Room for negotiation?

[oddyager]

Last week Thursday I met with 3 people for a job with a reputable software company and even though I did well with the first 2, I f-ed up bad on the third. Thankfully, I was brought back for a second interview with 2 other prominent members of the co. and this time I did not make any mistakes! I'm happy to say that they are offering me the job and they do want me to come be a part of their team. Their HR person called me on my cell to inform me of the news and with their offer and in my total glee (I currently work in a very inhospitable enviroment) I just said, "great" without negotiating anything. Today I am supposed to receive a package from them and next Monday I am to tell them whether I accept or not. It isn't too late to negotiate salary, correct? Even though what they are offering me now is okay, would I be short-changing myself by just taking it?

 

[Spydermag68]

If they named there price during the cell phone call and you accepted it then most likely no. If they did not give you a set salary during the phone call then it is a maybe.

 

[spidey07]

your time for negotiations is over if the offer is being sent.

You can try, but normally you negotiate before the official offer

 

[montag451]

If you were high up in a company, made someone an offer over the phone which was accepted, then, 2 weeks later he tries to screw with you, what would you say?

 

[Argo]

Originally posted by: spidey07
your time for negotiations is over if the offer is being sent.

You can try, but normally you negotiate before the official offer

I disagree. The offer is just that offer, it's up to you to accept or reject it. I was in the same exact situation, they called me and gave me the numbers and also said that the official package was in the mail. I said "Thank for the offer, I'll give you the answer in 3 days". That gave me enough time to see if what I got was appropriate for the position etc etc, then I called them back with my counter offer, they accepted and now I work for them.

Now if you said on the phone that you accept the position then it's over, you cannot and shouldn't negotiate anymore (unless you want to come out in a bad light). If however you didnt give them the final answer then it's fair game.

However, I'm an opponent of negotiating the salary just because "you think you can get more". You should do some research and see how that salary compares to what everyone else makes in that field and location (www.salary.com) and also how this compares to what you wanted to make. Doing this will give you a firm ground to stand on during negotiations.

 

[Stuxnet]

I agree with Argo. You haven't discussed salary at all yet, so the offer in the mail is nothing more than an offer. If you had agreed to $X and then went back on that when you received the offer, then I'd feel differently. If the offer is acceptable, take it. If not, contact HR and express your interest and excitement but that you had a different salary in mind. Worst case scenario is they say "no" and you can either take the original offer to decline it.

It's not too late.

 

[spidey07]

you guys have a point. I was under the impression a verbal offer was accepted.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The OP did not indicate what the HR person stated to him.

If the conversation contained #s, then by responding "Great", he has informally accepted the postiion and the salary offered. To try and negotiate after that point would be in bad taste and possibly jepordize the position itself.

If there were no #s discussed/presented, then he could contact the HR POC when he receives the package.

 

[aceO07]

Originally posted by: oddyager
... Even though what they are offering me now is okay, would I be short-changing myself by just taking it?

That seems to indicate that a figure was offered. If the salary is truly not competitive, you should consider more talks.

There's also the other prospect, right?

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: aceO07

Originally posted by: oddyager
... Even though what they are offering me now is okay, would I be short-changing myself by just taking it?

That seems to indicate that a figure was offered. If the salary is truly not competitive, you should consider more talks.

There's also the other prospect, right?

Ahh... I didn't catch that the first time around. If you guys talked numbers and you said "Great" and, as a result, they sent you an offer, then negotiations are pretty much over. You might be able to get away with negotiating at this point, but tread very, VERY lightly...