Tactful negotiation tips neededI am very unhappy at my current job of 10 years and made a very difficult decision to quit without another job lined up - my last day is this Friday. I have been sending out resumes for months, and haven' t received any great leads in that time. Yesterday, I had a second interview at a company that seems interested in making me an offer (about which they plan to make decisions tomorrow). During both the pre interview and initial interview they made it clear what the salary range was below what I stated I was looking for on my application and asked if that was ok. Being desperate for a job I said "I could work with it." The truth is that the top of the range they are offering is 10% LESS than what I make now. Also, I would be losing 2 of my 4 weeks vacation, a matching 401K program and also giving up stock holdings at my current company. At my second interview they stated that they decided to add some additional duties to the position that weren' t in the original job posting. I' m hoping to use this to at least negotiate back up to my current salary (if they offer it to me). I' d also like to negotiate some additional vacation time if possible. I don' t want to sell myself short just because I really need a job, but I' m afraid of scaring them off. I' m also worried about having misled them in the interview process. Any advice on how to handle this tactfully? Also, if they list the company benefits and salary range on the job description, are these things still negotiable? You can' t make a silk purse out of a sow' s ear. You cannot make a job that has its high point 10% less than your current salary into a job where your current salary is the mid-point. It just isn' t going to happen. You can' t make it into a job with twice as much vacation and you can' t make it into a job with a 401(k). I know you really wanted out of your current job but I think you' ve made a bad choice pursuing this particular job and an even worse choice quitting your current job before you had another lined up. That last move means that you now have to decide if you will take this new job or wait (who knows how long) for something better to come along. Of course you' ll have to wait and see what they actually offer, but MOST new hires come in at the mid-point for the range if they meet all requirements and exceed some. They rarely bring someone in at the top of a range because that gives you no room for future raises. While some companies do negotiate some on vacation, it is unlikely that a company that doesn' t even offer a 401(k) is going to do so and of course, you can' t negotiate a retirement plan or stock options if they just don' t offer them. I highly recommend you keep looking since at this point you don' t even know if this less than desirable position will even make you an offer. If they do, you may need to just take it and ride it out while you watch for something better to come along. Not that it matters now, but I suppose it' s obvious that the better approach would have been to keep the old job until you found a better one. I agree with Tess on this one. I really don' t think you' re going to be able to turn what sounds like a step down into a step up by negotiating. I' m sure you had valid reasons for resigning from your job of ten years, but sounds to me like you' re going to be even more unhappy with the job for which you' re being considered - lower salary, less vacation, giving up stock and, for all you know, an even worse working environment. There' s no way they' re going to offer you the top of their salary range, and even if they do, it would still be a 10% cut in salary for you - that makes no sense at all. Unless you truly are desperate for a job, I' d keep looking. | |
|
Career Tips
|