Negotiating for more or walking away...
May 9, 2012 12:54 PM Subscribe
Help me decide if I should take a job.
I've been offered a Director's position at a small tech company, they are doing interesting things, and I liked the environment when I walked through after my interview.
They made an offer today which is on par with my current salary, but doesn't really exceed it when I add in my year end bonus, insurance, and things like free cable (which I don't really need, but it is nice). The PTO is also a bit below my present vacation/sick/personal time off pool.
I'm also concerned that the health insurance doesn't seem to be as comprehensive as what I'm currently getting, and I may need to get additional coverage for my wife who is out on disability at the moment.
Thus far, I have received an email from the VP I interviewed with letting me know that they were going to extend an offer, what the details are, and that he is just waiting on the CEO's signature before sending me the final document.
I'm happy to negotiate, but I haven't really had to do it at this level before, so I don't know when would be most appropriate (now that I've received the email, once I receive the official offer, etc) whether I should do it by phone, email, or in person, and what areas I should most focus on (pay, vacation time, performance bonuses, benefits...)
I am currently employed as a supervisor, so this would be a promotion in title (though the responsibilities would be similar), but the company I am presently employed with has a fairly low pay scale when compared with other similar technical/ leadership positions.
I've been offered a Director's position at a small tech company, they are doing interesting things, and I liked the environment when I walked through after my interview.
They made an offer today which is on par with my current salary, but doesn't really exceed it when I add in my year end bonus, insurance, and things like free cable (which I don't really need, but it is nice). The PTO is also a bit below my present vacation/sick/personal time off pool.
I'm also concerned that the health insurance doesn't seem to be as comprehensive as what I'm currently getting, and I may need to get additional coverage for my wife who is out on disability at the moment.
Thus far, I have received an email from the VP I interviewed with letting me know that they were going to extend an offer, what the details are, and that he is just waiting on the CEO's signature before sending me the final document.
I'm happy to negotiate, but I haven't really had to do it at this level before, so I don't know when would be most appropriate (now that I've received the email, once I receive the official offer, etc) whether I should do it by phone, email, or in person, and what areas I should most focus on (pay, vacation time, performance bonuses, benefits...)
I am currently employed as a supervisor, so this would be a promotion in title (though the responsibilities would be similar), but the company I am presently employed with has a fairly low pay scale when compared with other similar technical/ leadership positions.
If you end up not being able to negotiate an agreement on terms acceptable to both of you (your wife's disability/insurance issues I can see as a potential dealbreaker) it doesn't mean you have to part on bad terms.
Just say that for the time being you're going to stay where you are but assure them you still want to be friends, link to your interviewers/hiring manager on LinkedIn, and so forth.
posted by tel3path at 3:21 PM on May 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
Just say that for the time being you're going to stay where you are but assure them you still want to be friends, link to your interviewers/hiring manager on LinkedIn, and so forth.
posted by tel3path at 3:21 PM on May 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
"It's not enough." You mention pretty much every common compensation item as being below your expectations, though you don't mention equity or anything else. But salary, PTO, health insurance, bonuses? Where is the chewy center that makes it all worth it? I don't think it's a positive that the salary is commensurate to your current one, since you admit that your current salary is below average! My sense if if they skimp on consideration here, they're going to skimp on it everywhere. Get ready to have no life if you take this job.
And you're going to be a Director, under a VP, who is under a CEO? How "small" is this small tech company? If my management layer assumptions are correct, I hope it's more than, say, 75 people.
At any rate, I bet you can do better even if not with this company. There's other fish in the sea.
posted by rhizome at 4:08 PM on May 9, 2012
And you're going to be a Director, under a VP, who is under a CEO? How "small" is this small tech company? If my management layer assumptions are correct, I hope it's more than, say, 75 people.
At any rate, I bet you can do better even if not with this company. There's other fish in the sea.
posted by rhizome at 4:08 PM on May 9, 2012
Please lay it all out on the table now. For your benefit, and to a lesser extent, theirs. Bonuses and raises are almost always percentage-based, so you should at least try to get a bigger number. If they really can't budge, they should understand that they're offering an industry low and should find other ways to compensate.
posted by Little Orphan Ennui at 8:38 PM on May 9, 2012
posted by Little Orphan Ennui at 8:38 PM on May 9, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
"VP -- Thanks for letting me know the offer is coming. I really look forward to joining the ZYX team, but I have some concerns about the compensation package. Specifically..."
Put it all on the table, so you'll have some room to compromise. "Well, we can't give you better insurance, but we can arrange for an extra week of PTO..."
Do it now -- that's why he put it out there instead of waiting for the official offer letter.
posted by Etrigan at 12:57 PM on May 9, 2012 [8 favorites]