Promotion Salary NegotiationAfter three years in a local regional position in the California Bay Area at a very large national company I have been offered a promotion to a corporate position in Philadelphia, Pa. I was offered about 20% more for this position with a moving package and the promise of a maximum 10% bonus each year should the company do well Nationally. I know that this move to PA will be a lower cost of living and 20% looks very good on paper but they are basing it on my current position which has been underpaid based on what my current counterparts make here. In addition, this position was initally advertised as a "Marketing Director" position but was downgraded to "Manager" because when they decided to hire me they could not give me the title of "director" because my title was not manager even though my work load and resposibiliites were at a manager level. I am moving my entire family and will lose my free childcare and my husband will be out of work for at least the short term so if I go with the current offer it will be less than what we are living on now. Even when you factor in the lower cost of living. When I initally asked what the range for the position was I was told by the same HR person who wrote my offer that it would be between $65K and $70K and he wrote the offer for $65K. After I was offered the position a different HR person said, "what salary do you need to make this happen?" I said, between $70k and $75K. I want the job and am ready to take it but feel like I' m being lowballed again. Should negotiate the salary base? And if so, HOW??!!! I hope they come up to the $75k, because a family will find it hard to live on one income much lower in the Philly area. I don't know how much less you are assuming the COL is in PA, and it is much lower in much of the state, but in the greater Philadelphia area, about 3 to 4 surrounding counties' worth, it is very, very high. (I am quite familiar with this, as I live in PA & my husband worked in Philly for a few months. We looked into moving there, and even back in 2000, would have needed a salary of at least $65k in order to buy any kind of house.) A home in an area that has good schools and is safe, and a single-family detached house that is more than a box will run you at a minimum $300k, but realistically $400k to $500k and up. You can buy a semi or a townhouse, of course, but will still pay over $250k. Rent for a large apartment will likely be around $1500 to $2000/month. My niece lives in Philly proper, and I think her 2 -bedroom apt is around $1200. If you don't mind driving a bit, there are some wonderful places to live outside of Philly--West Chester is my very favorite, and there is Kennett Square, Malvern, King of Prussia. Really depends on where in Philly you would be working. Downingtown is a wonderful place, and the housing is not quite as high as closer in, but it can be a long drive depending on where you're going in Philly. Closer in, we liked the Ridley Park area (very quaint in places) but it may be too "metro" for some tastes. Having said all that, however, PA is a wonderful state to live in (and I have lived in 3 other states) and has a terrific quality of life. The economy here is above average in most of the state, and there is a plethora of things to do, cultural activities, great kids' things, etc. I would probably never move back to NY after having lived in PA. If you are not lavish spenders, you can live on $70 to $75k in Philly; better the $75k if you can get it. And without knowing what your husband does for a living, I'd venture to say he wouldn't have much of a problem finding a job in PA. Once he does, you will be more than fine if you are making the $70 to $75k. Good luck; I hope this helps. Why in the world would you take such an offer? You are well within your rights to turn it down & tell them that doesn't get you where you need to be. If you are willing to move, you should search for a job with a different company -- surely it would be much better paid. I don't think it is too late to go back & say, "I have done some more research and realistically I would need a salary of (at least) $115 to take this position, as well as a promotion to Director." You should do a salary.com survey (in generalities, these are free, you can customize it for $50 whichis well worth it). Do your research and don't be afraid to tell them that it is not worth it for you to even entertain such an offer. I too am currently wondering how I can leverage an internal offer. I'm afraid they will offer me the bottom end of the range, which is at 25% of the national range for that type of position. Not sure what kind of leverage I have. Good luck to you!!!! No disrespect, but basing a salary requirement on salary.com is way off base. That site, and many others, run--by common agreement--very high, and no company is going to give a damn what salary.com says in deciding what to pay somebody (I know people who have been there, done that, and HR will always point out that they have done their homework and they know they are paying within a competitive range for their company' s size and geographical area. The OP should base her salary on what she needs in order to