Question about job offer

BMW F22 · 03-07-2013, 07:23 PM

So I just received a job offer at a company that I've been trying to get into. It is a good offer and I will accept it. However, I want to see if what you guys think about asking for a little more.

From my understanding is that the company usually doesn't increase all that much in the new offer (if they decide to offer something higher). If they increase it then great. Otherwise I'll take the offer that's standing. So my question is: should I ask for it? I'm thinking it doesn't hurt to try right?

I'm not going to decline and ask for more. Rather, I'd simply ask if they can do better on the offer and bring up several reasons as to why a higher offer is warranted. If they, HR, says no then I'll just accept the current offer. My fear is that if they have to go through the approval process again they might revoke the offer (the process could take another week or two). Thoughts?

Litos · 03-07-2013, 07:46 PM

this will only work if you advised them during the interview process that you were very comfortable working with your current employer and had no real reason to leave them.

that's what i did last Friday.

hoping to get an offer for another $10-12 more than what i make now - because THAT'S what it would take to pull me from my comfortable position with zero worries to ANOTHER company that i am new to.

do the front end work so you won't be worried about the offer when it comes in.

if the offer comes in lower than you expected, you don't have as much leverage....

BMW F22 · 03-07-2013, 07:49 PM

I'm actually not working right now. Got laid off from my previous job a few months back.

I'm not asking for something outrageous. I looked up the average starting salary for the same position and it came back a little higher (few grand a year). Like I said the current offer is good. I'm just wondering if it's ever a bad idea to simply ask to see if they can do better.

BigDog · 03-07-2013, 08:52 PM

as long as you are polite and reasonable, discussing a better offer won't cause you harm....

with that being said, don't look at just the money aspect, look at the whole picture, money will come if you're satisfied with everything else

Litos · 03-07-2013, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDog

with that being said, don't look at just the money aspect,

at this point he has to - he is not working

justinnum1 · 03-07-2013, 10:22 PM

some money is better than no money.

Vic311 · 03-07-2013, 10:43 PM

I would accept the offer

In this environment it's easier to negotiate from the inside later on..after they have had a chance to rate your performance

335iheLLraiseR · 03-07-2013, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic311

I would accept the offer

In this environment it's easier to negotiate from the inside later on..after they have had a chance to rate your performance

I agree wholeheartedly with this.

BMW F22 · 03-07-2013, 11:30 PM

Seems like most of you suggested that I should just accept it. I do agree with Bigdog about looking at the big picture though (maybe more vacation days, signing bonus, other benefits, etc.). Those could be possibilities. However, at this point I'm a newbie so I can't really ask for those (at least IMO). I feel that asking if they can do a bit better is probably the better route. I'm not declining it or countering the offer. I'm just simply asking if they could do better before I give them an answer.

caposes · 03-07-2013, 11:32 PM

Well done on getting the offer!
my $0.02:
When hiring committees have narrowed down to a few candidates, and then make a choice to give one of them the offer, how much that person is going to get paid generally does not enter into the decision to go with that individual.

There is nothing wrong in asking 'can you do a bit better for me in terms of salary?' especially if it is preceded with expressed enthusiasm to be part of the company/do the type of work you'll be doing, and followed by some concise and polite/non-pushy reasoning as to why. If they felt you were good enough to be the one they offer the job to, they may also feel you are worth a couple of extra bucks. The key is that when they come back with an answer, you take it whether it's higher or not, and re-express your enthusiasm.

While I agree that it's easier to negotiate once you're in and are actively proving your worth, most organizations base raises on percentage of salary or wage. Over the long run, the best way to make more is to start higher. 2-5 percent raises every couple of years means that a higher starting salary means much larger money after a few iterations.

BMW F22 · 03-07-2013, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caposes

Well done on getting the offer!
my $0.02:
When hiring committees have narrowed down to a few candidates, and then make a choice to give one of them the offer, how much that person is going to get paid generally does not enter into the decision to go with that individual.

