Negotiating Your First Job Offer
Graduation time is quickly approaching and hopefully, you’ll soon be receiving your first “official” job offer. Have you given any thought to how you’ll respond when that big call comes? Will you accept whatever is offered on the spot like a recent graduate who’s broke and desperate for a job? Will you have a panic attack and be at a total loss for words? Or, will you play it cool and have a few smart questions in your back pocket?If you don’t like the idea of negotiating a job offer because it feels like you’re bargaining for a better price at a garage sale, think again. You aren’t haggling over used dinnerware. Rather, you are working to get what you need in order to start your career (and your post-college life) in the right direction. And besides, it is expected that you will negotiate.
It is common to worry about finding the right balance between being courteous and asking for what you want. So give some thought to your priorities. Is your salary your main concern? Probably. But, are you also worried about your health and retirement savings benefits? How about special training opportunities or tuition reimbursement? What are your travel limitations, if any? Think about the things that are most important to you – your deal breakers – and focus only on them because if you negotiate every single aspect of an offer, you will appear overly demanding. Greed is NOT good.
So what are some of the most common negotiating items? Certainly, your salary comes to mind first. Remember the cardinal rule when dealing with money: He or she who names a number first loses. So, wait to be given a number, and if it is not what you want, don’t tear up…don’t explode…don’t say a word. Wait for your prospective employer to soak up the silence and read the consternation on your face. If you’re asked to name a number, give them a range or ask the employer for the typical range they offer employees with your educational background.
There are a host of other negotiating points to consider as well, such as your start date, annual bonuses, relocation assistance, stock options, car allowance, an early salary review, and hardware – such as a laptop or Blackberry. Whatever items for which you decide to negotiate, remember that when an employer makes a move to accommodate your terms, be ready to accept the offer. After all, you and your employer want this to be a win/win situation. If the process is long and painful, and you’re grudgingly given what you want, you’ll be at a real disadvantage beginning with your very first day on the job.
You should also give some thought to the intangibles that go with a job, like the work atmosphere and the prestige of the company. These are things you can’t negotiate for but are important to consider. Finally, remember that your first job is not a life sentence. However, the relationship you build with your employers, beginning with your first artful negotiation, can serve you well throughout your entire career.
Good Luck!
Labels: job offer, salary negotiation
Posted by Seymour Jobs on 3/20/2009 03:40:00 PM
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3 Comments:
One of professors this semester gave my class a piece of advice about waiting for an offer from companies because he had been on the end of extending the offer. The advice was that applicants should make sure they have a professional sounding e-mail address and voice mail greeting for when they recieve calls. He said many times people had wowed them in the interview and been very professional but then when they called their voicemail was very immature. Although this didn't make them revoke the offer, the person still didn't have a great first impression on the company. So make sure you are 100% professional!
Negotiating job offer is very important and more so, if it's the first job. Came across this nice article: http://info.shine.com/Career-Advice-Articles/Salary-Negotiation/Salary-negotiation-skills/973/cid27.aspx
Great feedback! To follow this advice, CollegeGrad.com offers an excellent article - http://www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/24-1.shtml.
The "First Things First" article states the importance of making sure to get your job offer in writing! This should include your salary (plus any promised bonuses and/or commissions), start date, and who to report to and when. This document will serves as a contract and should be treated as such once you accept the position. Good luck!