What to ask/negotiate/discuss after receiving a job offer?
August 11, 2020 5:41 PM Subscribe
My friend just received a job offer for a position she hoped to get. It's a clinical research coordinator position at a top-tier university around SF. This would be her first time working in this type of role (her previous job was in healthcare but in a different role).
She will be speaking with the person making the offer soon. What should she ask about, or discuss?
Should she negotiate salary? (She is not sure how to assess/look for salary benchmark data.) What sort of questions should she ask? (So far she has thought of: benefits, onboarding procedure, deadlines, educational opportunities, signing bonus).
How should the pandemic factor into discussions / negotiations? (Remote work options are one obvious factor, is there anything else to consider? She will also be supervising a Covid research study, if that counts.)
Should she negotiate salary? (She is not sure how to assess/look for salary benchmark data.) What sort of questions should she ask? (So far she has thought of: benefits, onboarding procedure, deadlines, educational opportunities, signing bonus).
How should the pandemic factor into discussions / negotiations? (Remote work options are one obvious factor, is there anything else to consider? She will also be supervising a Covid research study, if that counts.)
By “offer”, do you mean that they’ve presented her a contract ready to sign?
posted by mr_roboto at 6:23 PM on August 11, 2020
posted by mr_roboto at 6:23 PM on August 11, 2020
Best answer: I can't speak to SF specifically, but I've been involved in both sides of university research coordinator roles elsewhere. So for what that's worth, understanding that SF is clearly its own very specific world - negotiating salary or start date would be common and expected.
Signing bonuses for that staff level is not normal and would sound out of touch with professional norms to me. I'm not sure what there could be to negotiate about onboarding process, so I can't comment on that.
A discussion about professional development budget/opportunities would be pretty reasonable, though it may not be an area with a ton of room for negotiation. Same with benefits. My experience has been that it's easier for a university to throw more salary at you than to fuck around with your benefits package, but maybe that varies.
In the current situation I'd try to get a clear handle on whether this role is an essential in person one that will need to be on campus daily even if most operations shut down, or can be 100% remote if needed, or what, to make sure that whatever she hears is within her personal risk tolerance.
She should also be prepared to hear that because of the pandemic, there's a hard freeze on pay and it was all they could do to get this salary and they can't go up on it. I hope that's not the case but university hiring is a nightmare right now. She might want to be prepared with a sense of what she'll say to that. Will she walk? Will she ask them to promise a salary reevaluation in a year? It would be good to think about ahead of time.
posted by Stacey at 6:26 PM on August 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Signing bonuses for that staff level is not normal and would sound out of touch with professional norms to me. I'm not sure what there could be to negotiate about onboarding process, so I can't comment on that.
A discussion about professional development budget/opportunities would be pretty reasonable, though it may not be an area with a ton of room for negotiation. Same with benefits. My experience has been that it's easier for a university to throw more salary at you than to fuck around with your benefits package, but maybe that varies.
In the current situation I'd try to get a clear handle on whether this role is an essential in person one that will need to be on campus daily even if most operations shut down, or can be 100% remote if needed, or what, to make sure that whatever she hears is within her personal risk tolerance.
She should also be prepared to hear that because of the pandemic, there's a hard freeze on pay and it was all they could do to get this salary and they can't go up on it. I hope that's not the case but university hiring is a nightmare right now. She might want to be prepared with a sense of what she'll say to that. Will she walk? Will she ask them to promise a salary reevaluation in a year? It would be good to think about ahead of time.
posted by Stacey at 6:26 PM on August 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: I really appreciate your replies.
By “offer”, do you mean that they’ve presented her a contract ready to sign?
It's a verbal offer including a proposed salary figure; they say they will send an official offer letter and contract once she gives a verbal confirmation. So it seems like the upcoming call is to confirm or iron out the details of the contract so that HR can write it up.
posted by aielen at 6:30 PM on August 11, 2020
By “offer”, do you mean that they’ve presented her a contract ready to sign?
It's a verbal offer including a proposed salary figure; they say they will send an official offer letter and contract once she gives a verbal confirmation. So it seems like the upcoming call is to confirm or iron out the details of the contract so that HR can write it up.
posted by aielen at 6:30 PM on August 11, 2020
Best answer: Yes to everything Susan said. I started a similar role at the beginning of quarantine, and things have changed a lot since I negotiated my position. I accepted my salary with a plan to review in 6 months... now the university has frozen all raises for the fiscal year, and I’m just happy to not have been furloughed. I’m very happy with my position, but there are definitely different things to consider now.
-Can her position be done remotely, or does it require on site work? I’m able to WFH 3 days per week, but the CRCs I work with are on site.
-How will she get to work? What are parking/transit options? I’d planned to take transit, and now I’m spending a lot on parking, as on site parking is not cheap.
-What is the financial situation for her department? A lot of university funded positions are tight/not very secure now. Our department is almost entirely funded by industry contracts, so we were spared from furloughs/layoffs.
-What are the health/retirement benefits? Is there a wait period before they kick in?
All these items are things to consider, and potentially negotiate, especially if the salary is inflexible.
posted by bluloo at 7:42 PM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
-Can her position be done remotely, or does it require on site work? I’m able to WFH 3 days per week, but the CRCs I work with are on site.
-How will she get to work? What are parking/transit options? I’d planned to take transit, and now I’m spending a lot on parking, as on site parking is not cheap.
-What is the financial situation for her department? A lot of university funded positions are tight/not very secure now. Our department is almost entirely funded by industry contracts, so we were spared from furloughs/layoffs.
-What are the health/retirement benefits? Is there a wait period before they kick in?
