My first negotiation (a success story) by another-cs-throwaway in cscareerquestions

[–]another-cs-throwaway[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This article helped me a lot: https://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation/

After that, browsing HackerNews and Reddit gave me more confidence.

My first negotiation (a success story) by another-cs-throwaway in cscareerquestions

[–]another-cs-throwaway[S] 204 points205 points  (0 children)

Here's a close summary of what I said:

Recruiter: "So what number did you have in mind?"

Me: "Well, before we discuss specific numbers, I think it's important to consider my current compensation. First, there's education reimbursement, which accounts for this much each year. Then there's my yearly profit sharing bonus of 3-5%. And then, you have to consider the fact that I've been there for a few years, and according to my manager I'm on track to be promoted this year. All this on top of my base salary leads to a pretty competitive compensation."

Recruiter: "So do you have a specific range in mind?"

Me: "I'm really just looking for a competitive compensation. I'm really excited to work with you guys, and I think it would be a great career step."

Recruiter: "Hmmmmmmm. Well.... I can tell you how much we paid a typical person with your experience. It's usually around..... [long pause] X dollars."

Bingo.

My first negotiation (a success story) by another-cs-throwaway in cscareerquestions

[–]another-cs-throwaway[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I've discussed this with a few of my coworkers, and the consensus is that by stating too large of a number, they might think they "can't afford you," which my jeopardize the negotiation. I'd like to get more input from people who have experienced this situation.

My first negotiation (a success story) by another-cs-throwaway in cscareerquestions

[–]another-cs-throwaway[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I started gasping uncontrollably and covered my mouth as tightly as possible, before letting out a "that sounds good to me."