I'm about to graduate and got my first job offer yesterday. My dad keeps telling me to negotiate my salary, but I feel like I have no leverage as a new graduate. Is it actually normal to negotiate your very first "real" job?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Typically, yes. But in this market, it's not unheard of for negotiations to go sour. Depending on how low the offer is, I might decide to just accept the offer and try to work for a raise or promotion down the line. Getting an offer anywhere as a new grad is a big accomplishment right now.

like

I recommend taking the job, and learning the ropes. Get all the mentorship and OJT can, and reassess your worth after about six months. If you performing all of your peers, which is easy to do these days, request a raise. If the company is not willing to discuss it, silently search out other opportunities, but do not discuss it with your peers. If a new company is wondering why you are coming to them after only six months, it’s easy conversation when you can say that “I am performing all of my peers, and I am being compensated the same. I want to work for a company that values my performance.” Either way, you’ll be coming from a position of current employment and leveraging some experience.

It's true that your leverage is non-existent, but that doesn't mean you have to accept anything that comes along. If you don't like the offer, you can say something like you were hoping for more, and you could ask if there's any flexibility. They may say no, there's no flex at all, and they probably won't be angry and rescind the offer. Offers get rescinded when someone negotiates in a way that's seen as rude or unserious. If you're polite and respectful you should be fine.

likehelpful

I have 7 kids from 19-27 so I have been helping them transition into professional life. Many are making more than 40 year old adults..but if you feel uncomfortable, and your leverage comment without a portfolio is spot on, then perhaps go for some soft negotiation areas like first timing of your first review. Maybe they give 6 month or longer (ugh!) reviews. Ask for a 3-month review, providing you are an outstanding worker. And congrats on the job offer but keep in mind (oh to be young again) - this is your first job. AFTER you land this at whatever pay rate, your next new job is to find your next new job. Plan on 3 months to a year, see how the company really operates (do they assign you a mentor, when do they do their reviews...) but plan on updating your linked in and becoming more focused and active on linked in or glass door (or both) and start curating your nascent career. It is up to YOU. Good luck!

likeuplifting

Never ever accept the first offer. They always have room because they assume you will negotiate. If you don’t it actually shows a poor signal that you don’t think of yourself as someone who deserves more and is “ to easy” of a hire.

likesmart

Not in this market, and not for the recent graduate.

like

As a new grad, you have very little leverage, unless you have multiple offers and are selecting which one to take.

Even if you have only one offer, ask if they could do better.

Don't just ask for salary bump. Sometimes you can get more of a sign up bonus, longer vacation, or a better laptop.
It is always good to ask for "learning budget" - money for books, conferences, certifications.

likehelpful

How hard is it to come by your talent and skills? Is it a job most people could do, or are you particularly gifted and rare that they’ll give you some extra money not to lose your talent? Also, they may give you what you ask for now, but if it’s too much then they may delay promotions or give lower raises down the line. Just make sure whatever you are asking for is reasonable, as the job market and companies sure aren’t nowadays.

like

In this market, getting a job as a new grad is amazing. You're right, you have no leverage. If the offer isn't downright ridiculous, take it.

like

I was offered 67k at a local hospital in 2011. I should've negotiated a higher salary. I learned later that HR was advised to offer 75k. I found out after I accepted another offer 2 years later. Long story short, it doesn't hurt to try.

like

Sounds like you can put aside any emotional or mental feelings of inadequacy and let them hear you say this is what I am worth. Take the initiative, from the gate. Negotiate!

like

Really depends on the company. If you’re filling a single position in a department you have a better shot of negotiating. But if it’s a large company like KPMG that hires hundreds of college students every year then the salary is normally what it is and not something the firm will negotiate.

The current job market isn't that great right now, so proceed with caution.

Do you know the typical salary range for the position you got the job offer for? If now, I am sure a google search could get you some idea on the typical salary range for the job.

It really depends on the company and context. If they have room to negotiate (eg all of their start classes don’t automatically start at the same salary) then I would say 100% go for it. In this market it isn’t unusual for things to go sideways though, so always decide carefully

I was offered 67k at a local hospital in 2011. I should've negotiated a higher salary. I learned later that HR was advised to offer 75k. I found out after I accepted another offer 2 years later. Long story short, it doesn't hurt to try.

Industry/company dependant... There's hundreds if not thousands of brand new unproven graduates. You're probably better off just getting the experience.

Prove your worth and the money will follow. Got to appreciate Dad's backing though. He'll be sorry if your best and only offer falls through due to salary negotiations.

Maybe apply elsewhere and push buttons. See how it goes... It's easier to apply more force when you're in a firm position to begin with.

It honestly depends - I’d just ask if there’s wiggle room on the salary rather than I’d like to negotiate. A lot of companies start new grad roles all the same

Related Posts

like

What’s a fair expectation for my first raise? Publicly traded co with ~2500 employees. I’ve been doing litigation with the company for almost 3 yrs and have only had a 2% cost of living raise so far. Graduated in 2014. Base comp is $127.5k in the Philly area. I see salaries all over the place in this site and it’s hard to tell whether mine is competitive.

like

Can someone give me advice on how to negotiate salary for first in-house role? Expecting to receive a verbal offer shortly and have never negotiated salary in my life!

like

I am offered PL-08 position in RBC
Canada. Can somebody please
guide me on the pay band for this
position (so I can negotiate if they
are offering low in the range)? They
are offering 87k base + $10.5k
bonus. Thank you!!