All these items are things to consider, and potentially negotiate, especially if the salary is inflexible.
posted by bluloo at 7:42 PM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
I was going to suggest that if it's a UC, she can look up the salaries online. They are usually a couple of years behind current day... but I just checked mine and it's not correct. I guess it could be worth a reference, although I've been told that some of the SF area universities have much higher pay than others. Not in the same field but when I went through my hiring process a few years back, they shared the range during the phone screen. Glassdoor or Payscale might also be helpful.
Is the person making the offer the hiring manager? If it's HR, they may not be able to answer some of the other questions brought up by previous posters with specificity.
Oh, right before I hit "post" I thought of one thing I'd definitely ask. Is the offer contingent on a background check? Every higher ed job I've had has been contingent, but in my last position I was able to start while it was processing. If your friend is currently unemployed or needs to give notice, having that sense of timing is probably pretty important.
posted by sm1tten at 9:04 PM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Is the person making the offer the hiring manager? If it's HR, they may not be able to answer some of the other questions brought up by previous posters with specificity.
Oh, right before I hit "post" I thought of one thing I'd definitely ask. Is the offer contingent on a background check? Every higher ed job I've had has been contingent, but in my last position I was able to start while it was processing. If your friend is currently unemployed or needs to give notice, having that sense of timing is probably pretty important.
posted by sm1tten at 9:04 PM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Relocation expenses are worth asking about, if applicable.
posted by en forme de poire at 6:48 AM on August 12, 2020
posted by en forme de poire at 6:48 AM on August 12, 2020
Response by poster: Thank you all for your suggestions and advice...a lot of useful questions to think on. Thank you also for the heads up on potentially frozen pay.
Can her position be done remotely, or does it require on site work?
Most likely on site work for the majority of the work week.
How will she get to work? What are parking/transit options?
Transport seems a difficult issue. Normally it would be about a half hour drive. She is typically able to borrow/share a car with her roommate (who is currently working remotely fulltime), but in this case won't be allowed to use the car due to the nature of the job. The job requires regular interaction with confirmed covid patients (she will need to be suited up in full PPE every time she works on-site).
This seems to leave the options of taking public transit (about an hour commute each way), or buying her own car.
If there were no pandemic, and if the position involved less exposure to covid patients, these issues with transport would likely not exist. Not sure if there's any way to mention this in negotiations - to ask for a transport allowance or some sort of hazard pay?
-What is the financial situation for her department?
It seems pretty stable and well-funded. They are involved in multiple covid studies at the moment and have been hiring more employees - she will not be the only new hire coming on board.
Is the person making the offer the hiring manager?
The person making the offer is her wouldbe colleague/supervisor.
posted by aielen at 10:07 AM on August 12, 2020
Can her position be done remotely, or does it require on site work?
Most likely on site work for the majority of the work week.
How will she get to work? What are parking/transit options?
Transport seems a difficult issue. Normally it would be about a half hour drive. She is typically able to borrow/share a car with her roommate (who is currently working remotely fulltime), but in this case won't be allowed to use the car due to the nature of the job. The job requires regular interaction with confirmed covid patients (she will need to be suited up in full PPE every time she works on-site).
This seems to leave the options of taking public transit (about an hour commute each way), or buying her own car.
If there were no pandemic, and if the position involved less exposure to covid patients, these issues with transport would likely not exist. Not sure if there's any way to mention this in negotiations - to ask for a transport allowance or some sort of hazard pay?
-What is the financial situation for her department?
It seems pretty stable and well-funded. They are involved in multiple covid studies at the moment and have been hiring more employees - she will not be the only new hire coming on board.
Is the person making the offer the hiring manager?
The person making the offer is her wouldbe colleague/supervisor.
posted by aielen at 10:07 AM on August 12, 2020
I would confirm whether or not the position is grant funded. It can be challenging and a stressful roller-coaster to get funding every year.
posted by jennstra at 9:30 PM on August 12, 2020
posted by jennstra at 9:30 PM on August 12, 2020
If she is to be in contact/near/secondary proximity to COVID patients she should ask for a car. Be it provided by the U, a lease or a budget for a personal purchase.
She should NOT be using public transit. And the U should take that into account/not find it a strange ask in the current times. I'm in the EU and not in academia, but this seems like a no-brainer, for everybody's health. Shit, if this is a job she really wants, if there is pushback (only then, never mention the option before that!), she could take a slight reduction in salary in exchange for a private vehicle option.
One thing to ask is working hours: what is expected, how often do they expect that to happen and what happens when they are exceeded and/or when it becomes apparent when/if that is a structural thing ('well, it's to be expected!', 'we'll cross that bridge if/when it happens' or 'we will talk/discuss/negotiate when that happens' are responses which indicate working culture/expectations).
Another might be conferences: time/expenses/the U's willingness to pay in time and/or money for it and/or expenses.
posted by MacD at 3:07 PM on August 13, 2020
She should NOT be using public transit. And the U should take that into account/not find it a strange ask in the current times. I'm in the EU and not in academia, but this seems like a no-brainer, for everybody's health. Shit, if this is a job she really wants, if there is pushback (only then, never mention the option before that!), she could take a slight reduction in salary in exchange for a private vehicle option.
One thing to ask is working hours: what is expected, how often do they expect that to happen and what happens when they are exceeded and/or when it becomes apparent when/if that is a structural thing ('well, it's to be expected!', 'we'll cross that bridge if/when it happens' or 'we will talk/discuss/negotiate when that happens' are responses which indicate working culture/expectations).
Another might be conferences: time/expenses/the U's willingness to pay in time and/or money for it and/or expenses.
posted by MacD at 3:07 PM on August 13, 2020
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posted by aielen at 5:45 PM on August 11, 2020