Only one interview with industry, and some post-docs. And that one interview was actually several zoom sessions over 3 days totalling over 15 hours. With a non-disclosure due to intellectual property.
Based on some friends in the NY & Boston area, she's gonna ask for a 5k increase in salary to $120k. For us in South Florida, that's a nice salary, but SF is expensive. She's thinking of house sharing, which might be a good idea in a new town. SF is supposedly a great city and region.
Thanks.
That seems like a light counter.
You only get to negotiate your first contract once. Use whatever resources to figure out something reasonable and I'd push the envelope more than that.
The bolded is pretty clutch.
This is one of the few times in life where you have real leverage. It’s important to get it right.
According to Robert Half, 3 out of 5 professionals do not negotiate their salary. Primary reason is the stress it creates. This is an irrational and unfounded fear. Nobody ever gets an offer pulled for asking for what they want. Nobody gets what they want without asking.
Focus primarily on the base pay. Actually, make that
EXCLUSIVELY. Remember every increase in the future pivots off the starting point. Come prepared to justify what you asking for. Industry comps, COL, trends, expected growth, et al. The prospective employer has already telegraphed there is wiggle room, but for anyone reading this, remember virtually every offer comes with a built in expectation “this is what we are offering, but we’re prepared to up that to X to bring them onboard.”
GENERAL rule - that’s usually around 5-10% in most situations.
She’s in a GREAT position because they didn’t ask her for a number first.
@SoBeDad - you didn’t reveal her offer specifically but said low end of 6 figures and she’s thinking of asking for $5K more. If her goal is to just be done with this unpleasantry then that’s an automatic YES from her new employer. Congrats, let’s celebrate.
But just for giggles make up a simple spreadsheet. Here’s X+5K, and next year’s 7.5% increase, and the 4-5-6 increases that follow, and the 10% increase in year 5 when she has more responsibility and is just hitting her stride.
Now do the same for X+10K and then a third one for X+15K, etc. It’s a pretty dramatic ripple effect and seeing those numbers will steel her resolve to ask for what she’s worth.
IDK what low six figure means. To me it’s anything in the 24% bracket (up to $163.3K), to others it’s a misnomer bc they mean “just over $100K.“
Whatever it is, I would submit she asks for 12-15% more. Aggressive but they’ll either say yes or counter the counter with something around 8-10%. At that point everybody will be ready to move on to happier subjects.
This is a win-win situation. She’s getting a nice starting gig, and they’re getting a great candidate. Everyone should feel great about this process, it’s not a grind - at all.
She can start off by thanking them for the phenomenal opportunity, praise them for legit positives (great environment, stellar management, industry leading objectives - whatever.) Explain how she’s really excited about coming on board. But her expectations were for a higher base.
”What were you hoping for?”
”What’s possible?”
or maybe
”We have pay scales / ranges for first year professionals, we have to stay within those guidelines.”
”Understood. That makes sense. What were the circumstances when you deviated from that policy? I’m really excited to be part of this and I’d like to understand how we can best get to yes.”
or
“Do you have latitude to work this out? Or would this be a multiple step process where you’ll have to seek approval? I’m really hoping you and I can work this out.”
The theme I’m suggesting here is to be persistent in what she’s asking for while reiterating how excited she is to join the team.
GL GB. My oldest recently went to work for a large defense contractor as an engineer. It’s such a great feeling to see our kids excel.
