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From what I have seen/heard, offers for first jobs out of college are much harder to negotiate up. Typically the best you can hope for is a higher signing bonus. 65k was about what I started at 7 years ago as a ChemE straight out of college, altho that was in the Midwest. When I recently took a job in the east bay the salary bump was about 20-30% from what I was making in the Midwest. Different industry though so the actual numbers might not be applicable to you.
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May 27, 2016 18:48
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Bitchkrieg posted:Here are a selection of comments from my boss. Direct quotes.
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Jul 29, 2016 13:36
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:Comedy option: "Oh I forgot how this W-2 thing works, I meant 80k after taxes"
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Aug 3, 2016 01:36
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Think long and hard about you would really need be happy. If I really didn't want to move to a company because I loved my current job and the new company looked lovely, I'd personally need a lot more than a 50% increase to consider it.
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Sep 27, 2016 21:46
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You might have to hold off on negotiating until your first annual review. If there's a line behind you and you don't have a foot in the door, you don't have good leverage.
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Sep 29, 2016 14:35
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The two public companies I've worked for showed total compensation on the internal HR/benefits website broken down by pay, health, retirement, etc. I didn't have any equity components in either benefit package though.
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Sep 30, 2016 20:43
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If it was at a career fair at a school it was probably for a moderately fungible position where they are doing a bunch of career fairs at schools, more so than it being a unique position in terms of skills and expertise. It still sucks, but as everyone is saying you really did not want to work there anyway. "We'll Jim it looks like you had a great year. We think you're ready for a whole lot more responsibilities." "Great! Let's talk about my new role and adjusting my compensation to an industry appropriate level." "...You're fired."
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Oct 13, 2016 14:11
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When I used an "independent" recruiter and he insisted on knowing my salary, I included every conceivable benefit in my current compensation then tacked on a little bit more and kept it all very vague and in round numbers. He said he wouldn't reveal it to potential employers so I didn't feel bad or unethical about exaggerating/lying.
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Oct 27, 2016 20:09
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I would never trade a 5 min walk for a 1:30 drive. The quality of life improvement you get from a few extra thousand dollars is not worth it for such a soul sucking daily commute. It's hard to appreciate the difference until you live it. Not to mention the gas and wear and tear on your car. What do your job prospects look like otherwise once your current job expires?
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Nov 4, 2016 14:30
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I did 5 years of 100% travel as a chemical engineer. The job included assignments varying in length between 1 week to 1+ years at customer sites. My company paid for hotel/apartment while on assignment, $50/day average for food, they paid for the flight there and back (obviously), depending on the location there was a bonus on top of my salary between 0-40% (shittier locations had a bigger bonus), while not on assignment my company paid for a hotel and car in the headquarters city. Some people kept an apartment but I just had a storage unit. If I wanted to fly home during an assignment for a wedding or something, I was on the hook for the flight. Ask if you can review their travel expense policy in writing before committing. Find out exactly what you have to pay for and what you can expense to the company. What kind of industry are you in?
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Dec 22, 2016 03:34
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Tots posted:Awesome, this is all really good information and at least gives me some starting points for questions. It's definitely a completely different lifestyle. My travel was 100% international so there was always the excitement in getting to experience other cultures. I would ask about the typical assignment duration; I personally much preferred 3+ month jobs because it takes at least a month to get familiar with a new place. If it's a new place every week, that would get old really quick. I have a friend in accounting who did a few years of travel: fly to a job on Monday morning, fly home Friday evening, spend the weekend at home, repeat. He hated it because it wasn't like he was living there, it felt more like mini projects which annoyingly had to be done at the customer site. Either way, definitely sign up for all of the frequent flyer and hotel rewards programs, that will add up quick. Find a hobby which you can travel with, for me it was photography but it helped being international where everything is interesting. If I were to do it again, I'd buy a high quality foldable bike so I could get out and see the local area and get some exercise while doing it. Gotta be careful with your diet because it's super easy to eat out every day when everything is on expense and you don't have a kitchen to cook in. Easy to gain a bunch of weight if you're not conscious of what you're eating and making sure you get some exercise. While on a job, always say yes if someone invites you to do something, doesn't matter what it is. It's easy to hole up in the hotel and get lonely but if you're on longer assignments, your customer rep/counter part will be more likely to invite you to tag along somewhere, go for it! Feel free to PM me with more questions if you'd like, kinda getting off topic with negotiation. If the company hiring you is smart, they'll ask a lot of questions to make sure you're really the type of person who can travel full time. Get as many details as you can so you'll know what life will actually look like once you're in it.
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Dec 22, 2016 16:20
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What are the industry, region, and job responsibilities? When asked the salary question, I defer to the, "I'd prefer to ensure that we both agree that I am a great fit for this position and can add significant value to your business before discussing compensation." If pressed, I say "I'd love to evaluate your offer in full including salary in addition to benefits and other forms of compensation."
