[leglock]

It is always stated that you should never accept the first salary offer a company makes you when being hired.

My question is when you are initially made the offer, do you immediately counter or do you not say anything on the spot, and tell them you will think about it and then contact them back a few days later with your counteroffer.

Lastly, what is the largest increase requested by a new hiree you have heard a company actually agreed to or what is a common amount for a company to increase their offer by. Presumably if an entry level hiree with a cpa is offered a job at 55 and he/she asks for 75, the company will not grant you your 20k request.

Thanks for any help

[Anonymous]

It depends. I'm on my third job. All three times, they asked for my salary expectation. For my first two jobs, they gave me what I asked for. For my third job, they came in two percent below my salary expectation, but they gave me a huge sign on bonus.

For my situation, it would have been stupid to counter because they gave me what I wanted. If there hadn't been a salary expectation discussion, and they came in below my worth, I would have asked for a few days to think about it. I would contact them the next day and ask for more $$. Regardless, every offer I've received over the phone, I've asked for time to think about it. No need to make a rash decision.

[mla1169]

never heard that it was always stated to negotiate a salary. Keep in mind that once you counter offer on the salary you may end up losing the offer. Be sure you are prepared to walk away from the offered salary. Generally the salary for a position is predetermined (i.e. we budgeted 50-55k for this job) and often there is another candidate who is willing to accept what you were offered. Keep that in mind when you enter negotiations.

If they advertised the job at 50-55 and offered you 50. ask for the 55 but do yourself a HUGE favor and check salary.com or Robert half salary guide for salaries of similar jobs in your area. If you're north of boston and the average staff accountant makes 55k, you're not going to get a penny over that and depending on your experience may start lower. If a CPA is not required for the job you will not receive a higher salary for having it.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

leglock-

I wouldn't push too hard unless you have multiple offers. If you have no experience, you really don't have a leg to stand on. There are 30 guys behind you that are just as qualified.

If you do have more than one offer, don't be afraid to play them off of each other. You may be able to squeeze another few $2k $3k out of it. If you don't have more than one offer, I'd accept it provided it's in line with the going market rates.

mla gave some good advice. Remember that a counter offer is a new offer, not a modification of an existing offer.

[taxguy17]

Don't get hung up on the pay for an entry level job, assuming it is reasonable (55k is probably reasonable depending on your location) and you're not at a public firm. If it's an industry job, just getting in the door will provide so many opportunities to increase your pay.

For example, I've increased my salary by 20k in a little more than 3 years at my current company and that's without changing departments.

Do good work, be engaged, and make sure people know how valuable you are. Then you will be in a better position to ask for more money.

BEC - 84
REG - 86
AUD - 92
FAR - 90

[fuzyfro89]

“It is always stated that you should never accept the first salary offer a company makes you when being hired.”

^^I don't know who you listen to, but that's just false.

“My question is when you are initially made the offer, do you immediately counter or do you not say anything on the spot, and tell them you will think about it and then contact them back a few days later with your counteroffer.”

^^You are never expected to accept or decline right away. When you are told you will get an offer, usually a call or in person with a written offer to follow, something like the following response is appropriate “Thank you very much for the offer. I look forward to the the opportunity to join your company. I will review the written offer details and respond by XX/XX/XX.” Don't tell them right away that you plan to counter. It's a bit aggressive. If you decide to counter, then counter when appropriate.

“Lastly, what is the largest increase requested by a new hiree you have heard a company actually agreed to or what is a common amount for a company to increase their offer by”

^^It depends on the job's/company's needs, your qualifications, and market value for that skill set. Don't ask for more if you don't think market value warrants that. Do your research ahead of time and know what the position is worth and go from there.

You can and definitely should counter if you feel you can get more elsewhere. No one is going to over pay you because they like your smile.

[Author]

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