Also, does PL-08 equates to
Manager level in RBC?

like

What is annual salary increase for SA at Alvarez and Marsal? I applied for director role but offered SA since I have extensive industry experience but no prior consulting. I was offered additional compensation paid out over first year but concerned the annual increase will be less than the first year additional pay. If 15% increase reasonable for SA or only with promotion?

like

CW salary at FB/Meta within the Creative X group? I keep seeing posts for copywriter positions that require 6 years of experience so I’m assuming even though they call it copywriter it’s more in line with senior / ACD agency salary.

like

Hello fishbowl ! I am considering a move to the UK or Europe and wanted to know if anyone could share how the average salary for a Deloitte manager in Amsterdam compares with the UK? Trying to arm myself with some facts to help with planning and decision-making 😅Deloitte

like

What kind of work does Analyst - data science folks gets to work here at Accenture and what is the salary range and experience level required??

like

Hi all, just looking for a range, what should should someone with ~3YOE in consulting (targeting Senior Associate) expect for a base salary.

And when giving a range is it better to overshoot knowing they’ll bring it down?

like

Fishes need your help on decision making, of course it's a regular post,, got offer from accenture for team lead level 9 with fixed ctc of 17.45 LPA + 1.75 joining bonus + 27% variable pay. Is it ok to join to that level and CTC ??

YOE: 6.8
SKILL: SSIS
CTC: 13 LPA Fixed + 10% variable pay

I was just checking my salary slip on new payroll tool and found some interesting things.
There is some ex-gratia 3 amount ( less then rs. 500) and income tax deducted is more then last months (which is unusual as I have declared my fbp and IT declaration in oct only). Upon checking in IT statement found I got gift perk of around rs 4500 but it eas not added to my salary in account. Did anyone know where is this gift perk and how can I use this ?

like

What’s your hourly rate for web development and where are you located? If you’re able to share, I’d really appreciate it. My agency is trying to figure out how to strike a balance in quoting website projects. We’re based in New Orleans and are not looking to gather comp set data. We just need some validation.

like

What can I except in salary for EY Business Consulting SC in Tier 2 city? 6 YOE

like

Hello Fishes, I have 7 days for joining. please help me decide below

UST Global - 19 Fixed + 1 Variable + 1 Joining bonus

NTT Data - 16 Fixed + 2.2 variable

i can ask NTT to match the offer, if they match which is good to join??

Techstack - Backend engineer with Python, Django, DRF, SQL

YOE - 5 years

like

Does anyone know if this is normal? I joined a vault 100 firm in September last year. The firm put me on tier 7. In January I had the associate review and everything was normal. After a couple of weeks, I got the call from the hiring partner telling my bonus and new salary (because of the firm-wide salary increase). I realized I still get paid as a 7 year associate. The partner said because I joined the firm later in the year, it’s normal not to advance in the next year. Is it? Thanks!

like

1M net worth, 450k total comp, age 35, just paid off tons of student loans TONS, want to retire at 50. What’s the move?

like

@Amadeus @Netcracker @TCS @CTS What would be Hand Salary for 35LPA Fixed(Gratuity +Com Contribution to PF Included)??

What is M level salary for lateral hire in EY ?
Any tentative range its for tech consulting.

like

What s normally a signing bonus at KPMG?

like

Hey y’all, wanted to get some insight into an offer.

Director level sales role
250k OTE 60/40 split uncapped
325k stock 4 year vest (options) - pre IPO unicorn
10k sign on bonus

I’ve got about 8-9 years in enterprise sales /mgt

More Posts

अरे? दिवाली पार्टी में शराब परोसी जाएगी या नहीं? इस बारे में कोई विचार? 🙊

likefunny
like

Hi Fishes, PWC (SDC) is offering 7lpa (saying it's fixed) for Associate2 position Could someone please confirm how much pwc gives for associate position yea : 2 , i think i am being lowball current CTC : 4.5L

like

Hi team, Cgi is hiring for below skillsets: Senior java developer ( Java 8,11, spring boot, Cassandra, MQ, TSQL and cache )

Java and unix

Automation Test lead

Informatica, ETL, SQL

IOS, Swift, objective C

LDAP OSB, SQl

Forgerock IG product

Please dm me if you are interest in any of the above positions.

like

Hi, I joined bosch last week and didn't get any access or laptop for first week. So didn't fill the timesheet. What should i do now for the effort in first week?

like

Rakuten symphony Rakuten India Good organization to join for as PM?
I am currently in Publicis Sapient

like

Top SDRs oftentimes don't sound like traditional salespeople when cold calling. They use a very casual voice tone.

Here are a few tips:

1. Avoid upward inflections at the end of sentences. This makes it sound like everything you ask is a question
2. Slow down and eliminate buzzwords. Speaking fast makes you sound nervous and less confident
3. Avoid reading from a script - internalize your message and put it into your own works so you sound like YOU!

