When should I negotiate an Entry Level Job offer?



Posted: Friday, April 08, 2011

by Trevor Wilson
http://www.gradversity.com

As a New Graduate looking for an Entry Level Job, it rarely pays off to negotiate for a better job offer.

While everyone loves a great story about the person who successfully negotiated for a higher starting salary/bigger bonus/more vacation, the truth is that you likely don’t have enough leverage at this stage in your career.

Given the number of new graduates who are looking for work, the competition between equally qualified candidates is extremely high. Why would a company pay more for you, if you don’t have anything that sets you apart from other candidates?

The reality is, they won’t. This means that you are more likely to lose the offer altogether than you are to gain anything from trying to negotiate. Are you willing to take that risk? In most situations, you won’t have any leverage in negotiations until after you have been in the work force for a few years.

The only time that I might recommend negotiating is if you are at the top of your class and you are being sought after by multiple companies. If this is you, you may have some success in your negotiations.

Ultimately, I am not advocating taking a job that will pay you less than you need to live on. All I am saying is don’t try to make a good offer great and end up losing it altogether.
Trevor Wilson is an author and consultant who works with new graduates preparing to enter the work force. His site, Gradversity.com, provides daily advice on job hunting, networking, and resume writing tailored to the Entry Level Job seeker. His first book, Overcoming Gradversity: How to Break Into the Entry Level Job Market, was published in 2008.
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