Negotiation QuestionI recently finished my 2nd interview with a company that I think is going to make an offer. When she called me the other day she said that they can probably only pay me $65K and was I still interested in the position - I said yes. Last week I received a raise in my current job to $66K -- the perk of this new job is that it also has a bonus at year-end which is 7-12% of your salary. If they can' t pay me more than $65K, which is 1K less than I am making now -- should I negotiate for a sign on bonus -- I think they need to sweeten the pot. I also know that time is ticking quickly and leaving on 3/15 - therefore I think they are getting desperate and into a time crunch, so that would be on my side. First of all, you never ask for a signing bonus. The company is the one to offer that. It' s usually only done when they really want you, and are afraid of losing you to another company. I have NEVER known anyone, personally, that received one, ever. I' m all for trying to negotiate salary. But, sometimes you don' t get too far in that. If she already told you they most they will probably pay is $65K, chances are they will come in at just that. You could politely ask if the salary is negotiable, but even if they are willing to come up a bit, I doubt very much they are going to offer you the 10-15% more the pros say you should be getting to change jobs. If they are going to offer a 7-12% yearly bonus on the new job, of course, you should take that into consideration too when determining whether to take the position. Why do you want a job that is a lateral move anyway? Remember, bonus sounds nice but there is absolutely no guarantee you' ll ever see those. Yeah, I am curious too, why are you looking at lateral moves? Is one title better then the other? Less commute? Cheaper Benefits? Is one a better resume builder? More prestigious company name, or clients? When you go to a new firm, there is always the initial courting phase where they mention bonuses and how they want all your great ideas and innovations, and how you'll be involved with this and that....all the advancement opportunities...and quite often the job does not really entail all those things....be careful. Are you vested? It is always tricky looking at a move around raise time....it is better to anticipate your increase ahead of time, or even mention you are up for review and anticipate post review you will be at X, and therefore will entertain lateral offers at X rate etc., If it helps you any hun, the difference of the $1000 comes out to $0.48 ...umm less than 50 cents an hour. Or, um...one candaybar an hour... or $16,640 candy bars in a year. How big is your sweet tooth?
I think they need to sweeten the pot a lot! Why would you even consider, unless there are other factors involved, making what appears to be a lateral career move? Also keep in mind that bonuses are a function of profitability and in years when profits are down, for whatever reason, bonuses are also likely to go down. In addition, a bonus is a one-time payment in pre-tax dollars, so you need to remember that taxes will be taken out of whatever the bonus turns out to be - assuming there is one. Furthermorer, bonuses obviously aren' t the same as salary - the' re optional and there' s no guarantee you' ll get one. Another point: signing bonuses are offered, but they' re never requested. For you to ask for a signing bonus would only indicate that you aren' t all that familiar with salary negotiations. Normally, it doesn' t make sense to switch jobs for less than an increase in salary of at least 10% to 15% more than you' re earning now. So far, that' s not the case in your situation - so why do it? | |
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