Thoughts? What are your top tips?

likesmarthelpful

What is tcs vpn name to connect via cisco anyConnect?

like

How difficult/easy was it for you to land your first job after receiving your Bachelors? What do you wish you did differently? What is something you are glad you did?

like

Any females for weekend casual meet ?

like

As it’s been getting colder I’ve been dabbling in soups. This is a brie and mushroom soup paired with balsamic onion & mushroom toast. It was super tasty and really hit the spot. It can also be used in place of cream of mushroom from a can in recipes if you’re looking for a different taste.

Post Photo
likeuplifting

Looking for ETL testing role. Can join in one month. Preferred location is pune. Total exp - 7.3 yrs Skills- Informatica, SQL, Unix Any referrals please suggest.

like

I forgot to wear a mask in my apartment building common area. Ran back upstairs to get it but nervous and paranoid that I’ve been exposed. Is there anything I can do but quarantine and wait a few days to get tested? So mad at myself right now

funnylike

Hi All! I'm starting a new job as a consultant working with a healthcare client, what advice do you have for a newbie like me? TIA

like

I applied for a position in KpMg uk and got call from KpMg Bangalore. Has someone routed my profile to India?

likefunny

Come on Bears we need a win!

likefunny

If you were 22 years old with $55k in cash and $14k in student loan debt what would you do?

like

healthcare promotion from EM to SM in your firm? trying to calibrate expectations....

like

Additional Posts in Salary Negotiations

What would everyone think would be a good salary for a senior manager of digital product and strategy for an established fintech company? Comparably has 179k base as the median. Recruiter mentioned 173 as their all in top.

like

Anyone working as a 2 years + lawyer for Fragomen in Canada can share their salaries and working advantages? (holidays, billable hours etc). Got an interview coming up and want to make sure not to under-sale my profile!

like

What jobs are currently paying 85k?

like

I finally got a raise (after 10 years) from 45k to 50k with less than 10k in incentives while others who are just starting at lower positions make more than me..I want to bring this up but don’t want to come off in a bad way considering they finally gave me a raise this year.

like

I'm working in the US under H1B, I got a chance to face an interview for another company. My current company started the PERM application also and results will be out within the next 3 months. Is it okay to transfer my H1B to a new company? Can my H1B transfer be denied? How long will my green card application delay if I move to a new company and start to apply for a green card from scratch?

like

Program Manager Healthcare Foundation $85,000. Worth it? Or too low?

like

Im currently going through industry change.
Im a pastry cook with 4yrs experience and the average salary start for this position is now at $22/hr here in vegas, especially in the strip. But cooking/baking is not my passion. So im changing into veterinary medicine and im seeing that the starting rate for a vet tech is around $16-18. Why is that?? Why are people in the vet med industry being paid so low?? Something needs to change. Labor of love aint enough for the people in this job.

like

Looking to understand the salary range for an executive level/managing account director at a large advertising agency.

like
like

What should be the appropriate salary range for the role of a product strategy analyst in Fintech in Toronto?
Ps - MBA grad from a top tier Canadian bschool, no prior industry exp. Have worked for 2 years on product strategy for a startup before getting an MBA.

like

Started a new job a year ago, high performer. My manager suggested a promotion to Product Manager since that‘s the work I’m doing, but that would be a 50% raise. Higher ups decided instead to make a “new role” (not PM), that has no analog in the company and is hard to price via Glassdoor, etc. I feel like this is to limit my promotion salary to something like 10% from where it currently is. Is there anything I can do? FWIW: I have a PhD from top 5 program and am working in that field. Thanks!

likehelpful

What's the best form of compensation to ask for and why?

My employers' CEO just announced that they just received $7 million from investors. He wants to use that money to offer incentives to employees that hussle and drive more revenue for the company. We're not sure what those incentives look like yet, but here are some post-announcement rumors from my co-workers:

Cash bonuses, raises, profit-sharing, company equity, 401k match, etc.

like

Got an offer for Sr. Financial Analyst for 85k & 10% annual bonus. What's a good counteroffer? I told the recruiter 95k-110k when I first interviewed. This position is 100% remote, headquartered in VA. I live in NYC. Have roughly 2 YOE.

Thanks.

like

I have an interview lined up for Autodesk US as an Data Engineer. Wanted to understand a bit more about salary structure and how company really is?. Autodesk

like

Hey guys, how much will be the salary range for a Environmental Engineer with less than 5 years experience.

like

What is a good salary for a director in NY?

like

Hey fishes, recently got an offer of 245k plus a bonus, but no specificity and at least 3% cost of living annual raise. My current job I make 150k plus a 20% bonus and an annual cost of living raise anywhere from 2-3.5%. Have been in my current position about a year. Things have been a bit bumpy (not a me issue) I have a new supervisor and was recently given 7 direct reports (I had zero before). The new position while comes with a significant raise is a move to California. Any thoughts?

like

In your past experience, how accurate have you found the ranges for positions on Glassdoor?

like

Congratulations!! You are getting that email, call and a meeting to announce the highest salary you have ever received in your career.

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal