SpiderMonkey Posted October 27, 2006 Can you continue to negotiate salary after receiving a formal offer letter? Especially if the previous discussions only went as far as "here's a number but I can't answer one of your questions about other benefits"? Or will I just get two fingers if I broach the subject? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gfoot Posted October 27, 2006 Can you continue to negotiate salary after receiving a formal offer letter? Especially if the previous discussions only went as far as "here's a number but I can't answer one of your questions about other benefits"? Or will I just get two fingers if I broach the subject? You'll continue to negotiate salary for the rest of your career... I've got to add a disclaimer here that I'm not good at negotiating, so... YMMV. But I'd say, if you're really unhappy, don't accept the offer as it stands. If it's a case of changing your mind, it may reflect badly on you, but if you didn't commit at the interview, it should be no problem. Even if you did say "yes" at the interview, it's not official, especially if you can justify why you're changing your mind. A lot of this depends on how keen you are to get the job, and how much the company will value you (are you replaceable?) - if you're in a strong bargaining position you can be more cocky. If it's your first job, you'll also get a lot of experience in just a few months, and you'll be more valuable to other companies at that point - so maybe you can weather the storm and get a better offer a bit later on. Maybe a raise, maybe a different job. Since they've got to the stage of sending you a formal offer, they obviously do want to employ you, and they've already got an investment in doing so (background checks, interviews, etc). Unless hiring you was a really borderline decision, I'd say the worst that can happen is that they'll say "no" but the previous offer will still stand. When I was first employed, I asked for more than I was offered; they said "no", but met me halfway and promised a pay review after three months (which didn't actually happen until six months). This is really handy if it's your first job and they can't commit to a bigger number because of your lack of experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
n0wak Posted October 28, 2006 Can you continue to negotiate salary after receiving a formal offer letter? Yeah, why not? If you don't agree with their letter and you don't sign off on it, you can tell them as much. Formal or otherwise, it's still just an "offer" and until it is confirmed by both parties, it is not set in stone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