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Jan 24, 2017 05:57
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Interesting. I can't really help you salary wise. The job description sounds like they need a chemical engineer if part of your job is going to be operating their waste water and acid recovery plants. That'd be a good question, specifically what would your responsibilities be in that regard. Would you be managing the board/field operators, is there an engineer dedicated to the units, is there a corporate expert who you will be able to consult with? Get familiar with the air (NOx, SOx, CO2, particulates, etc) and water (volumes, treatment requirements) emissions regulations in that part of the country and the entities that govern them (if any). I'd want to know some specifics about their plants, the capacities, if they are responsible for production bottlenecks under any conditions, are there any reliability and integrity people dedicated to them, will you need to be interfacing with any 3rd party service providers on a regular basis. For salaries I'd look up chemE salaries and environmental engineering salaries in the area for some additional data points.
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Jan 24, 2017 22:36
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From what I've seen, the 401k program is usually set for the whole corporation. Salary, vacation/yr, and signing bonuses are the main negotiation points.
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Feb 11, 2017 18:21
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Dwight Eisenhower posted:Maybe some folks will find some nuggets of usefulness in all of this.
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Feb 28, 2017 14:25
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My company has a corporate policy that CA and AK are on different pay scales relative to the rest of the locations (WA, TX, ND, UT).
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Mar 11, 2017 05:14
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I waited for my drug/background to clear before informing. Ended up taking 3 months for Chicago to clear my background check.
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Mar 29, 2017 22:24
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My HDHP gets me significant in-network discounts from the get-go. Don't need to hit the annual deductible before seeing any benefit.
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May 6, 2017 02:25
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Definitely not a pro, and each company is going to be different but my most recent two employers used a rating system (9 block) to rate all of the employees and compare them within their functional group. Management sets out a specific pool of money every year to be distributed among the functional groups. Your rating relative to your peers is supposed to determine how big a slice of the raise pool you get for merit based pay raises. There's usually a minimum rase for everyone to account for inflation (but sometimes that minimum might be $0). In addition to the merit based pay raise, you can also get promoted to higher titles which usually results in a more significant pay increase. I attack year end reviews in two ways. One, kick as much rear end at my job as I can so I get a good 9 block rating. Ask what I can do to get a better 9 block if I didn't get the highest grade. Typically this is based on reaching/exceeding my annual goals. Once you've been rated for the year there's not much you can do to adjust your merit based increase. I also review the published corporate promotional ladder for typical requirements for promotion. At this years review I specifically told my boss that my primary career goal for the year was to get promoted and here's why I am ready. I don't see annual raises as a one time negotiation every year but more of a continual process with inputs throughout the year which ultimately determine your annual pay increase.
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Jun 8, 2017 13:23
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Not to mention trimming 35 miles from your commute each way is like getting an hour+ of your life back every day.
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Jul 14, 2017 14:41
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I asked one of our HR people about our corporate payscale on a whim and she sent me the whole thing. Min-Mid-Max salaries, target bonuses, and Long Term Incentives for all 20 grade levels. Can't believe she just handed it out. This will be useful if/when I make my next internal move here sometime later this year.
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Aug 29, 2017 02:12
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I moved to the East Bay from Chicago 2 years ago and you're right. Rent is higher, especially in SF, but I didn't see a significant increase in prices of much else. Regarding the promotion, do you have any interactions with your boss's boss? Can you present your case to him/her? Did you ask your boss or his boss what you needed to do to get a promotion? Unfortunately, it seems like time/seniority plays a bigger part than pure merit. This is the main reason why jumping between companies is the tried and true path to advancement. For example- I approached my supervisor about a promotion after working over a year ago at my first mid year review. I presented why I thought I deserved it, brought along the published career tech ladder and showed where I thought I was and asked for his feedback. He agreed I was on the right path and to keep doing what I'm doing. At the time I was a year and a half short of the "typical" time in the industry for my next promo. He said he put in for me at the last round of promotions (apparently they typically done at a certain time of year at this company, not aligned with year end reviews). Still haven't gotten that promo yet despite being assured twice over the last 6 months that it has been in the works. In the mean time, I've been approached about two other internal positions, both of which involve promotions, one of which is actually for a position two levels higher, discussed these with my boss, still no promo almost 2 months later. Just my personal experience, but I'm convinced I'm going to have to either take one of the internal moves or look externally to keep going up. I thought that maybe the internal job offers would incentivize my boss to try to keep me around but it doesn't seem like it's going to make a difference. My last company was similar in that they'd hire people in from outside at higher levels than their time in industry would typically place them.
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Oct 1, 2017 20:45
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I think the better strategy is to go to your boss and diplomatically ask for more money without necessarily mentioning the offer. That way if she/he says no, you have a BATNA. If it's a yes, you can take it or tell the new company they'll need to up their offer.
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Jan 14, 2018 04:08
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Yeah, I'd insist on an offer in writing from HR (benefits included) so you can review it, then counter to the HR contact. He/she will be in contact with the hiring manager regarding your requests. Likely the manager has been badgering HR to hurry it up already.
