Comments on: Help! I didn’t negotiate my job offer

By: movers Everett WA

movers Everett WA — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:58:14 +0000

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By: Jay from Philly

Jay from Philly — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:56:12 +0000

Where are these jobs that people can negotiate their salaries? I’ve been in the workforce for 25 years, and any job I’ve ever had paid what it paid. I recently applied for a position closer to home than my current one. I was willing to take a cut in pay for this reason. The high end of the range offered was at the low end of what I was willing to take. At the end of the interview they offered me the job salary lower than I was willing to take. They told me flat out it was take it or leave it. I left it.

By: mhwillia

mhwillia — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:35:48 +0000

There’s still some things on the table. You could try to negotiate summer salary on top of what you have been offered (oh – I thought this was for my 9 mo appointment – what about summer salary?) You could ask for work study students to work in your lab for free (this might make room in your grant budget to pay you more if the salary $$ comes from the same pot). You could negotiate some of your start up money as salary or tech time as personal salary – these are all temporary solutions though because they don’t change your base. You could work with the university to get subsidized housing on or near campus. You could ask for leads on fellowships or internal grants that would pay summer salary or give you overloads during the academic year. I would try to get extra money from grants for overloads or pay in intersessions (winter and summer) which might make up the difference for you. After you’ve gotten established, you always have the option to go back on the market and use any offers you get to leverage an increase in pay. Just make sure no one knows this is what you are doing….

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:53:36 +0000

“If you have reliable information that you’re being paid below your coworkers, you can absolutely ask for a raise to bring your salary up to theirs.”

I thought doing this was off-limits. I work for a state university and I know for a fact I’m being paid below one of my coworkers in the exact same position – and she has less experience and less responsibility than I do – but the reason she is getting paid more is because the job title was reevaluated before she was hired on, and they raised the starting salary. However I have read that when asking for a raise, I should not compare myself to my coworker, because there could be other variables that factored into her salary that I was not aware of – also I could be over-valuing myself.

Regardless, I would just like your opinion on this. It’s not something that really bothers me anymore, because I successfully talked with my boss about a promotion (where I am getting a new title and salary soon), so it’s a moot point to bring up my coworker, but I am wondering – should I have brought this up prior to that point? Thanks!

By: Sally McKinney

Sally McKinney — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:53:05 +0000

I think it’s very possible to renegotiate both the salary and the terms without endangering the job offer. I’ve coached people in a similar situation to success in their efforts. Go to the hiring manager and ask to talk about the terms – say, “Isn’t there something WE can do about the starting salary?” Or, if the immediate concern is the moving allowance, substitute “moving allowance” for starting salary. The worst thing that can happen is they say no – and you’re no worse off.

By: fposte

fposte — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:54:55 +0000

In reply to Evil HR Lady.

I actually thought it was a research position rather than faculty–I saw “real job” as a contrast to the finite research post-doc. (But that’s just musing.)

In general, state university salaries (research as well as faculty, as long as you’re paid on hard money) are publicly available. That doesn’t always mean they’re findable on the web, but I know Ohio State isn’t the only one.

By: Evil HR Lady

Evil HR Lady — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:26:38 +0000

In reply to Anonymous.

I’m not saying adjuncts aren’t quality people. But, there are precious few tenure track jobs, and clearly the universities value the people in those jobs at a higher level.

Something that pays as poorly as adjuncting doesn’t seem to meet the definition of “real job” for me.

I don’t mean to offend.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:22:54 +0000

Suzanne, normally I love everything you say but I have to take issue with the reference of adjunct vs ft non-tenure track as a “real” job. The decision of a university to hire adjuncts vs FT/contract/tenure positions is not based on the worth of the person but on a huge variety of factors including budget, accreditation and school structure. While the pay is often quiet less for adjuncts (which is sad), their job is just as real as the FT “regular” faculty jobs. Often with the same service requirements and teaching expectations but without the pay and other benefits. Adjuncts would also be equally, if not more, qualified than your “sage on a stage” professor. Most work in the field as well and I think that provides a value that can’t be measured.