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So I'm about halfway through this thread (thank you so much to everyone who posted updates and advice; this is an awesome resource) and I am expecting an offer today. The role is as an Editor at an educational research think tank. I interviewed a week ago, and it seems like an interesting place. I have experience in education, and I'd like to return to that, but I don't necessarily have to teach. The role is primarily a copy-editor and proofreader, but I would also be responsible for document coordination, proposal editing, and training some interns in how to use Word effectively. It sounds super easy and kind of feels like it was written for me. This is how the initial phone screen went down: Recruiter: How much are you looking to earn in this position? Me: Well, with the responsibilities for this role and the importance of the publishing team, I would like to earn $65k. [This is my current salary and I expected to earn less anywhere else because contractors gently caress over the government.] Recruiter: Oh. Hm. I don't think we can do that. With your master's degree and four years of experience, the salary range for this position is $53k-$55k. Maybe we could wring a couple more thousand to get you to $57k. Could you work with that? Me: It would depend on other benefits, but that is an income drop from where I am now. I want to keep talking, but I would like to see other incentives and benefits. Recruiter: Okay. Let's get you in for an interview to see how you fit. One week ago from today, I interviewed, and I think it went well. I met two managers and talked to HR about the benefits. They offer 401k contribution, 17 days PTO in year one, 20 days PTO starting on your one-year anniversary, and flex time to work from home if needed due to sick family members. The PTO is one bucket, with vacation and sick together. This was not a negotiating interview and there was no opportunity to ask about improving the benefits. That opportunity will be after they make an offer. So, right now I earn $65k doing bullshit "work" at a company that lied to me about what my title would be. I was supposed to be a Communications Editor and got downgraded to Technical Writer, which in this role requires taking meeting minutes, sending Outlook meeting invitations, helping create contact lists for off-sites, and other secretarial work. In three weeks I have received no assignments and still don't have a building access badge, but I'm billing the customer. It feels loving dumb to give this up, but I can feel my career stagnating, and I don't want the title of Technical Writer. It doesn't align with my career path as a professional editor. I posted about this in the Career Path thread (last page). I literally read Something Awful, browse Facebook, and apply for jobs, while bringing home $65k a year. The gravy train is about to run out, though, as the transition is almost over and I'm about to become a government secretary. The writing's on the wall. And while the $8k difference is a huge help to my household, my husband supports whatever I want to do. My question is this: What else should I ask for to offset the $8k difference? Assuming they can even get me to $57k and not like $53k. - I don't think PTO is negotiable; the 17 days starting out seems standard. I am planning to ask for more anyway. - I plan to ask for one day a week teleworking, or something like that. Does it look greedy since they already have flex time? - I'm not C-level, so the idea of a signing bonus is hilarious. I'm just not sure what to ask for to make me feel better about taking a hit. This organization sounds really great and I liked the people I interviewed with. I just don't want to feel like I hosed up and lost money just to get out of a dumb situation. My BATNA is just staying in this secretarial job, which is objectively easy but does not align with my desired career path. I am employed, so not in a hurry to take just anything, and can keep applying for jobs elsewhere. If anyone else is in this line of work, I did look up the OES for Editors here. Edit: The offer came in. I think I have to decline it... They will pay $55k and provide 17 days PTO. Thoughts for countering? That's a pay cut of $10k. I don't think I hate my job THAT much. It's just boring and not in line with my sparkly rainbow dreams of being an editor. Betazoid fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Feb 26, 2016 |
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Feb 26, 2016 15:24
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Jedi Knight Luigi posted:Judging by the job description I doubt they're gonna budge. I *wish* I got paid $55k a year to train people how to drive well in MS Word. If I were in a double-income household I would probably take the lower-paying, high-engagement job. Your point is noted, for sure. The lower paying job is the one that suits my skill set. The commutes are the same and the benefits are the same (I'm on my husband's insurance since he's a govie). This thread has been stressing over and over that you'll never get what you don't ask for, so I figure I should counter-offer. How does this look for a counter offer email? I feel like it's too soft, but the job is good, and Jedi Knight Luigi's response is making me nervous about declining it, considering I'm your typical English major type and this is still good money, though it's not *great* in DC. quote:
