Is it overkill to negotiateWell...I posted a few weeks ago about a dilemma I was having regarding staying at my current job or leaving for a 3K increase...I ended up deciding that I would stay put. When I called the other company to decline, they upped the offer another 3K, which ended up being an increase from 44K to 50K. I was happy with that, and after talking with my current job I learned that they couldn't guarantee some of the opportunites that they previously alluded to, so I accepted the offer with the new company and was really excited. Just out of the blue, I got a call on Fri from another company I had interviewed for in December. They ended up hiring somebody else for that position, but the supervisor really wants to hire me for a new position, which will actually be a better fit for me than the one I had interviewed for. I was really flattered that she had kept me in mind and she said that she had really been impressed with me, but that they went with an internal candidate. So, she asked me what I needed from her? I told her that I had already accepted another offer (I haven't started yet), but that I was really interested in what she was offering and delicately asked about the salary. She actually said 58-60K would be no problem! This really floored me as I wasn't expecting anything that high. She is calling my references today and going through the final hoops with HR and said she'd probably be calling me back today or tomorrow with an offer. So, would anyone try to negotiate the salary anymore at this point just because or should I just happily accept what she offers? I'm pretty sure I know the answer--keep my mouth shut and be happy, but just wondered if there were any other opinions out there. I think this also is a good example of keeping your chin up when you get rejected--you never know what might happen! In fact, I was turned down for BOTH of these jobs in early January (it did quite a number on my self esteem) and then got called back for both of them in the end. And by the way, this board has really helped me a lot over the past month--it's nice to know people are going through the same issues and I think there's a lot of great advice here.
And if you do go with this new opportunity you tell your current boss how sorry you are, didn' t expect this but can' t say no. Then you stay with this new employer a long time and don' t do any more short hopping. I agree with Tess on this one, If the second company does make you the offer, and it is in the $58-60K range, TAKE IT, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, AND BE HAPPY!!! If it were me, and she offered me anything over $52,000, I would grab it and ask her when she wanted me to start!!! You don' t negotiate just for the sake of negotiating. Hope you do, indeed get the 2nd offer. If you do get an offer $8 to $10k higher than your current one, why on earth would you even think of trying to negotiate? I can' t think of one good reason why you would.... Isn' t it enough that they thought enough of you to call you back, and that they are offering an excellent wage? Many companies won' t even bother sorting through old resumes to unearth one from a candidate they liked. I know you' re right. It' s nice to get your opinions and I do feel very fortunate to have this new opportunity coming my way. I just know there will be somebody in my group of friends or family who will inevitably ask, "did you negotiate for more?" and I can answer them with confidence that I am doing the right thing. I went through this when I got my last job--I didn' t negotiate even though I had 2 similar offers and I felt fine about the figure I accepted until some of my friends gave me a lot of flak about it and then I really started to question my decision. By the way, the HR rep just called today and asked for an updated salary range from what was on my application knowing that I have another offer, so I just told her 58-62K, knowing that those figures were already basically quoted to me and I would be thrilled to accept anything in that range. They are scrambling to write up the job description and should be getting back to me tomorrow. I' m so excited! You know the answer to this question, although I would never advise you to "keep you mouth shut and be happy," that' s exactly what I would do if I were you. | |
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