There is nothing wrong in asking 'can you do a bit better for me in terms of salary?' especially if it is preceded with expressed enthusiasm to be part of the company/do the type of work you'll be doing, and followed by some concise and polite/non-pushy reasoning as to why. If they felt you were good enough to be the one they offer the job to, they may also feel you are worth a couple of extra bucks. The key is that when they come back with an answer, you take it whether it's higher or not, and re-express your enthusiasm.

While I agree that it's easier to negotiate once you're in and are actively proving your worth, most organizations base raises on percentage of salary or wage. Over the long run, the best way to make more is to start higher. 2-5 percent raises every couple of years means that a higher starting salary means much larger money after a few iterations.

You pretty much summed up my thoughts. I do have a few reasons as to why I think I'm "worth" more. They are just facts and in no way pushy or what not. If they raise it then great. Otherwise I'd be just as happy with what's on the table. One reason is that cost of living in the Bay Area is high so any extra help is always good.

caposes · 03-08-2013, 12:15 AM

Yup, no harm can come from a proper ask IMO, and it's not like they're going to offer more unless you do ask. Good luck with it, hope you get a nice bump!

panicos81 · 03-08-2013, 01:02 AM

law wise it will be as though you are making a counter offer and that revokes the previous offer. Are you willing to lose the position?

BMW F22 · 03-08-2013, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by panicos81

law wise it will be as though you are making a counter offer and that revokes the previous offer. Are you willing to lose the position?

IIRC it's not declining the offer if you don't actually use the word "decline." For example a person is buying a car and makes an offer to the seller for $25,000. The seller can say "do you think you can pay a little more?" If the buyer says "i dont think so" the seller can still accept the offer. It's only a counter offer (which in turns negates the original offer) if the seller was to say "that is too low. I don't accept. How about $25,000?" Simply inquiring about something does not make it a counter offer.

ssedha · 03-08-2013, 10:19 AM

Salary negotiations are very common. It does not matter what your status is. It's about being confident and realizing what you are worth. If you think you are worth more, there is absolutely NO HARM in asking for more. The worst answer they can give you is "NO" and your status quo won't change. You won't get anything unless you ask. Recently I have had 2-3 job offers. And with each job offer I have received, I have learned more and more about negotiating. For example, in the last one, I asked for 10k more than what they were offering and 5 extra days of vacation. Due to a salary cap in their structure, they gave me 3k extra as my base, but the rest they covered as a 'signing bonus'. The extra 5 days of vacation was NO issue whatsoever. In the end, their offer turned out to be 2k more than what I was going to make here at my current position and financially it just did not make sense for me to move halfway across the country. I told them I could not accept their offer; however if they were to meet my requirements, I'll be glad to.

The position still hasn't been filled yet

anyways point is, you will never know until you ask. By extending an offer to you, they have already identified you as a person they want to invest in. Going through interviews etc. is more time & money consuming that giving you more than what they have offered. Look at this way, if there was a better person that you for that position, he would have received the offer. But it's you. They can't take the existing offer away if you put in a counter-offer!!!

Hope this helps...

BMW F22 · 03-08-2013, 04:38 PM

Update- entered negotiation. Waiting to hear back to see if they can do better.

will.c · 03-08-2013, 07:39 PM

Good job. You absolutely have to try to negotiate (you gotta package it right, of course), as they expect from one with competent skills without a doubt. Companies ultimately don't care about pennies (to them), but rather qualifications and other important things. And then this sets a nice first impression that you are mindful of your compensation to a certain degree, and they won't try to work the crap out of you for years without raise. If they say their budget is tight, then whatever, just accept it.

Again, negotiation is the standard practice, is rightfully expected, and most importantly, you will NEVER get the money you DONT ask.

MadDog · 03-08-2013, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic311

I would accept the offer

In this environment it's easier to negotiate from the inside later on..after they have had a chance to rate your performance

this

amanda hor$t · 03-08-2013, 11:01 PM

i've asked for better offers, with mixed success. i usually have a number in mind, instead of the open-ended "can you do better?"

BMW F22 · 03-09-2013, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veloziROTHTOR

i've asked for better offers, with mixed success. i usually have a number in mind, instead of the open-ended "can you do better?"

