Negotiating a Job Offer

You applied for a great job through a company’s website and completed all their interviews.  The hiring manager has just called to verbally extend you the job offer and she is emailing you the official offer letter for your signature.  Before signing on the dotted line consider the below items which might need further discussion and possible negotiation before you formally accept the job. 

Start Date 

It is Friday afternoon, and the company wants you in the office on Monday morning!  Maybe you have a scheduled doctor or dentist appointment, elder care responsibilities, childcare responsibilities, or have weekend travel plans and want Monday to decompress!  Within reason, you might need to ask your hiring manager if you can push the start date forward a few days or maybe even one or two weeks.  Just make sure you discuss with the hiring manager what impact pushing the start date forward might have on your eligibility for benefits, for example health insurance or retirement plan contributions. 

PTO (Paid Time Off) 

It is Friday, June 12th in the afternoon and the company wants you in the office on Monday, June 15th.  That’s not a problem at all, but you know that you’ve booked a trip to Colorado to attend your older sister’s wedding for the week of July10th – July 15th.  Ask the hiring manager if you should move your start date until after your trip is completed, or if they are okay with you beginning your new job and then taking off for the week of the wedding like you planned.  Will you need to take the week of the wedding off from work without pay because you won’t have accrued paid vacation time by that date?  No matter what you discuss and decide, make sure to have the agreed outcome documented in a revised written offer letter. 

Annual Base Salary 

For a first job out of college, you might not be able to negotiate your pay very much or at all for many reasons.  For instance, the company may have an internal equity issue (you can’t be paid more than already established employees in similar jobs).  Some companies will not negotiate due to a union contract that is in place.  Other companies might have already presented you with the highest amount of salary that is within their budget.  Companies have spent time understaffed while the job has been posted, and then worked hard to post, interview, and now hire you.  The company likely is making a fair market offer to ensure that you accept so they don’t have to begin the search process all over again.  Be sure to research appropriate salary ranges for your position, education, experience, and skills within the geographic area of where the job is located.  Make an appointment with a Career Adviser through Handshake to learn how to research salary ranges.  Remember, if you try to negotiate and the company won’t adjust their salary, are you willing to walk away and keep job searching? 

By Jill Gardosik
Jill Gardosik Career Advisor