Change of mind in required salary
Hi Guys! I am a fairly young working professional so I really have very little experience in the job negotiation process (my first job right out of college I just took the offer without a second thought). I've just recently interviewed and luckily gotten an offer from one of the big four firms for an associate position. Although the offer matches my required salary that I put down on the application prior to the interview, after some thoughts and consideration on the extra responsibilities expected of me and commuting / traveling required with the position, I no longer feel that the required salary that I put down prior to finding out all these new facts during the interview is adequate. I am seeking advice on how to position my counter offer without sounding rude and indecisive and create a win-win situation (happy employee = good production). Any advice on the typical salary range for an valuation associate for a big four company should expect or on how to negotiate my point of view is greatly appreciated. All the best. This is a tough one.... So I' ll be tough on you First of all: You' ve made the same mistake twice, entering negotiations without (thorough) research! I hope next time you' ll do better. Second: There are several questions here that you' ll need to find an answer too. Are these extra responsibilities really extra? If so, do co-workers in the same position also have these extra' s and if not, why did they give these extra responsibilities to you? Be discrete when trying to get an answer for these questions! Third: Taking on extra responsibilities without receiving the benefits (right away) will get you up the ladder in no time. Execute these tasks well and you will stand out from the herd, in a positive way, no bragging required. You will actually have something extra to offer the next time you discuss your performance at the negotiation table. This is the path the make a career. As a side note: Keep an eye on your work-life balance. But it is not unusual to spend some more time on a new job in the beginning. And last: I don' t know how long you' ve been with this company now, but if it' s less than six months, I would not bring it up just yet. Instead focus on the job with everything that comes with it. Get familiar with the organization and its opportunities. Learn, learn, learn. To be honest with you, I don' t think you can go back now and try to negotiate a higher salary, particularly in light of the fact that you were offered a salary that you initially requested. What you could do now is ask about the possibility of a performance and salary review after you' ve been there 6 months. That will give you time to prove what you can accomplish and put yourself in a position to be able to make the case for an increase based on those accomplishments between now and then. If you don' t like that idea, presuming you haven' t officially accepted their offer yet, you could - very politely - ask if their initial offer is negotiable and see what happens. If it' s not, I' d ask about the review in 6 months. If you' re asked what salary you have in mind, I' d counter with a range that you think is reasonable based on your more complete understanding of what the job will require - and that would be the basis, because I don' t see another one, upon which to justify your counter-offer - that there' s more to the job than you realized and greater responsibilities that, at least in your opinion, justifies a somewhat higher starting salary. As I write this, I honestly think you should take the first approach and prove what you can do and THEN ask about an increase. If I were the employer, that would make a lot more sense to me. Prove yourself first, ask for more money second. Zat help? Aside from the fact that you really can' t back up and negotiate at this point anyway, honestly, since you' re still so new to the workforce and this is essentially a foot in the door job, I really don' t think you' ve got any negotiation room to work with. Your best position to negotiate will be in a few years when you' ve got some great experience behind you, great references to take with you and don' t really NEED a job because you' re happy where you are. For most people, that isn' t going to happen until you' re a good 5 years in your field or more. Remember too that a little more money does not negate an annoying commute or make travel any less of an ordeal (or shorten your hours or make your mean boss not so grouchy). You' re either willing to put up with those things that make the job less than perfect for the sake of what it DOES offer or you' re not. When you' re still at the early end of your career, the experience and good reference are so much more important than a few bucks that doesn' t even buy you coffee after taxes. "Although the offer matches my required salary that I put down on the application prior to the interview, after some thoughts and consideration on the extra responsibilities expected of me and commuting / traveling required with the position, I no longer feel that the required salary that I put down prior to finding out all these new facts during the interview is adequate. " Ok, I' m gonna give you an opinion that' s a bit different than most of what you' ve gotten so far.... First, forget about your extra commuting/traveling time, OK? You need to consider it yourself, but you cannot "use" that as a bargaining point--it is not the employer' s problem how far you have to commute and how long it takes you to do so. Second, if in fact the job involves responsibilities/tasks/skills that were unexpected prior to the interview, i.e., the scope of the job was either not appropriately described in the job posting, it involves more than would typically be expected of this title/position, or they decided, once they interviewed you, that you could do more for them than the original scope of the job, I think you can indeed ask to negotiate the salary. When you are asked prior to knowing the details of the job what your requirements are, you are kind of working in a void--without a concrete point of reference. Unless the position is as it was presented--then, if you are experienced at that position, you will have been expected to know enough about it to state a reasonable salary. If you can indeed make the case that there is more to the job than originally presented, and that you meet these extra requirements well, I say, go for it. Just be careful how you go about it. If, however, the job is as it was presented prior to the interview, I don' t see how you can go back and ask for more. | |
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