I asked and also gave them the average starting salary of similar positions. Hopefully they will come back higher. If not that's perfectly fine with me.

fireline43 · 03-09-2013, 06:24 AM

I think a job that acts like a baby for you asking for more money won't be enjoyable to work for anyway. Just imagine if they made a big deal about you asking a normal question like your salary before you get hired, that they will make a big deal about even things like taking off a day because your sick.
Not saying they should give you the more money, but they should at least entertain your question and handle it proffesionally.

03-07-2013, 07:23 PM	#1
BMW F22 Major General 3730 Rep 9,783 Posts Drives: ///M235i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (8)	Question about job offer So I just received a job offer at a company that I've been trying to get into. It is a good offer and I will accept it. However, I want to see if what you guys think about asking for a little more. From my understanding is that the company usually doesn't increase all that much in the new offer (if they decide to offer something higher). If they increase it then great. Otherwise I'll take the offer that's standing. So my question is: should I ask for it? I'm thinking it doesn't hurt to try right? I'm not going to decline and ask for more. Rather, I'd simply ask if they can do better on the offer and bring up several reasons as to why a higher offer is warranted. If they, HR, says no then I'll just accept the current offer. My fear is that if they have to go through the approval process again they might revoke the offer (the process could take another week or two). Thoughts?
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03-07-2013, 07:46 PM	#2
Litos Banned 226 Rep 2,991 Posts Drives: 2012 Challenger RT Junk Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Houston/Pearland iTrader: (1)	this will only work if you advised them during the interview process that you were very comfortable working with your current employer and had no real reason to leave them. that's what i did last Friday. hoping to get an offer for another $10-12 more than what i make now - because THAT'S what it would take to pull me from my comfortable position with zero worries to ANOTHER company that i am new to. do the front end work so you won't be worried about the offer when it comes in. if the offer comes in lower than you expected, you don't have as much leverage....
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03-07-2013, 07:49 PM	#3
BMW F22 Major General 3730 Rep 9,783 Posts Drives: ///M235i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (8)	I'm actually not working right now. Got laid off from my previous job a few months back. I'm not asking for something outrageous. I looked up the average starting salary for the same position and it came back a little higher (few grand a year). Like I said the current offer is good. I'm just wondering if it's ever a bad idea to simply ask to see if they can do better.
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03-07-2013, 08:52 PM	#4
BigDog Major 335 Rep 1,079 Posts Drives: YMB F80 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: NYC iTrader: (1)	as long as you are polite and reasonable, discussing a better offer won't cause you harm.... with that being said, don't look at just the money aspect, look at the whole picture, money will come if you're satisfied with everything else __________________
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03-07-2013, 10:22 PM	#6
justinnum1 Major General 666 Rep 5,809 Posts Drives: 2018 330i Msport 6mt Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Florida iTrader: (0)	some money is better than no money. __________________ F30 330i Alpine white/Coral red Msport 6MT
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03-07-2013, 10:43 PM	#7
Vic311 Banned 42 Rep 1,462 Posts Drives: 2011 e92 M3 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	I would accept the offer In this environment it's easier to negotiate from the inside later on..after they have had a chance to rate your performance
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03-07-2013, 11:30 PM	#9
BMW F22 Major General 3730 Rep 9,783 Posts Drives: ///M235i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (8)	Seems like most of you suggested that I should just accept it. I do agree with Bigdog about looking at the big picture though (maybe more vacation days, signing bonus, other benefits, etc.). Those could be possibilities. However, at this point I'm a newbie so I can't really ask for those (at least IMO). I feel that asking if they can do a bit better is probably the better route. I'm not declining it or countering the offer. I'm just simply asking if they could do better before I give them an answer.
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03-07-2013, 11:32 PM	#10
