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Need help urgent sorta
So I need help negotiating and deciding on accepting/denying this offer.
I just interviewed for a job and they gave me a verbal offer after the interview and now I am trying to accept or deny it and they like to hear as soon as possible so I need help...
Here are some cons: the job is 55 miles away (one way) so that means a commute twice as long as my previous job. Most of it is freeway drive but traffic on our freeways in the morning and afternoons is pretty congested so I am looking at 1.5 drive each way. I checked and there is no easy bus route. As far as schedule they said is flexibile but if there is a study going on at 8, I'm expected at 7:30 which means I have to leave the house at 5:15 or 5:30 given traffic is worse at those hours..
They offered me about 5% increase than what I was making. I think with the extra commute, I really would like to make at least 10% more than what I was making.
Pros: i'll get my feet in the door of industry (move from academia) which is huge and I have found it to be very difficult so far. It's a transition from pre-clinical work I was doing to clinical work in industry.
I was not expecting to get an offer right on spot so I am stressed out trying to make a decision. I don't know how to negotiate and ask for a 10% in crease from my previous job. I'm conflicted with the commute...
any help/advice is appreciated...
Re: Need help urgent sorta
I'm a little confused. Are you currently working?
Either way, you can use that to negotiate the pay that was offered. "I am really honored and would love to accept this position, but in order to make the commute do-able, I can't consider less than X dollars."
Take the long weekend to think about it/sleep on it. It's ok to give an answer next week. That commute will be horrendous, and probably expensive. If you currently have a job, I probably wouldn't leave my job for a 5-10 percent increase if I had to drive that much.
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My husband and I have been talking about it for the last hour and I'm leaning towards not taking it. ;( although it's such a hard decision because god knows when is the next time I'll get an interview let alone get the job.
Makes me really sad. The thing is when my commute was 30 miles a way (half the distance, so 60 miles a day total) sometimes it took me 4 hours because that stretch of the freeway backs up for hours if there is an accident which is every time we have rain. Add another 30 miles to it each way, realistically I'll be spending more than 4 hours a day in the car on a good day.
i'm so sad. after hundreds of resumes out, finally heard something. why does it have to be so far away in a bad traffic area...
I checked the bus system on google map and it says 13 hours! involves a total of 6 bus transfers. obviously bus is not an option.
Here's the thing: if you're willing to do that travel for a few years until you get your foot in the door and can move on, it doesn't hurt to ask for a 10% increase instead of 5%. The worst they can say is no. However, I would NOT cite the commute as a reason to negotiate pay. It's frankly not their problem that you live that distance away.
Ask for the 10%, and see what they say. Then you'll be in a better position to decide.
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Thank you all for your responses!
Since they wanted to hear from me today, I called and said I needed more time to make up my mind and I also asked if the offer was up for negotiation to which she said she'll have to run it by the HR department. So I'm going to sleep on it and let them know Tuesday morning. It's a tough decision
thank you for your input. i appreciate it.
I was thinking the same thing. Why did you interview for a position so far away? It wouldn't be fair to say to them "Well, I'd love to accept but I can't because of the commute" ..because that should have been considered before even applying. I definitely wouldn't be driving 1.5+ hours to get to and from work each day. I don't envy the decision you have to make, good luck!
I didn't know the location of it at first.
When they called me for an interview and told me where it'll be, I had a split second to decide to do the interview or not. Given this is my second interview in 3 months, I didn't pass on the interview.
I went in for it because who knows I've done other interviews I had not gotten the job, this could have been another one but it was a good networking opportunity for me even if I didn't get the job. and who knew maybe the job didn't require me to commute 5 days a week, maybe I could do it 3 times a week and 2 days of it I could work at home. (my SIL does a similar commute on the opposite direction but she only does it 2 or 3 times a week, gas paid by the company...so you never know until you get to know about the job and these are not discussed on the job description) I asked general questions on the phone but the lady was from HR and couldn't answer those so I decided I'd go for the interview and see.
I also wasn't sure what they would offer...I just didn't think that they'd actually offer me a job right after the interview i guess.
Tell them that if they pay you 15% more than your current position, it's a deal. If they balk, tell them the lowest you can accept is 110% of your current salary.
I'd consider spending the night before at a hotel if the 7:30 AM meetings aren't all that common.
I agree with pp to ask for the 15% increase and see how that goes.
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I was in a similar position and I did take the job. I commuted the 1.5 hours each way for two months, then DH and I relocated to cut it in half. They also negotiated my pay to 20% over what I had been making at the old job.
I think based on current economy, number of interviews you've had and the fact this job would be a good career stepping stone in a direction you want to go, I'd lean towards taking it.