The article mentions a signing bonus. Does anyone have an idea on how common this this and in what type of situation asking for a signing bonus is appropriate and what some of the common numbers are in these cases?
How to Negotiate a Job Offer
41–50 of 106 posts
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think you suffered from bad luck. Just bad marketing. Programmers need to realize that you have to learn how to sell yourself if you want a good steady job.
Some of it might have been bad luck but I didn't really think any of it was. I knew that I was bad at interviewing. I just didn't realize how bad. My experience is probably more limited than I knew and the area I live in, while having jobs, isn't huge. That added frustration when the same companies had the same job pop up every 3 months (I applied for the new ones every time and never got a call). I hope that I can p…
Some of it might have been bad luck but I didn't really think any of it was. I knew that I was bad at interviewing. I just didn't realize how bad
I've been working for 8 years in three different companies: I found the first job (out of university) because a friend of mine worked there. The two following jobs were "found" because our manager moved and we (me, my friend and some others) move consequently as a team. I did some interviews during these years, never an offer. I really couldn't say if it was because of my salary (definitively above - italian sh###y - market) or because of me (my skills, my attitude, whatever). Of course Headhunters and HR are so kind not to give you any feedback (sometimes neither a response).
Now our last companies has failed, I'm unemployed and I've decided with my wife to relocate to Luxembourg where she can have a stable job (at least her..).
So here I am, unemployed and looking for a job[1] in another country (with the additional problem of the language: I'm a real novice in French, I don't speak German and my English should be far better..). I think that probably I'll discover which part of me was the problem...
[1] or coming back to university or learning coding (i'm more a sys/net engineer) or studying some online courses or trying to think if some startup ideas I have are feasible
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#43> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…
This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating.
It's not true at all.
No other offer? Unemployed for a year? It doesn't matter. When you get their offer, flinch, flare your nostrils, make an 'oof' noise on the phone - whatever, do what you need to do to convey you're not impressed. Then say "you'll need to do better than that," and shut up until they say something.
Often you'll get an additional raise on the spot; most likely, they'll ask what you'll need, you'll throw out some ludicrously high figure, and you'll split the difference somewhere in the middle.
By the time a company makes you an offer, they're emotionally invested. They're already thinking about all the work you're going to do for them, and how much longer it's going to take to find another suitable candidate. They also know that many candidates negotiate, so they likely didn't lead with their best offer. In this situation, you are extremely likely to improve your position, strong BATNA or no BATNA - you just have to have the courage to ask for what you want.
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#44i think article is just wrong as it is. Maybe because I'm on the other side hiring engineers. But we don't negotiate salaries. Two factors: what makes you happy/enough (do not think about your salary but about your challenges) and what can we expect from you. I don't care how much money you would make at an other company, because you want to join our company. The first part is very personal. People having mortgage an…
Most companies are willing to negotiate, especially when you have a counter-offer. So in general, it is good advice. Most companies do not have the attitude of "I don't care how much money you would make at an other company, because you want to join our company" because they know that most people value some combination of enjoying their work, and how much they get paid, not just one or the other. >The first part is v…
sorry for the noise. I was wrong. I can't make the case.
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#45The article mentions a signing bonus. Does anyone have an idea on how common this this and in what type of situation asking for a signing bonus is appropriate and what some of the common numbers are in these cases?
Signing bonuses are fairly common. It's not a number that is well-arrived at by picking at random. The figure should be based on a calculated value exchange: ie,"I'm not fully vested at my current company, and will be giving up $5k worth of stock options if I leave. I'd like to have a $5k cash signing bonus as part of any new offer I'd take to offset that."
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
In your script, you have: > You: This is a really great offer because [a sentence or two about why you want to work for them.]. But I was really looking for a little higher compensation. > Then, this is the most important part: they need to speak next. You have to be silent until they respond. They will give you one of three responses: At which point you list the three responses. But the most common (in my experience…
I'd say name a number or range 15-25% above the offer. Or even just "I was hoping for 15-20% more." Thanks, I'll add this. The point is just to ask for what you want. Often people will give it to you just for asking. It took me a long time to figure this out!
Never name a range. Ask for 15, 20 or 25% more, based on what you want.
If someone comes to me asking for 15-20% more, I'm going to offer them something below the low end of the range. You're essentially giving away 5% for free.
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#47> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…
I am baffled why managers rarely understand 1). In addition to slighting employees, it makes them easy for other companies to poach. It's also messy and expensive to counter offer once a resignation letter has been sent.
Honestly I think 2) is the more common mistake. Yes, employers should be looking to offer regular raises that match what an employee "could" get on the market, but that's hard even when you have the funds available and your employees' best interests in mind.
On the other hand, it's absolutely routine in my experience to watch managers bend rules and ignore feedback to bring in very expensive "senior" people to the team (often based on nothing more than a resume). All the incentives are wrong for this: everyone wants senior underlings, there's the "prestige" value in buying expensive commodities, you want to feel like your team is in the "big leagues".
And if done badly it can do terrible damage to a functioning team. It's never good to bring on an unproductive employee. Unproductive architects will kill your product.
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#48So, as a new employee out of college, if someone offers 100K, and you reply with "130K and we have a deal" are you going to be 1) laughed at and rejected 2) rejected 3) considered?
I've always been one to just accept whatever -- "Yeah, that sounds good!" -- but I'm consciously preparing myself to avoid this tendency after I finish grad school.
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#49> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…
This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. It's not true at all. No other offer? Unemployed for a year? It doesn't matter. When you get their offer, flinch, flare your nostrils, make an 'oof' noise on the phone - whatever, do what you need to do to convey you're not impressed. Then say "you'll need to do better than that," and shut up until they say something. Often you'll get an additional rai…
I feel that we may be ignoring the psychological aspects of having a strong BATNA here. It's easy to say that you should just "ask for a better offer", but it is waay easier to actually do that when you know how much you are worth to another employer.
Some people may be able to pull off something like what you describe, but all research I've read on negotiating indicate that knowing your BATNA and having a strong one is key to achieving good negotiation results.
Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer
#50My method is to do a full analysis of their company, and then make a very nicely formatted doc listing everything that I thought was bad, and a full explanation of how I would improve it if I were hired there.
Essentially, by using this technique, you've created a job for yourself, and given yourself value before you've even started there.
Then, when it comes to salary negotiation, you choose the highest available figure of their range and say with enormous balls that you're worth it because of all the things you can do for them - re your doc.
Works a charm for me every time.