Negotiating a part-time, already low-pay job
January 18, 2017 9:23 PM   Subscribe

Looking for some advice and/or a reality check on my plans to negotiate this offer I've received.

I recently left a very well-paying job to go back to school, and am now right back where I was ~8 years ago applying for part-time jobs to give me something to live on while I finish my certificate program. I have been offered a job at a dog daycare/boarding kennel, and have been offered .25/hour above minimum wage. The owner has told me that they primarily hire current first-time college students, and so I think this pay is generally not unreasonable.

However, I have a decade of work experience (including the kind of front desk, customer service, and cleaning work that needs to get done here) and also a certification in dog behavior from a reputable/accredited organization. I think I'm a cut above what they would normally expect, and deserve more than what was offered.

When some friends and I got together tonight, they asked how my interview went. I told them I had received an offer and was thinking of asking for a little more money. To a (wo)man, they raised their eyebrows and gave each other skeptical glances, and responses included, "Well, I bet no one's ever done that to them before" and "If you don't think they'll take back their offer, then sure I guess."

I have not negotiated pay since I worked for a convenience store briefly about six years ago; I have worked public sector jobs ever since. So now I'm wondering if I'm just taking some advice that applies to a salary higher than mine will be and applying it where it doesn't belong. Is this something that just isn't done any more at this pay level?

Perspectives and opinions on whether I should negotiate would be very much appreciated. And if I should, how best could I bring it up (I'll be having this conversation over the phone) without sounding like I'm giving an ultimatum or making demands? I do want to take the job; it would be a lot more fun than going back to retail.
posted by Urban Winter to Work & Money (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
So now I'm wondering if I'm just taking some advice that applies to a salary higher than mine will be and applying it where it doesn't belong. Is this something that just isn't done any more at this pay level?

Yeah, I think you are, unfortunately; unfortunately, it doesn't apply when supply well exceeds demand. Your maturity will be valued, but probably not enough to put a clear difference between you and a college kid - for this role - and not enough to justify a better wage. It's not what you're offering that matters, it's what the business needs and what they're willing to pay.

also a certification in dog behavior from a reputable/accredited organization

You'd make way more for your time by hiring yourself out independently as a dog-walker or sitter. Put an ad out on Craigslist, and put some flyers up in your local dog park. (And maybe take this job, or another slightly better-paying job, for weekend shifts to have something more regular just there.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:34 PM on January 18, 2017 [8 favorites]


it's what the business needs and what they're willing to pay.

By which I mean, they probably have not found that the kind of experience for which you'd like to see better compensation, i.e.. the dog behaviour certification and admin experience, is necessary for the duties they need fulfilled to be fulfilled to their expectations, for the wage. (They would just extort that labour from the younger people who lack those but want the job.)

(I didn't mean to be abrupt above, sorry. I'm not in a dissimilar position, as it happens. But having paid dues in one place unfortunately doesn't necessarily translate to being entitled to seeing benefits for that time somewhere else, at least not for roles like this. Unfortunately :( Sorry.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:45 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


They aren't likely to "take back the offer" just for trying to negotiate.
posted by rhizome at 10:01 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


I don't think negotiating will help - they're probably very used to hiring first-time college students who do the job just fine, so the requirements for the job are built around that, and your extra experience on top probably isn't valuable to them for this position, so they wouldn't necessarily want to pay for it.

If you're going to try to negotiate, the only way I could see it working is if you also negotiated yourself into a role with more responsibility befitting your extra experience. That might work, but it might not, because it's a part time job.
posted by destructive cactus at 10:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]


Back when I was still in the grind, we made a point of not hiring candidates who were too qualified for the position. They'd take the job because they needed it then a few months later would come back asking for more money because of the extra qualification.

If I was the kennel owner, your asking for better pay would make me think that you are not going to stay very long in the job.
posted by Kwadeng at 1:04 AM on January 19, 2017 [6 favorites]


I don't think you're in a position to negotiate about this.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 1:39 AM on January 19, 2017


Have you thought about something like:

Work at the kennel part-time, keeping the hours short, and then set up dog obedience classes that you'd teach and bill for. The kennel job could provide you with a lot of contacts, you'd know some of the dogs well before the classes, and the kennel might even be talked into providing a place to meet since it increases their visibility to clients and might make it easier to formally express their expectations for dog behavior. Even if the kennel ends up not being willing to host for free, it could still be a great way for you to make additional money while genuinely helping people.
posted by amtho at 4:27 AM on January 19, 2017 [2 favorites]


I've worked several entry-level jobs in the veterinary field and I have also been involved in hiring for those positions.

Do not attempt to negotiate. While they may not rescind the offer if you do, it almost certainly will affect their view of you and your suitability for the position (note: I don't agree with that, and I loved hiring people with more experience, but it's not the common view in the field).

However, once you have been hired and given a chance to prove yourself, you can and should discuss offering behavior classes at your facility. Generally this sort of thing is done where you and the facility split the income. That split is something you can and should negotiate when the time comes.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:08 AM on January 19, 2017 [2 favorites]


You may have more experience and skills but they're not hiring you for those reasons. They are willing to pay what the job itself dictates so I can't see them agreeing to pay you more money.
posted by shesbenevolent at 7:18 AM on January 19, 2017 [2 favorites]


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