Have you ever negotiated and declined a job offer because they would not/could not meet your salary requirements? Was the pay a surprise?

2016-10-26T14:24:51-04:00

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Oct 26 at 2016 2:26 PM

2016-10-26T14:26:18-04:00

yes. but i had another offer from another company that afternoon.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 26 at 2016 2:36 PM

2016-10-26T14:36:45-04:00

Interesting question that I never experienced until after I retired. I'm a soccer referee living 30 miles south of the Canadian border. So they don't have much for referees there and I was invited to do games. Oh, $35 Canadian per game and I have to pay for my travel, lodging, food, etc. In other words I pay to work for you. It reminded me of hearing from several past employees of their experience about outfits that didn't have a grip on what it takes to make ends meet and expect people to fawn all over them because they exist. In my transitioning mentoring sessions I'd have after office hours for, I'd really work hard to make sure the MIL understood the concept of total cost of living and what value their skillset has in the marketplace overall. Believe it or not, the best outfits tend to pay in the middle range, hang around much longer, understand the competition, and have a plan into the future.

Bottom line, you have to make sure your salary "requirement" is in the marketplace range. I see a lot of mid level MILs get out demanding the same (benefits adjusted) or more salary and then wonder why it's hard finding work.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2016 2:49 PM

2016-10-26T14:49:00-04:00

Yes I have. I had to make ends meet and what was offered to me wasn't going to cut it, I got a call back from the same company later that afternoon with a more reasonable offer.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2016 2:53 PM

2016-10-26T14:53:04-04:00

Yes. I had two job offers on the same day. Both were contract and even though one offered me more, I had to take the one that paid a little less since the contract was longer.

Response by Maj John Bell made Oct 26 at 2016 2:54 PM

2016-10-26T14:54:28-04:00

I had an offer to go into international security work with a phenomenal salary. I would have been management and would actually have very little requirement to travel. Problem is that they required me to move to either metropolitan DC or New York City. I stayed on the farm in Michigan for about 25% of the money. Its not about money for me. It about lifestyle. I am not an urban guy.

Response by LTJG Robert M. made Oct 26 at 2016 3:03 PM

2016-10-26T15:03:29-04:00

Yes absolutely, turned down 4 offers waiting on the right position

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Oct 26 at 2016 3:11 PM

2016-10-26T15:11:03-04:00

Yep, I've done this before. Was trying to work the same role at a different firm, and they could not match the salary requirements. It was a better company, but the work significantly increased but no pay.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Oct 26 at 2016 4:46 PM

2016-10-26T16:46:15-04:00

Yes, one reason I refuse to go through a headhunter unless they speak fluent English and know the firm they are representing well. Usually this can be determined by the first interview. We have a big issue in Information Technology from the H1b VISA side, low-balling their asking Salary and then once they are in they do not have the skills they said on their resume OR they attempt to get a raise each year and if they don't then they leave for another company and the company is back on the market looking again (get a lot of former refusal callbacks because of this but then it is too late for that company because I already have a job). Most HR departments know by this point this is happening some take advantage of it and bring in the lower priced person others hold out for the more experienced person and pay what they are asking or at least make a counter offer. So it is best if your in IT, as you get experienced, to know what your market salary is and stick with it as much as you can. Obviously, if your looking for a job in a deep recession you need to lower your Salary a little and not be stupid and loose your skills.

Response by SFC George Smith made Oct 26 at 2016 5:41 PM

2016-10-26T17:41:20-04:00

only once ... and got hired the next day at the competition at +10% of My Asking Price...

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2016 10:16 PM

2016-10-26T22:16:38-04:00

I went through a rigorous interview for this one position at a pretty reputable company, and then they came at me with a SAD compensation "package"... I declined by saying "No thanks." And nothing followed.

Response by MAJ Raúl Rovira made Oct 27 at 2016 1:49 AM

2016-10-27T01:49:58-04:00

I have. Some jobs are in an area that I enjoy. The bottom line is if I can't pay the bills and support the family I need to look somewhere else. In the end I get it, I am trying to get the most money from the job, and the employer is trying to get me for the least amount of money.

Response by SGT David Baker made Oct 27 at 2016 6:34 AM

2016-10-27T06:34:24-04:00

My first job after discharge, I took it knowing the pay was going to suck. However, I needed the little pay there was to keep me going while I looked for the "real" job. Took 2 or 3 months.

Response by SFC Chad Sowash made Oct 27 at 2016 9:59 AM

2016-10-27T09:59:13-04:00

Yes, it's a pretty frequent situation - especially when you start reaching the Senior Management ranks. It's very important to ask about starting salary up front and the flexibility when it comes to experience - make sure you read the job description very closely and align your work experience to the company needs. I have on several occasions be informed of a salary and then negotiated much higher dollars and/or bonus specifically due to the value I could provide to the organization - even outside the job description. Companies want top talent, so demonstrate you are that talent. I hope that helps.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Oct 27 at 2016 4:45 PM

2016-10-27T16:45:41-04:00

I had a job offer prior to retirement. Once the position was offered we moved to salary requirements. My first thing was to know if I was good enough to do the job they were hiring. When they threw the offer at me I almost choked. I am a reasonable man but what they were offering was ludacris...McDonalds managers make not too much less than that. I have a bachelors degree, and two masters degrees with multiple certifications above and beyond what they required. It was insulting and when I countered back they acted like used car salesmen. The job entailed me going downrange once a year in support of the contract for 30 days...normally not a big deal...however, that is why I retired to not have to do that anymore and stay at home. If they wanted me to go down range and use my expertise, then they were going to have to pay me for it. They also knew I was retired and let it slip that since I was retired they didn't need to pay me that much. That is when I got up and walked out and told them that my retirement was for services already rendered to the US and had nothing to do with their company. They were embarrassed and came out after me to come back in and negotiate but at that point, I didn't want to work for people with those type of processes. On top of that, I had more DoD certifications that the two Program Managers that interviewed me and later found out through a friend that they were afraid I was going to come in and take their jobs...didn't want them...just wanted to work.

Response by 1LT William Clardy made Oct 27 at 2016 5:59 PM

2016-10-27T17:59:00-04:00

As a matter of fact, yes.
It took a while, but I have overcome all the social conditioning I had for considering pay to be an impolite topic. Now, when I am talking with a recruiter, one of my first questions is "What salary range are we talking?" It makes no sense to waste 15 minutes talking about a job opportunity when the company's upper limit for what they'll pay is decisively below the market rate (or your current earnings).
On the flip side, it also makes no sense to waste the recruiter's time when you realize from the salary range that they want (and are willing to pay) for someone with a lot more usable experience than you have.