Hi guys!
I need your help. I received my offer today from Contech and I have until tomorrow to get back with them. They offered $5K less than what I wanted and they only offer one week of vacation for the first five years and then after that you get two weeks. Right now I get 2 weeks. Plus I would have to pay $40 per month for my health benefits and right now I do not pay anything. Because I will have a much longer commute with this new job it will actually cost me if I take the offer as is. I know, doesn't make a lot of sense for me to accept that offer but I am going to try and negotiate. That is where I need your help. I would like to offer $5K more than they offered me and ask for an additional week of vacation. Do you all think that is unreasonable? I am not sure what to do, I feel like an hour glass running out of time here in my current position. I just found out today that they are laying off 15-20 people in the next 30-45 days. I'm sure I will be part of that. But, I do not want to sell out for less than my worth and be frustrated in my new position from the very start. Any ideas on how to write a great negotiation letter?
Thanks guys, any advice would be helpful!
M
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3 comments:
So you know sis what my first question is... Is this job something you want to do? Do you see a future for yourself at Contech? Do you feel like opportunities for advancement are plentiful for you there? If that answer is YES, then you might be willing to negotiate less than you really want in order to get 'in the door' and then knock em dead and get the money you deserve later. But that approach is with a heavy caveat - beware because often when you walk in the door for less than you really want you don't get what you want when you want it. It did happen to work quite well for me, but it has also worked very badly too for me in other jobs.
Additionally, the vacation thing is negotiable only when the company is able to negotiate. If this place is the below, they look like a small-mid size branch of a larger company (allthough I cannot find the exact count of employees on their website).
Is this the place you are talking about?
http://www.contech-cpi.com/state/state.aspx?state=OR
That said...
DEFINATELY ask for the extra week of vacation - it's not like they have to pay you any more - and they are likely to go for that since it doesn't really increase their bottom line much.
As for negotiation letters..
http://www.quintcareers.com/salary_counter_proposal.html
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/insurance/benefits2004/negotiate-benefitsa1.asp
http://www.salary.com/advice/layouthtmls/advl_display_nocat_Ser5_Par18.html
Should point you in the right direction for negotiation strategies...
So,,,, What did you do????
Sorry sis I forgot to give you an update! First of all, thank you so much for the great advice. I found some very helpful tips on writing negotiation letters thanks to the links that you provided. :)
Ultimately I decided (after they would only budge $1000 on the salary and were not able to bump up the vacation to 2 weeks)that the best thing to do is stay where I am at for the time being. I think Contech is a good company but still not worth the risk of leaving somewhere I love to make the same amount of money, lose vacation days and pay for my medical.
All in all I came to the conclusion that it would cost me more to work for Contech when you add in the extra gas I would need for driving an additional 40 miles a day as well as paying for my medical premiums and having to "buy-up" vacation hours. The incentive just wasn't there.
I feel like I made the right decision. I know that if I were to "sell out" and lose track of my worth then I will end up resentful and unhappy. There is no reason that I should have to do that. I have made some significant accomplishments in my career specifically with Renaissance.
I remember those long commutes and I just don't think that I can go through that again... Yuk! Anyway, hopefully it will all work out with Renaissance. I really hope so. Thanks for your help sis! I'll keep you updated. :)
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