me to take the weekend and then email them any thoughts or questions. I emailed him just to say thank you for the interview, and to express excitement about the position. I then emailed the managers assistant a week later to make sure they got my first email, because he hadn't responded. I get an email back 1 week after that from the manager's assistant, saying that she would check to see if he received my first email. It's been 2 weeks since that and I haven't heard a single thing. This is a staffing type company that's supposed to specialize in managing candidate/client relationships.
 
I think in most situations it doesn't hurt to negotiate something extra, even if the offer is pretty good.

Last job, I got an offer which was a little more generous than I expected, but the vacation time was a week less than my current job. So I sent their HR guy a screenshot of my current time off policy, and asked them to match it, and they did.
 
One of the secretaries added me on LinkedIn. It says in her summary that she is looking to make a change.
 
anybody from the MSA program with a couple of years experience interested in an SEC reporting role in charlotte? we're hiring.
 
I interviewed with a company twice (3 times if you count a phone interview). After my last interview with the branch manager, he told me to take the weekend and then email them any thoughts or questions. I emailed him just to say thank you for the interview, and to express excitement about the position. I then emailed the managers assistant a week later to make sure they got my first email, because he hadn't responded. I get an email back 1 week after that from the manager's assistant, saying that she would check to see if he received my first email. It's been 2 weeks since that and I haven't heard a single thing. This is a staffing type company that's supposed to specialize in managing candidate/client relationships.

My guess: you are high but not at the top of the company's ranking of candidates. They are likely waiting to hear from the people in above you in the ranking on a yay or nay before saying definitely yes/no to you.
 
we're hiring an account management role (with experience in account management, experience within that role is negotiable-- we have bandwidth for newer AM's (like 2-3 years experience in account management) or more experienced (5-6 years)) in raleigh!
 
I think we should have one of these threads for questions about applying, interviewing, job offers, and new positions.

My current question. How often in your career have you counter-offered a job offer? If you have done so, what were your terms? What have you found companies most likely to accept?

I negotiated on both my experienced hire jobs. With the first offer, they were very explicit that they tried to give people fair offers up front rather than the usual negotiation, and the offer I got was that. Despite that, I asked for more stock options and title using the whole "I know it's a startup but just from the interview I think the company will succeed, blah blah blah" which worked on the stock options -- they said no on the title, but promised a 6 month review, which they followed up on.

For the next job they tried to low-ball me by coincidentally offering me the exact same salary and bonus I was previously making. They immediately went up on salary, but I tried to negotiate more on that. They were firm on the salary, so instead I asked for and received more PTO and got another 6 month review in terms of getting more equity (still yet to come). I regret not asking for a sign-on bonus, though.

I think most people aren't going to be dicks about it if they've already decided that you are the one they want for the job.
 
For those who have gone back to potential employers with a counter offer (or at least asked for an increase from the original offer) I am curious what additional % the second offer was in terms of salary (or other benefits). How did that compare to your initial offer (i.e., was your first offer 20% over what you were previously making and you convinced them to give you 30%?)?
 
I'm looking if anyone needs (and what company really doesn't) need someone to run their Compensation, Benefit, or HR group. Just under two decades of experience (mostly in Total Rewards, but also OD and training). Double deac undergrad, ECU MA, Wake MBA. Would prefer SE, but open.

On counters, for the current company they give them a chance to keep you until they can replace you. For the new company: Sometimes it's just expected, but other times it's a flat offer take it or leave it. I had an offer from Bank of America, that was more opportunity but flat cash until the bonus and equity kicked in. I called the recruiter back to ask if there was an opportunity to up the cash up front until to cover the relo or add to the sign-on.. Less than an hour later, I got a call saying the offer had been revoked. I thought I was just asking a question, but nope.
 
I counter-offered yesterday with about a 4% increase in salary. They came back and said that the salary was firm, but they'd do a 3% signing bonus. I took it because I really didn't think they would budge on the salary.
 
For those who have gone back to potential employers with a counter offer (or at least asked for an increase from the original offer) I am curious what additional % the second offer was in terms of salary (or other benefits). How did that compare to your initial offer (i.e., was your first offer 20% over what you were previously making and you convinced them to give you 30%?)?

It depends on the role. For my current job, I negotiated an additional 15% increase in salary (total of 30% higher than previous job) and asked for a guaranteed bonus for year 1.

Negotiating can be tough now because a lot of companies are requesting to see your W-2s, so they know exactly what you are making (and have been making) and you have to be strategic in coming back with reasons on why you want more than they are offering (driving distance, change of life, comfortable in your own job, not looking to move for less than XX%, etc).

A lot of the negotiating comes up front too - remember to set expectations relatively high. They can't ask you early on in the process what you are looking to make and you say X and then when negotiating you start asking for X+20% -they will have it written down. Most companies will not be put off based on you putting high expectations for salary upfront - if they like you, they will explain where the range is.
 
It depends on the role. For my current job, I negotiated an additional 15% increase in salary (total of 30% higher than previous job) and asked for a guaranteed bonus for year 1.

Negotiating can be tough now because a lot of companies are requesting to see your W-2s, so they know exactly what you are making (and have been making) and you have to be strategic in coming back with reasons on why you want more than they are offering (driving distance, change of life, comfortable in your own job, not looking to move for less than XX%, etc).

A lot of the negotiating comes up front too - remember to set expectations relatively high. They can't ask you early on in the process what you are looking to make and you say X and then when negotiating you start asking for X+20% -they will have it written down. Most companies will not be put off based on you putting high expectations for salary upfront - if they like you, they will explain where the range is.

Don't forget the biggest piece of leverage you have in negotiating salary for a new job. Unless the new job is purely lateral and you will be doing exactly the same thing for them that you were doing in your old job, they should not be basing your incoming salary on what you used to do. They should be basing that salary on what you WILL be doing for them.

I have never heard of any company asking for W2s from your last job. That's insane! (Not saying it isn't happening. It's just if someone asked me to present tax returns or W2s I would be like, "Are you serious Clark?")
 
It depends on the role.

This, 100%. Also depends on the company and/or industry. If you're working for a non-profit or something similar and try to negotiate a salary increase by leveraging another offer, they'd laugh in your face.
 
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