Job offer salaray lower
I have just received a job offer which requires relocation. The problem I am having is I am moving from a rural area in PA to a large city in NC. They offered exactly what I was making for rural living. They initially quoted one salary but came back and offered more (prior to any negiotions). My mistake was mentioning what I was making currently. I figured they already knew as it with the same company. The company has closed our center resulting in the loss of 540 jobs. So times are desperate as they were the major employer in the area. They have expressed that with my skills, knowledge and experience I would be helping them go in the right direction the company is moving. I was a supervisor within the company and would be continuing as a supervisory. They have offered at least 6000 more in another division for the same level, however I have more experience. How do I counter offer to get atleast what the others are getting. My current (last job) offered bonus on top of the salay which was substantial - the new division does not. One thing to keep in mind - both my husband and I lost our jobs with this company, however, in this new area they do no allow family to work in the same division thus resulting in my relocating and my husband staying here - at least for the next 2 years (kids will be out of school then). Any quidance is much appreciated.
The first thing I would ask you is if you have indeed done the cost-of-living comparisons... Of course I don't know where in PA you are, but we relocated to PA from NY several years ago, and at the time my DH was also interviewing in a couple of other states, one of which was NC. Our experience back then was that the COLs were not all that much different. We were looking at housing in rural and metropolitan areas in both states, and, in reality, housing (both the price of homes and property taxes) were less in NC. Especially taxes--like half of what we pay here. And we do not live in the greater Philly area; our COL in this part of the state is probably average when compared to the rest of PA, maybe a tad higher--certainly higher than, say, Pittsburgh, but comparable to most of the central part of the state. Second, you can certainly go back to the people you have been dealing with and tactfully ask if the offer in negotiable. However, I you can't base your request on what others are making, or what you think they are making. You have to make your case based on your own experience--you say you have more, so play that up--and your ability to help move the company forward. And, if you have done enough research and can say with absolute certainty that the COL in NC is X% higher than where you live in PA, then I think you can also make a case for a "COL adjustment due to geographic region." You can get these COL numbers (check out homefair.com, I think), but it will take some time, and you have to make sure they are accurate. Just because you are coming from a rural area to the "city," does not mean the COL will be different..... You could say that if you were moving within PA and be pretty accurate, but you are dealing with 2 different states. I think you have to start by asking if their initial salary offer is negotiable and see what they say. If it is, and you're asked what salary you have in mind, I'd counter with a range that will help cover the difference in the cost of living. I wouldn't't necessarily try for a salary that others in another division of the company have supposedly been offered, but rather a salary range in which you know you need to be to at least cover the COL difference. I'd also be inclined to ask what's contained in their relocation package and see what they say. If the salary offer isn't negotiable, and depending on how badly you need this particular job, you may have to settle for less, but I'd certainly make my best effort to negotiate a higher salary to at least cover the difference in the cost of living. Worst case scenario is both you and your spouse stay put and you both initiate an aggressive job search in Pennsylvania. Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert | |
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