Counter offer for rate of pay

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 14, 2012

It depends on what type of position it is. If it is for a staff nurse job ... your only hope is to ask how that figure was determined. Are they properly counting your previous experience? etc. If there is no justification for an increased based on experience level, certifications, educational level, etc., then it is usually not possible to negotiate for a higher salary for a staff nurse position. If they pay you more than other people with the same experience and credentials as you, they will just make their current staff angry and risk causing more trouble than you are worth.

However ... if it is NOT a staff nurse position with an established payscale ... tell them that it would be a pay cut for you and ask them why they are offering so little. You might suggest that you would be satisfied with some other compensation in lieu of straight salary -- such as moving expenses, a guarantee that you will be funded for a national conference each year, your certification renewal, etc. Sometimes, employers find it easier to give you something like that rather than increase your salary. You can actually make out just as well with some of those benefits as they are not always taxed.

wooh, BSN, RN · Jun 15, 2012

It depends on what type of position it is. If it is for a staff nurse job ... your only hope is to ask how that figure was determined. Are they properly counting your previous experience? etc. If there is no justification for an increased based on experience level, certifications, educational level, etc., then it is usually not possible to negotiate for a higher salary for a staff nurse position. If they pay you more than other people with the same experience and credentials as you, they will just make their current staff angry and risk causing more trouble than you are worth.

Common misconception. I have a few coworkers that when they were hired, negotiated and got more, even though we have one of those x years experience equals y rate of pay. They have a power to tweak if they want to.

Unfortunately, I have no advice for OP because I have yet to master negotiation skills. I've never looked for a job until I was so desperate to leave the previous one that I'd go to work for minimum wage just to get out of where I'm at. (Doesn't put me in the best negotiating position.)

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Jun 15, 2012

I have not accepted the job yet and informed the HR department that I would need 96 hours to make a final decision.

I could hire a lot of nurses in 96 hours.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jun 15, 2012

So I was offered a position in another state yesterday, right outside DC (Virginia side) which is very exciting; however, their initial offer is less than what I am making now and the cost of living is slightly more where I am moving to. Can someone please offer me some advise as to how to go about submitting a counter offer, regarding the rate of pay to the HR department?
I have not accepted the job yet and informed the HR department that I would need 96 hours to make a final decision.
Some help would be great! Thanks

If it were me, I would simply state that I believe I have a great deal to offer as an employee and would very much like to accept the position but don't think that the salary as offered will allow that. After this diplomatic repartee, I would then frankly ask if the offer is the best they can do and if it is final. You need to be willing to walk away from things if you follow this tack and can't get what you need however.

As someone who has moved several times over the years, the other piece of advice I would give is that it almost always costs substantially more to relocate than you originally expected. Keep in mind that the WDC area has one of the highest costs of living of any metro area in the country.

Bottom line is that unless the new job offers something that your present job doesn't - more potential for advancement or better benefits for example - in my view, it would be to your disadvantage to put yourself in a worse financial position by accepting it.

Good luck with your decision and remember that this advice is worth every penny you paid for it.

caliotter3 · Jun 15, 2012

I have never come away from a relocation without substantial out of pocket expenses that were not covered by a relocation fee. I also agree that you should not put yourself in a worse position unless there are underlying reasons to make the move away from a better economic situation.

Eric Cartman · Jun 15, 2012

I could hire a lot of nurses in 96 hours.

I bet you could.

240zRN · Jun 15, 2012

I could hire a lot of nurses in 96 hours.

Garbage response.

Anyways,

Everyone has something to offer, and if you can't think of viable reasons why you should be payed more than the offered rate--then maybe the rate offered is adequate. It is my opinion, based on personal experience, that cost of living references to justify pay increases don't usually hold water in a job offer dollar negotiation; these kinds of supporting claims belong more to union/group worker disputes than they do in personal justifications in value. Negotiating is also better when you have an honest feeling that the employer (based on interview experience and other peripheral factors) has a great desire to hire Eric Cartman RN, rather than just an RN. For example, I was hired for a spanish speaking-*only* clinic that delt with migrant agriculture field workers in an remote area. Not only did I sense, during the interviewing process, that they desperately needed someone to fill the position, but they were also highly impressed with my Latino immigrant volunteer experience and my personal knowledge on that population (I am first generation born Mexican-American) with my mother and aunts/uncles coming to this country by way of agriculture work/citizenship contracts.

Even though I was a new grad in an applicant pool of experienced RNs i knew I had the upper hand. I was able to squeeze out 4 more dollars on top of the dollar offer because of this. In sum: try and gauge the employer's desire for you, if they truly want Eric Cartman, they will pay for Eric Cartman.

Lastly, if you feel like you're just "reaching," and can't solidly and professionally justify a pay increase aside from the bummed part of tough cost of living and not being able to buy that new 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 right out of the gate, you should probably just take what is offered.

Good Luck Bro!

Eric Cartman · Jun 15, 2012

Well I was able to negotiate, but not the base hourly rate. I was able to negotiate "X" amount of dollars in a lump sum, after working 90 days. I guess you could call it a sign on bonus, or relocation bonus. I accepted the position because it is on a unit that I would really like to work and money is not everything. Money certainly helps though.

Moral of my story, it's okay to try and negotiate compensation. It's a fine line between judging when to push a manager or recruiter harder for something you would like and knowing when to quit, or settle. I have never had to negotiate compensation with a nursing position before, but I have negotiated pay salaries in the past for other positions. That's is why I started this thread. If you are unsure of something ask questions. Also, it may helps others who are in similar situations as myself.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 15, 2012

Congratulations! That's been my experience, too. Hourly rates are not always negotiable unless you can justify it by having more experience, more credentials, special skills, etc. But I have been able to negotiate some "extras" over the years that added to my overall compensation even if they didn't increase my hourly rate.

I agree with you about money not being everything. I would much rather be happy in my work and making a little less ... than earning more while not being happy. I've been tryly unhappy in my job before -- and I don't want to go there ever again. Life is too short.