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Any F in Minnesota?
My small bear paw is making small flowers 🥺🐾

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I say always negotiate. I never accept the first offer because there is usually always room for more. I say ask, the worst they can say is no. Best of luck to you.
Pro
Absolutely agree with you. Accepting the first offer feels like basically leaving free money on the table, and like you said, the absolute worst outcome is they say “no” and you’re exactly where you started.
I’ve made it a hard rule for myself: no matter how good the initial number feels in the moment (and trust me, sometimes it’s tempting to just say yes and be done), I always try and counter. Even if it’s just for a higher sign-on, more PTO, better shift differential, or remote flexibility. Feels like there’s almost always something they can move on.
Always negotiate. I received very fair experienced based salary offer. So I negotiated PTO Seniority Rank to correlate with my experience so I was not entering at base of PTO accrual. It was accepted. Always ask if offer is negotiable? If offer is market value & experienced based then negotiate the other benefits like paid time off, continuing education funds, etc...
Pro
Oh wow, that’s such a smart move—negotiating PTO seniority instead of salary when the pay was already fair. Genius! I bet a lot of people (including me until now) don’t even think to ask for that, but it’s huge. An extra week or two of vacation right out of the gate can easily be worth $5-10k in real value, plus you’re not stuck waiting years to hit the higher accrual tiers.
You have to show your value above and beyond if they are already at the top of their given range. Outline problems you’ll solve and how you will come in above average expectations. I’d also be flexible to a sign-on bonus or some additional benefit if the salary is truly at the cap.
Pro
Yeah, this is spot-on advice. I’ve been in that exact spot a couple times where the recruiter hits you with the “sorry, you’re already at the absolute top of the band for this level” line, and it feels like the conversation’s dead… but it really doesn’t have to be.