Offer Negotiations and Oliver Twist

Dear Liz,

I got an offer for a job that pays $48K. My last job paid $62K. I
understand that job offers aren't going to necessarily be generous
right now and I also can see that jobs aren't as plentiful as they
might be. But, this is a big drop. Also, the job requires a huge
amount of experience in a specialized field, which I have.

I'm working through a headhunter and he told me, "Take the offer." He
said, "Don't negotiate." That feels like a huge red flag to me. I am
tempted to say to him, "Tell them that I'd like to take the job but I
need to start at around $52K." They could rescind the offer, I guess.
But what kind of company would do that? What are your thoughts?

yours,

Mitch (p.s. I can't live on $48K. I would go into debt having the job
at that salary.)

------------ LIZ REPLIES:-----------------------------------

Dear Mitch,

If you couldn't get a good job after lots of searching, you'd begin
to make a series of changes. You'd get a smaller apartment, you'd
take a stopgap job outside of your profession, perhaps you'd move to
a less expensive area. People are doing all of these things. I'm not
suggesting that you do any of them, only raising the question: what's
the worst that could happen?

For sure, you should negotiate the offer. You're merely asking the
search guy to tell the employer how you view their offer. That's his
job, by the way. Any company that would actually rescind an offer to
a candidate who showed a little backbone and self-esteem is a company
you don't want to work for. Remember Oliver Twist? If you didn't read
the book, it's about a little kid (Oliver) who is in the poorhouse,
and he gets a bowl of gruel to eat, and the kids draw lots. The loser
will be the kid who has to go up the head guy and ask for more gruel.
Oliver draws the short straw, so he goes up to the head guy with his
bowl and says "Please sir, I want some more" and that gets him kicked
out of the poorhouse. Over the years this poorhouse manager, Mr.
Bumble, has come to be viewed as the personification of
scrupulousness and meanness.

A company that would actually rescind a job offer for the crime of
negotiating is not only mean, they're fear-based; they don't want
anyone around who knows his value and will speak up. What do you
think it would be like to work there?

Let's be clear - it does happen. A friend of mine got a job offer by
phone two weeks ago, and when he said "Is there any flexibility on
the salary?" the guy said "You know what, I've got five people on my
list to call, if you turn us down." The only imaginable answer to
that bullpucky is "CALL AWAY, AMIGO!" because you can't afford to
work for a company like that. More than money is involved when you
take a job, of course. It's like a marriage. A bad employer can trash
your resume, your reputation, your emotional state and your physical
health. It's no joke.

The essence of negotiation is choice. You have the ability to turn
down this job, even if you'd rather not to do it. Let's say you ask
them to move to $52K. Maybe they say "We can do $50K." Maybe they
say "We can do $48K with a review in six months." Maybe they
say "Sorry, we can only do $48K." What have you lost? You can still
accept the offer at that point.

If they did rescind the offer, you'd have dodged a bullet. You're not
asking for the moon, Mitch. It is unethical for a search guy to tell
you "Don't negotiate," especially since he must know that the company
is paying under market (even this market). Don't let him talk you out
of doing what your gut tells you to do. Follow your instinct, Mitch,
and keep us posted!

Info on Liz's career-guidance and job-search programs is here.