move, how well she fits the requirements of the position (even though it' s in the same company), and how this move will enhance, or not, her long-term career goals. If taking this job will lead to the director' s position in time, and that is a goal, and moving makes it more likely to happen, then the answer is not as clear cut as you make it. I jumped on realtor.com and ran their salary calculators for the Bay area and for Philly, using your field as marketing & sales (the only choice that was applicable) and your title of marketing manager. Disregarding the actual salary dollars quoted, since salary calculators run high, the results showed a $10,000 difference in the median salaries, with the lower salary being, of course, the Philly area. Based on what I know of Philly and of real estate (I am a Realtor), I would say that sounds pretty accurate. So, if you are getting a 20% increase in salary over what you are currently making, and you can get that number to at least $70k, my opinion, FWIW and that may not be much, is that at least from a financial standpoint, you are making out better than if you stay where you are. You apparently are underpaid currently, but there are so many factors, the least of which is not the fact that you have children. Do not underestimate the value of having family ties where you are now. We relocated with a young son several years ago, but it was extremely difficult on all of us, and if we could have stayed where we were, we would have. We love PA, but had we the choice of staying near our hometowns, at least while our kids grow up, we probably would have. We didn' t really have a choice from an economical standpoint. Honestly, I don' t envy you your situation--it sounds like the move would be a good one for you, but look at how old your kids are, how flexible they are, and whether or not you could afford to have your husband stay home with them during the transition period--at least a few months. I stayed home with our son for a couple of months, but then had to go back to work when the company that relocated us downsized unexpectedly, and DH was layed off. I only went back part time, as my son was having an extremely difficult time wth the move. To this day, I regret having to go back to work so soon. It would have been much better for all of us if I could have stayed home a lot longer, not only to help my son with the adjustment, but also to finish unpacking, getting the new house put together, etc. As it was, our lives never quite got back to "normal" again for quite some time. But I' ll reiterate that we now love living here and feel very much at home! The difference in cost of living between Philly and SF is just off the charts. Assuming that your husband is employable in Philly, you should end up way ahead of the game after making the move, even if he' s out of work for a few months. Here' s the stats: Salary in San Francisco CA: $65,000 Salary in Philadelphia PA: $65,000 Moving from Philly to SF the results are:
If you don' t mind living on the East Coast, take the offer. Start by asking whoever the appropriate person happens to be if their initial salary offer is negotiable. If it' s not, I' d be inclined to take the job anyway. Chances to move up the ladder don' t come all the often and if you decline this one, another probably won' t come along for a long, long time. On the other hand, if the offer is negotiable, which the HR person sort of implied it was, reiterate the range you mentioned and see what happens. I think you also need to be prepared to highlight your qualifications for the job in terms of your experience, skills, training, and education as they relate to the requirements of the position that' s been offered. I do not think you can use any of the other things you mentioned as justification for negotiating a higher salary - they' re offering a relocation package, a salary increase, and the prospect of a bonus - assuming the company does well. With no disrespect intended, neither your spouse' s employment situation not the loss of free childcare are the employer' s problems. If the offer is negotiable, build your case around what you bring to the job that will make it more valuable to the employer. Make sense? Thanks for the great advice it really helped!! I decided that whatever the salary outcome was I was going to take the job becasue it was a step up the ladder and a raise. In any case, I went back to my new boss and said that while I realized that it was a raise for me and that the cost of living would be lower but I was highly qualified for the position as a director but was willing to take it on as a manager becasue of the HR rules because I wanted the oppportunity more than the title. I highlighted the reasons she hired me and said that I only wanted a fair salary and basing it off my current salary would not be be fair and would not accurately reflect the new role' s resposibilites. My new boss said she would go back to HR and try once more to see if anything could be done. Called me back in an hour and got me another $5k!!! Great news! Now go in there and prove you' re worth every penny and thensome! | |||||||||||||||||
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