Ask Liz Ryan HR: Human Resources for the new millennium
Ask Liz: Open Door to Re-Negotiate Salary?
Dear Liz,
I have been in an endless selection process with a great firm (great reputation, anyway) in my city and it looks like it's coming to the offer stage. The managing partner asked me to have dinner with him and another exec this week and I'm expecting a brass-tacks conversation then.
When I was originally asked by the headhunter about my salary range, I gave a reasonable figure, but since then I've learned that the job has become much bigger than what I was originally told. It was an account management position with four large accounts to look after, and now it's a job managing other account managers with responsibility for beaucoups revenue. I'm not complaining, but I feel like this opens the door for me to re-negotiate salary.
Do you agree?
Thanks,
Verina
Dear Verina,
I do agree, and I urge you not to think of the brass-tacks conversation as re-negotiating salary or anything else. You can't re-negotiate what hasn't been negotiated in the first place.
A job description was shared with you and based on that, you agreed in theory to a salary range that was presented. The job that you and the execs are discussing now is much different than the job you heard about months ago.
Apart from that, the number you 'agreed to' is itself only a piece of the puzzle. Any white-collar job offer has multiple moving parts contained in it. The base salary is just one of those moving parts. Once you understand the bonus structure, the benefits, the level of travel, the title, and other factors you'll be in a better position to nail down a reasonable base salary for the position.
If they say to you at dinner "But I thought you were okay with $XK," you can say "That was a base salary number that was tossed out when we were talking about the Account Manager role. For that type of assignment, that base salary would have been within my range if the bonus level were $X, the long-term incentive were $Y, the vacation allowance were abc, etc. For the role we're discussing now and with the benefits program as it's been described to me, we're looking at something in the $Z range."
That's what you say if they try to lowball you. My first choice would be to keep mum about the salary level, and let them throw out a number. If the number they throw out delights, you, order dessert!
Cheers -- Liz
I have been in an endless selection process with a great firm (great reputation, anyway) in my city and it looks like it's coming to the offer stage. The managing partner asked me to have dinner with him and another exec this week and I'm expecting a brass-tacks conversation then.
When I was originally asked by the headhunter about my salary range, I gave a reasonable figure, but since then I've learned that the job has become much bigger than what I was originally told. It was an account management position with four large accounts to look after, and now it's a job managing other account managers with responsibility for beaucoups revenue. I'm not complaining, but I feel like this opens the door for me to re-negotiate salary.
Do you agree?
Thanks,
Verina
Dear Verina,
I do agree, and I urge you not to think of the brass-tacks conversation as re-negotiating salary or anything else. You can't re-negotiate what hasn't been negotiated in the first place.
A job description was shared with you and based on that, you agreed in theory to a salary range that was presented. The job that you and the execs are discussing now is much different than the job you heard about months ago.
Apart from that, the number you 'agreed to' is itself only a piece of the puzzle. Any white-collar job offer has multiple moving parts contained in it. The base salary is just one of those moving parts. Once you understand the bonus structure, the benefits, the level of travel, the title, and other factors you'll be in a better position to nail down a reasonable base salary for the position.
If they say to you at dinner "But I thought you were okay with $XK," you can say "That was a base salary number that was tossed out when we were talking about the Account Manager role. For that type of assignment, that base salary would have been within my range if the bonus level were $X, the long-term incentive were $Y, the vacation allowance were abc, etc. For the role we're discussing now and with the benefits program as it's been described to me, we're looking at something in the $Z range."
That's what you say if they try to lowball you. My first choice would be to keep mum about the salary level, and let them throw out a number. If the number they throw out delights, you, order dessert!
Cheers -- Liz
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