Virtual Career Center

Evaluating the Job Offer and Negotiating Salary

While receiving a job offer is a goal you've been reaching for, it is important for you to be certain that this offer meets your needs. Some tips follow to help you assess the offer and how it fits with your job and career objectives.

• You may receive the initial job offer by phone or even e-mail, but ask for a written offer before accepting the job.
• Listen to the offer carefully, and after expressing your enthusiasm let the caller know you'd like to think this over completely, as it is an important decision for both of you. Ask when the employer needs a final response. If they have not indicated they are sending a written offer, ask for one.
• The written offer should include your start date, a list of benefits and any special work arrangements and/or benefits that you discussed.
• Look at the compensation: if commissions or bonuses are involved, are the rules for earning them stated clearly, and is it clear how you will receive those payments? Is your annual salary, base salary, or hourly wage the same as discussed? How/when will your performance be evaluated?
• Take time to be sure this is the job you want. Determine what you would like to negotiate, and be prepared to do so.
• If you would like to negotiate the salary offered, know the range for the position in the marketplace. Present your request, and supporting examples of how your qualifications and performance will add value.
• Experts advise that everything is negotiable, so consider other features of the offer (in addition to money) in your negotiation strategy.
• Negotiation is a professional conversation, so avoid ultimatums. Reflect on the responses you receive to negotiation requests. If you accept the position, do so confidently, knowing that the position, the company and the compensation package are satisfactory to you.
• What training and support will you receive at the beginning, and does the company's mission and culture agree with what is important to you?
• Compare your work-style preferences with those of the job. What trade-offs are you willing to make to have the quality of life you seek?
• Consider whether this position/organization will give you the opportunity for the achievements, recognition and growth that are important for you to feel you are making a contribution.
• Review the present and future tangible and intangible benefits of this position for you, and make your decision with confidence!

How can the Alumni Career Center help you with the points that are most important to you when evaluating job offers?

• Career Advising — An advisor can help you prioritize the most important factors when reviewing a job offer, and can practice negotiation discussions with you. Career advising is a feature of the Alumni Career Center's Comprehensive Service Package, available for an annual fee of $160 to Alumni Association members. An option to meet one time for one hour with a career adviser for a $40 fee is also available to Alumni Association members.
  
  
• Professional Development Workshops — Salary negotiation, evaluating job offers and discovering company culture are topics with tools and techniques to help you make the best decisions throughout your career. Fees for individual workshops are $25 and all workshops are offered at no additional charge as a feature of the Alumni Career Center's Comprehensive Service Package. See the calendar at www.uiaa.org/calendar for details.
  
  

• Dynamite Salary Negotiations: Know What You Are Worth & Get It! by Ronald L. Krannich, Ph.D. & Caryl Rae Krannich, Ph.D.
  
  
• Negotiating Your Salary: How To Make $1000 A Minute, by Jack Chapman
  
  

• Benefits Link — Articles on more than 50 topics related to employee benefits.
  www.benefitslink.com
  
  
• How to Make $1000 A Minute: Salary Negotiations — A site with a quiz about your current salary negotiation knowledge, tips for experienced professionals and links to additional sites with salary information.
  www.salarynegotiations.com
  
  
• Jobstar — Over 300 salary surveys in a broad spectrum of career fields.
  www.jobsmart.org
  
  
• Salary Wizard — Select an occupation and a location for the salary.com calculation; compare with related occupations, or other locations.
  www.salary.com
  
  
• Wetfeet — Explore the Career Profile feature to learn about compensation.
  www.wetfeet.com
  
  

Can't find the resources you are looking for? Have questions about the Alumni Career Center services? University of Illinois alumni can ask our career experts for help with job searching and career questions.