caposes New Member 2 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2012 320i Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: here iTrader: (0)	Well done on getting the offer! my $0.02: When hiring committees have narrowed down to a few candidates, and then make a choice to give one of them the offer, how much that person is going to get paid generally does not enter into the decision to go with that individual. There is nothing wrong in asking 'can you do a bit better for me in terms of salary?' especially if it is preceded with expressed enthusiasm to be part of the company/do the type of work you'll be doing, and followed by some concise and polite/non-pushy reasoning as to why. If they felt you were good enough to be the one they offer the job to, they may also feel you are worth a couple of extra bucks. The key is that when they come back with an answer, you take it whether it's higher or not, and re-express your enthusiasm. While I agree that it's easier to negotiate once you're in and are actively proving your worth, most organizations base raises on percentage of salary or wage. Over the long run, the best way to make more is to start higher. 2-5 percent raises every couple of years means that a higher starting salary means much larger money after a few iterations.
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03-08-2013, 12:15 AM	#12
caposes New Member 2 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2012 320i Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: here iTrader: (0)	Yup, no harm can come from a proper ask IMO, and it's not like they're going to offer more unless you do ask. Good luck with it, hope you get a nice bump!
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03-08-2013, 01:02 AM	#13
panicos81 Colonel 237 Rep 2,327 Posts Drives: a white bmw Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cyprus iTrader: (2) Garage List 2010 BMW E92 [8.54] 2007 e90 [0.00]	law wise it will be as though you are making a counter offer and that revokes the previous offer. Are you willing to lose the position? __________________ E90post E9x photo game= 67[70-3] COTM 06/11 http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531094 My webpage. Feel free to visit My 500px
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03-08-2013, 10:19 AM	#15
ssedha First Lieutenant 22 Rep 353 Posts Drives: Uber / Lyft / CTA Join Date: May 2011 Location: Chicago, IL iTrader: (0)	Salary negotiations are very common. It does not matter what your status is. It's about being confident and realizing what you are worth. If you think you are worth more, there is absolutely NO HARM in asking for more. The worst answer they can give you is "NO" and your status quo won't change. You won't get anything unless you ask. Recently I have had 2-3 job offers. And with each job offer I have received, I have learned more and more about negotiating. For example, in the last one, I asked for 10k more than what they were offering and 5 extra days of vacation. Due to a salary cap in their structure, they gave me 3k extra as my base, but the rest they covered as a 'signing bonus'. The extra 5 days of vacation was NO issue whatsoever. In the end, their offer turned out to be 2k more than what I was going to make here at my current position and financially it just did not make sense for me to move halfway across the country. I told them I could not accept their offer; however if they were to meet my requirements, I'll be glad to. The position still hasn't been filled yet anyways point is, you will never know until you ask. By extending an offer to you, they have already identified you as a person they want to invest in. Going through interviews etc. is more time & money consuming that giving you more than what they have offered. Look at this way, if there was a better person that you for that position, he would have received the offer. But it's you. They can't take the existing offer away if you put in a counter-offer!!! Hope this helps...
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03-08-2013, 04:38 PM	#16
BMW F22 Major General 3730 Rep 9,783 Posts Drives: ///M235i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (8)	Update- entered negotiation. Waiting to hear back to see if they can do better.
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03-08-2013, 07:39 PM	#17
will.c Captain 143 Rep 638 Posts Drives: E46M Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Central Jersey iTrader: (5)	Good job. You absolutely have to try to negotiate (you gotta package it right, of course), as they expect from one with competent skills without a doubt. Companies ultimately don't care about pennies (to them), but rather qualifications and other important things. And then this sets a nice first impression that you are mindful of your compensation to a certain degree, and they won't try to work the crap out of you for years without raise. If they say their budget is tight, then whatever, just accept it. Again, negotiation is the standard practice, is rightfully expected, and most importantly, you will NEVER get the money you DONT ask.
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03-08-2013, 11:01 PM	#19
amanda hor$t Banned 92 Rep 208 Posts Drives: a380 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: ny ny iTrader: (0)	i've asked for better offers, with mixed success. i usually have a number in mind, instead of the open-ended "can you do better?"
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03-09-2013, 06:24 AM	#21
fireline43 Lieutenant 43 Rep 497 Posts Drives: 2013 Mercedes C250 Join Date: May 2012 Location: South Florida iTrader: (0)	I think a job that acts like a baby for you asking for more money won't be enjoyable to work for anyway. Just imagine if they made a big deal about you asking a normal question like your salary before you get hired, that they will make a big deal about even things like taking off a day because your sick. Not saying they should give you the more money, but they should at least entertain your question and handle it proffesionally.
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