Well folks, I'm deferring to you guys on a dilemma I'm having regarding a new job. I suppose I'm jumping the gun a bit as I haven't been offered the job. I did, however, have three very excellent interviews, and was flown out across the country for the second one, so I assume they're very interested. The person I'm working with at the hiring agency also called to tell me that I should be expecting an offer shortly, based off of what she was told.

At my previous job I was making approximately 52k/year after bonuses. I will concede that I was grossly overpaid by probably 15k/year for the job I was doing. First job out of college with a mediocre degree, so I was very lucky/fortunate to find that job. It ended this month, however, as the contract wasn't renewed (surprise surprise).

Last week I was called about this job. Following day I had a phone interview, followed by a skype interview, followed by being flown out (all in the same week). They also told me that they've been looking to hire for this position for a while with no luck, which is why they hired an outside company to look for a person (who found me). I feel like the three rapid interviews is very telling of how quickly they want someone.

While no formal offer was made, the hiring manager said that the job pays $45,000/year. It also has great benefits.

Here's my problem - it's about 7k/year less than what I made previously, but at the same time, I feel like they're offering a very fair salary for the job requirements (although it's actually a little more demanding than my last job). I'm not sure if, should I be fortunate enough to get an offer, I should press for a higher salary.

I think what I have going for me are essentially that they've been looking to hire for a while, and my previous job sets me up as an absolute perfect candidate for this one. I pretty much nailed every aspect of what they wanted in an employee due to my experience at my last job. My interviews flowed very smoothly due to the extensive experience relative to my age that someone was able to have from my last job.

If they aren't willing to negotiate, is attempting to an offense that could cause them to renege on an offer? I've never really done this before as my last job was a very set in stone offer that they wouldn't budge on, but was beyond fair.

Thanks for any advice

Will this new job have future career growth possibilities?

If it were me, I would be open and honest about it: tell them that you're very interested, but that you were making $52K at your last job and you'd be even more interested if you didn't have to take a pay cut; you could ask if there's any way they could equal the salary you were making previously.

You have a very understandable motivation for asking for more. Most people don't, and argue for more based on their impression of their self-worth, or their financial needs (which is always a bad idea; businesses don't care about your financial needs). But everyone understands that most people would prefer not to take a pay cut.

Another question - you mention being flown out for an interview. Will the new job require a relocation for you? If so, local cost-of-living is a factor to consider (and possibly include if you do try to negotiate salary).

I agree with Brad and iDude.

I don't think making a counteroffer to their first offer is unreasonable in most cases. But you are really at the point of splitting hairs. You say they are within 7k of your previous job for which you were overpaid and now laid off. You say the new job has great benefits - that's worth something, maybe a lot. I don't see anything wrong with an attempt to negotiate as long as it is professional. But you need to play it by ear. Rarely it could tack someone off and get the offer rescinded. I'd also suggest talking to the recruiter who floated your name. They might be able to give you good advice. But be careful if they work for the company or were retained by the company.

Usually it would not be unreasonable to ask for at least what you were making before.

Thanks for the info guys. No relocation, just an interview at their HQ. I got the job offer today, but I haven't responded to it yet. I was without a doubt overpaid at my last job, and I feel like their offer is very fair, so I might just accept it. I suppose it won't hurt if I politely try and go for a slightly higher offer, though.

Congratulations on your offer! It's wonderful that you seem to match the position so well, and that the timing is just right for you. I agree with others that it's fairly common for a potential hire to ask the new employer to at least match her current level of compensation. As DH said, you ought to consider whether the new employer is offering benefits that you do not have at your current job and allow for that value. Beyond that, you don't want to sell yourself short. If the new employer would have been willing to up the salary, you don't want to leave those dollars on the table. After all, you are setting the ground from which any future raises would be based. Only you know what you will feel comfortable requesting, and I wish you the best. Let us know how it turns out!

Might as well ask a car salesman if you should buy a new car, or a real estate agent if you should buy a house. Since they only get paid if you go through with the deal, and only get an incremental benefit if you negotiate a bit better, they are incentivized to tell you not to negotiate.

No. That's not how it works although your analogy is sound.

When a company hires a recruiter their job is to find a person for a fee that may be fixed or not. In that case the recruiter works for the company much like a real estate agent works for the seller.

Other recruiters work more like a buyer's agent. The job seeker hire them and they find positions. That kind is much more likely to give good advice about negotiating power.

Sure, more likely, as in the former has a zero percent chance of advising you to negotiate, and the latter has a slightly greater than zero chance. Even so, surely you have to take any advice they give with a grain of salt, just the same as you would a so-called buyer's agent in a real estate sale.

You are in a bad negotiating position, however it rarely hurts to ask. Just don't make it sound like an ultimatum.

I don't know the type of field you are in, or the demand for your position, but I find that the flexibility of the salary is greatest at the time of the hire.

Also, I find a larger company will have more flexibility in salary.

If there are other options you see, you could be a bit more aggressive in your negotiation.

Good luck

I'm in a similar situation. I haven't received an offer yet, but was told that one should be offered early next week. The cost of living where I am moving to is significantly less, however, I have a lot of expenses and debt that I'm bringing with me.

Looking online, I estimate about 50-60k salary would be offered. I'm currently making around 60k with bonuses and overtime (i'm paid hourly now). I also have a part time job which pays 36/hr that I work maybe 10-15 hours a month. So I do pretty well and can afford to pay down my debt pretty quickily, estimating about a year to do so.

I'm not sure if this company will fight me in asking for a higher salary, let's say 70-75k per year as they can say the cost of living is much less. However, I'm not currently living on my own right now and will be if I move out there. I also don't want to have a roommate at 29 years of age.

How could I go about asking for additional salary, especially if they bring up the cost of living is cheaper here? Not only that, but the first year is spent in training roughly. I always find it difficult to get more money once employed, and I don't want to move out there and be stuck getting little to no raises each year. I'll also be leaving family, friends, and ability to pay debt down faster.