We’ve probably all been there - the phone rings, we hear a
voice tell us that we got “the job”, and we automatically want to say “YES!”
and accept the position. Often we don’t even listen to the details (i.e. the
start date, the hours, the pay, etc.), but instead we just want to say “yes” as
quickly as possible to seal the deal. Our instinct is to secure that job/internship we’ve been searching for
and to get the uncertainty and the hours of worrying about never getting a decent
position out of our heads. However, the important thing to remember during
these great moments of joy is to slow down, pay attention, and to be prepared
before giving a final answer to the employer.
Before you get that phone call know what kind of “specifics”
are important to you in deciding whether or not to accept a position. Do you
have a certain date before which you cannot start, or before which you must
finish that internship? If the position is far away, do you need financial
relocation assistance? Where will you live? What kind of help can you get in
financing your move and your new place? If the position is full time, what kind
of benefits will you have? Are there perks that you think would be nice to have,
but that aren’t offered up front such as a bonus?
For many summer internships, the questions of start/finish
dates, as well as possible relocation assistance, are usually at the top of the
list for many students. Salary is often not very negotiable at this point,
however doing some preliminary research can let you know what your expected
range can be. There are lots of
discussion sites out there where college students exchange their proposed salaries
and give opinions as well (just Google:
“how much pay for internship?”)
For full time positions you have much more to think about
salary, location, benefits, and future mobility, all negotiable items that are
on the table. Check out Salary.com
for possible salaries in your offered position and geographic location. The
name of the game is that it never hurts to ask before accepting any offer. If you’ll have to move, ask if there is
relocation assistance. If you don’t see any talk of medical/retirement
benefits, ask if they offer these to new employees. Good medical coverage and a solid 401k plan (with
employers matching your contribution for example) can go a long way beyond your
base salary. If you don’t understand
your vacation/sick day time, ask specifically what the policy is. Also ask if there is some sort of a profit
sharing plan available. Bonuses are always nice too, so if it’s not mentioned be
sure to ask if you get an end of the year performance bonus. Promotions are
even better! Ask about future common
career tracks in their company, professional development opportunities, and
performance evaluation procedures - these are the things that signal possible
promotions.
A lot of companies start all of their new associates at a
similar pay rate, so pushing hard on the employer for that extra few dollars
might yield little results. If you feel you are being undervalued, do some
research and see what the average industry rate for your level of education and
position is. This way you’ll have some
legitimate standards to bring to the employer’s attention during the
negotiation process. Just thinking that
you’re worth 30k more for no apparent reason is not a convincing position; but
letting them know that you have advanced skill sets or that other competitive
companies in the industry pay 30k more that what they offer can make a difference.
There is a lot of information about negotiating with
employers out there, check out the Career Center HERE for more info. The best thing to remember is to slow down, and take the
time to think the offer over. You can even stop by the Career Center and chat with a counselor
about it, and ask more questions.
by Peer: Andrew Neginskiy: 4th Year, Psychology 