Betazoid fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Feb 26, 2016 |
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Feb 26, 2016 18:48
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ObsidianBeast posted:In general, asking if you can negotiate is a huge mistake, as it gives them an opportunity to shut down the negotiations before they even start. You're in a great position, since it sounds like you aren't going to take the job if they don't budge. If that's true, then flat out say you want a certain amount, and if they don't meet it then thank them for their time. If you might still take it, you can be a little softer or make the number a little lower, but I still wouldn't ask if you can negotiate. Good point. I'm leaning toward taking it. I see the writing on the wall at this job, and even if the money is good, I feel disillusioned with the contracting system. Your tax dollars are being spent on me and four other people sitting in a room reading Facebook and listening to podcasts, FYI. Boot and Rally posted:How easy are jobs like this one to come by? If you turned this job down and went looking for another, would it be more like your current job or this new job? Is this a chance to get a title that improves your future job prospects beyond "technical writer"? If you take this new job, how long before you can move on or up? Jobs like this are fairly rare, though not impossible to find. Rare enough, actually, that I applied for this job in February 2013 when it last opened and didn't get hired because of lack of documentation QA experience. When I saw it reopen on Indeed or whatever, I recognized it immediately. The title of Editor is immensely better than Technical Writer in terms of what I want to do. This sets me up for working with presses and publishers rather than contracting firms. I don't know how long it would be before I could more on or up, though. At this job, there are two people above me, a Senior Editor and a Production Editor, and below me there are an assortment of college-age interns. I could potentially move into the Senior Editor role if he left, or leverage this into a more literary job at a publisher. Boot and Rally posted:How "huge" is the 10k for your family? It isn't universally a bad idea to take less money if it provides you tangible benefits like a location you want to live or more time with your family, but a drop in income can make things unexpectedly tight. What are you giving up on the home side to (I assume) improve your career side? It sounds to me like you are not certain how much money you need so you don't know when to trade opportunity for money. My husband's career path is on an upward trajectory and he's earning enough for (technically) both of us to live on. When my income jumped from $53,500 to $65,000 in November, we basically started living off his pay alone (with a bit of supplement from mine) and sticking my income in a savings account in prep for selling our home and upgrading to something nicer in spring 2017. I'm not out buying shoes; it's improving our ability to bank for the future. It's not life or death to drop back to the mid 50s, but I got really used to being able to contribute so much to our savings. We'll still do the same thing with any income I get as long as we can afford to, but it will just be a bit slower to get to our goal. Boot and Rally posted:Also, no, it isn't greedy to want your telecommute in writing and separate from a flextime policy. Like money, you can ask and see what they say. They already declined the telework day since they allow flextime if you have a sick spouse/kid. The recruiter went back to the hiring manager to see if they can get me more PTO (I asked for 19 rather than 17 days). Even if all of my asks are declined (telework, PTO, more $), I will probably still take this job. The gravy train is leaving the station at my current job and I don't want to sink any more time into it when I could be building a good reputation as an editor. Thanks, everyone. Your posts throughout this thread were super helpful and I really appreciate your time. Betazoid fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Feb 27, 2016 |
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Feb 27, 2016 17:05
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KernelSlanders posted:Am I the only one who found this perplexing? I report to someone, who reports to someone, who reports to someone C-level and was offered a signing bonus when I started. I think it's an easy way for them to offer something up in a negotiation that doesn't cause them any HR issues if you're near the top of band for your title and doesn't impact the monthly operating costs going forward. I have never heard of someone less than VP level get a signing bonus. My professional experience has been in IT business development and education; Is it really standard for proposal writers, developers, sysadmins, business analysts, etc. to get sign-on bonuses? I thought that was for the most senior of the senior, not someone who has two years of Java experience or whatever. I feel like I'd get laughed out of the room if I asked for that as a business development person or whatever.
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Feb 29, 2016 17:09
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