Do you have or known anyone who has a government job?

[MrsBugi]

i.e. Nav Air?

I know that for private sector companies the first-offer salaries are usually negotiable, is the same also true for government companies?

 

[Tylanner]

HALIBURTON!

 

[MrsBugi]

According to this site:

"Employers will negotiate within the range, but will rarely exceed it unless you are an exceptional candidate. Most state and federal government jobs have rigid, non-negotiable salary scales based on education and experience. In general, the higher-level management and executive positions offer the greatest opportunities for negotiation."

 

[CrimsonChaos]

Obviously it depends -- most (if not all) government jobs around here are in a Union. Union jobs are a set according to a payscale. There is little to no deviation from this scale. Management jobs are typically exempt (non-union), and are therefore more apt to be negotiable.

 

[DaTT]

Subtly tell them your willing to "go down" and your pay should "go up"

 

[HokieESM]

I work for the federal government (DoD to be exact). The salaries are negotiable--but as someone mentioned, there are "pay bands" that they have difficultly exceeding. An important question to ask is what "pay schedule" you are on (GS, DB, etc)--some offer more flexibility than others.

The guvment isn't known for paying their people extremely well (I'm not compared to corporate jobs)--but I do work EXACTLY 40 hours a week and have extremely nice equipment to work with. The benefits aren't as good as you would think (don't let them convince you otherwise). And if there is a security clearance requirement and you're being hired for a professional-level job, FULLY expect it to take them four months after the initial offer for you to start work and another six for your clearance to allow you to do your entire job.

 

[MrsBugi]

Originally posted by: HokieESM
I work for the federal government (DoD to be exact). The salaries are negotiable--but as someone mentioned, there are "pay bands" that they have difficultly exceeding. An important question to ask is what "pay schedule" you are on (GS, DB, etc)--some offer more flexibility than others.

The guvment isn't known for paying their people extremely well (I'm not compared to corporate jobs)--but I do work EXACTLY 40 hours a week and have extremely nice equipment to work with. The benefits aren't as good as you would think (don't let them convince you otherwise). And if there is a security clearance requirement and you're being hired for a professional-level job, FULLY expect it to take them four months after the initial offer for you to start work and another six for your clearance to allow you to do your entire job.

Very informative, thank you Hokie. One of the reasons this position is attractive is because of the job security, benefits they boast (could you please elaborate with regard to your statement "aren't as good as you would think), 2 1/2 weeks vacation to start, opportunity for growth/advancement, and 40-hour weeks. I understand obtaining clearance will take awhile, but once it is secured it should make life much easier (and prove to be beneficial for future positions).