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Always negotiate! in this instance, you shouldn’t feel bad for a company! I would feel bad for myself here. just to put it in perspective - they have $ to spend.
Anyways, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Bad advice. I tried negotiating for additional PTO and they pulled the offer twice. Companies won't negotiate with cogs, its a waste of time. They only negotiate with C-Suite.
I know that many of us (particularly women, which I am though I of course don't know if you are, OP) are conditioned from a young age to not ask for what we need or feel we deserve.
But if you don't ask (or, in this case, negotiate) then the answer is always no. Have data points ready for what similar positions requiring similar experience are paying and provide a counter offer. You can either flat-out say the number you'll accept or you can actually negotiate and say higher than you'll accept working on the assumption that they'll come in lower. (Example: either say something along the lines of, "Based on available jobs data, I found that similar positions requiring the same experience are paying $80k so that is what I would accept for this role." OR something like "Based on available jobs data, I found that similar positions requiring the same experience are paying between $75-100k. I believe my experience and skillsets put me at the higher end of that range. Would you be able to offer me $90k for this role?")
Good luck!
Great advice.
You should be thankful for what you get in life…not be thankful someone gave you a job lower than what your worth.
There should be no guilt involved…you know your worth based on market research and you should definitely counter if you’re not being treated fairly.
Always negotiate! Value yourself and you won't regret it. If they decline your offer, the job was not meant to be. Take it from me; I felt just as you did and ended up in positions I hated, and I was resentful. I stopped undervaluing myself and found the best results that way.
Yeah, won't regret not having a job or salary for 5 years waiting for a company that will negotiate salary with you, and then they won't offer because you've been out of work so long.
YES! There are psychological, cultural, and relational factors at play. Reframe: Negotiation is not an act of greed, it’s a professional conversation about aligning value and compensation. Employers expect it, and many even budget for it. Instead of guilt, it can help to see it as part of advocating for your future and setting a precedent for how you’ll be valued. Here is a script I share with my clients: “Thank you so much for the offer. I’m really excited about the opportunity to join the team and contribute to [specific area/goal]. Before I accept, I’d like to discuss the compensation package to ensure it reflects both the market and the value I’ll bring. Based on my [years of experience/accomplishments in X] and the market research I’ve done, I was expecting something closer to [$X–$Y range]. Is there flexibility to adjust the offer in that direction? I want this to be a win-win. What flexibility do we have here? If salary is firm, are there other areas - such as signing bonus, professional development, or vacation - that we could adjust? I’m really excited to get started. If we can bring the base closer to [$X], I’d be happy to accept today.”
If you think you can do better you should try to negotiate. But be aware that companies are offering lower salaries lately because the bad job market has been driving salaries downward. So asking for a 15% bump may not be taken seriously. Perhaps say you were expecting more and see what kind of offer they'll make.
Mentor
I also struggle with this. I reframe it to be thankful for my skills and want to be fairly compensated for them. Jobs are a huge part of life and comp matters!