Salary haggling.

Let's say you're offered a job, and the salary you are offered is pretty even with what you're making now, after cost-of-living adjustments. The positions are the same, the duties are the same and everyone knows that going in, given how you've hashed stuff out in the interview and a couple phone conversations. You're making the move mostly to be close to family, since you're really far from them now.

How far can/do you push the salary envelope? You have a little leverage with another interview or two lined up, but you really like the place that offered to you.

Of course, everyone's opinion is different, but I just thought it'd be interesting to get some feedback to this totally hypothetical scenario.

 

Depends whether you're the buyer or the seller.

Seriously, a lot of it depends on how badly they want you, I guess.

Also, if they won't budge on salary, maybe you can get other goodies like additonal vacation time,.

 

I've interviewed at places where you can haggle. They offer. You ask for $5,000 more to make it worth your while and they come back with three, etc.

Other places they make a firm offer and that's it. But, like JR said, you can still ask for extra vacation, moving expenses, an extra week in a hotel while looking, etc.

 

The employer knows the candidate has family in the area, though, and the candidate stressed that in the interview, since he was making a lateral move and didn't want to seem as if he was fleeing where he's at now. (He likes his job, he just wants to be closer to home -- if the right situation arises). Would the candidate's bargaining position over relocation expenses be compromised a tad?

 

Why? You going to move in with the family? I don't know how generous the paper is, but you might say that you can stay with relatives for a couple weeks till you find the place. So maybe they can be more generous in another area.

 

Good points, Ace. Not used to money/benefit haggling, myself.

 

If I were you, I'd take the stance that your local connections/desire to be close to family are not relevant to the salary negotiation except as something in your favor. They are evidence of your serious interest in the position and "fit" as a good employee for the environment/community. You should not be obligated or expected to take a quasi-home town discount.

Asking for more salary than they initially offer does not damage the negotiation - in fact, it should be expected that you do so (otherwise, you're going to look like a desperate mook who can be walked all over). You might want to inform them how this is going to be recouped quickly based on the quality of your work, etc. Worst they can say is "no" to the offer for higher salary, and you can try to counter with other fringes. If asking for a reasonable raise (10-15%) kills the negotiation, then think about what kind of a boss you might have been stuck working for.

Think of it this way: if you don't ask for more salary, not only is every dollar you fail to ask for lost in your initial salary, but the loss will be compounded in any benefit package you might get or future raises you might earn.

Here's a decent resource on salary negotiations:
http://www.quintcareers.com/salary_counter_proposal.html

 

every book or article i've ever read on the subject mimics JR and ace's point above: if increased salary isn't an option, extra benefits are almost always available.

you'll appreciate it when you take that extra week's vacation even if you spend it caulking the tub instead of surfing in australia.

 

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Able to bargain out a slight raise, which though it ain't great was something tangible.