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Mar 8, 2018 04:38
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We had an applicant for a position managing project managers who oversee multi-year projects and he had worked for 11 companies over a 19 year career. He might have been the greatest guy in the world but when it takes 6 months to find and hire the right person, that's a tough sell. Of course, a competent company wouldn't take 6 months to hire someone in a vital role so maybe he's lucky not to have gotten an offer after all.
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Mar 19, 2018 13:28
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Make sure you look at housing prices in the Houston neighborhoods you'd like to live in. We considered a Chicago to Houston move and assumed a big COL decrease but upon closer inspection it wasn't that much cheaper. I'm sure moving to the burbs would have been cheaper but we wanted to live in a neighborhood similar to our Chicago apartment (Lincoln Square).
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Apr 4, 2018 13:21
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I'm not opposed to tenure based PTO as long as it's based on time in industry, not time with the company. Basically position based PTO. Of course the more senior you are, the less ability you have to take all of your PTO so..
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Apr 6, 2018 16:40
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Does anyone know if there is a convention for placement within pay bands when being promoted? For example, say I am in band 1 with a salary range of 60-100k and my current salary is 80k (the midpoint). Band 2 has a range of 70-130. If I were to be promoted, would I expect to end up with a salary proportional my previous location in Band 1? 100k in this example? Or is it totally dependent on the circumstances? I suspect the latter but looking for anecdotal experience.
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Apr 6, 2018 17:29
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Success story for the thread: Last summer I was solicited by another group in my company to gauge my interest in a position which would be equivalent to a one step promotion on my current group's tech ladder. I expressed interest but they didn't get around to arranging an interview until early this year. I finally got an offer in mid April which included the promotion to a higher corporate grade and a 6% raise. I said thanks but I was hoping for 10% and here's why: "yadda yadda yadda I've been kicking rear end and taking names since I got here 2 years ago, high annual ratings, pertinent experience, btw I turned down another internal opportunity (which would have included a two-level corporatel promo), etc". They wrote down my number and said we'll get back to you. 2 weeks later they came back with 8.4% and I accepted on the spot. I would have taken the 6% but I'm obviously happy with more money. Thanks thread for giving me the confidence to ask for more. This thread really is a goldmine for how to incrementally improve your life via increasing your pay when the opportunities arise. Do always negotiate.
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Apr 26, 2018 22:43
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In my opinion, it depends on the circumstances. If you had opened the promotion discussion in the past and did what they said you needed to do to earn the promo but never got it, then I could see this as an opportunity to get it from your current employer. But if you're relatively new and/or hadn't ever brought up your desire for additional responsibilities, seeking outside employment opportunities signals to your manager that he/she needs to find your replacement. Taking the counter offer in that latter scenario just buys your manager more time.
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May 11, 2018 15:36
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Hell yeah, congrats my dude
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May 23, 2018 02:49
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120k seems a little high for 2 years out of school though based on the salary info I have for chem Es in the bay area.
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Jun 12, 2018 10:51
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:I don't think this is a good reason not to ask for it.
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Jun 12, 2018 18:16
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Not saying you should stay but don't discount the quality of life improvement from actually enjoying your day to day work. I personally spiral into a bad funk when I'm bored at work and my performance suffers along with general satisfaction with life. I'd personally be afraid to settle on a slow, boring, safe govt job.
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Nov 20, 2018 04:37
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I told the person who handed me the offer for the internal move that I wanted more and here's why. A few days later he came back with an offer slightly higher than the initial but below my ask. I accepted.
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Jun 24, 2019 01:46
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He knew what I was making currently, yes. But I was ok with keeping my current job. I also had prospects in different departments I could pursue if I wanted to go in a different direction. But agreed! I considered it a good outcome for both parties.
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Jun 24, 2019 04:18
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m0therfux0r posted:If it's your dream job, go for it, but just know it's not much of a raise- I just looked at a cost of living calculator and NYC is about 1.5x the cost of Chicago, so your raise might not feel like much, but if you're happy now, you should still be happy then.
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Jul 23, 2019 15:15
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Chicago has the nation's highest sales tax at 10.25% and the median property tax in Cook County is north of 3%.
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Jul 23, 2019 23:42
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C-Euro posted:when do I give notice at my current job? The new offer is contingent on references/background check and drug screening, and while I don't anticipate any problems with those in my mind the offer isn't "locked in" until I pass all of them.
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Aug 27, 2019 21:53
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Tiny Tubesteak Tom posted:I'm prepared to walk away. This would be at a serious detriment to the company, because they have invested a lot of time in training me. They would have to task at least two people with constantly monitoring their work before it went out due to the new tasks ... it would probably take them at least 2 months to get a replacement that would begin performing at the standard expected of my position, during which time it would probably be absolute hell for the two remaining employees in my area due to the workload expected of them.
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Oct 5, 2019 00:56
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