Help in Salary Negotiation for New Job Offer

[Millerstudentnurse]

Hello,

I am writing on behalf of my wife who got a verbal job offer from a regional hospital (near Tampa).

She got a low ball offer via phone this morning and was not too happy with the rate.

May I get some advice on how to proceed with the salary counter offer ? Can we do the counter offer via email or verbally (via phone) just like they told her ? Also how and when do we negotiate the benefits ?

Also what is the base salary of a new graduate RN with a BS degree here in our region ? What about nights and weekend differential ?

Once again, appreciate all the tips and advice you can give. More power to allnurses.com as we would not have gotten to where we are without your guys help and input ! :-)))

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

First be very glad she got a job offer at all. Most new grads are not getting job offers.

For Florida, new grad starting pay for a hospital is anywhere from about $17 - 23/hr, plus appropriate differentials. That is in a "good", pre-recession economy. Pay is higher in wealthier/more urban areas like WPB/Miami and lower in central Florida (excluding Orlando), panhandle florida and the rural areas. Right now, though, it is a employers market so pay rates will not be very competative. There are also rarily any increase for a BSN degree.

For some reason, you sound like you are coming from out of state. Most Florida nurses are well aware that Florida is one of the poorest paying states for nurses. The HR departments tell you that you get paid in sunshine, ignoring that "sunshine" is not acceptable currency for paying one's bills.

As a new grad (and even frequently for non new grads) there is generally NO negotiation of initial pay rate or benefits in Florida. Florida, being as you know, a right to work state, few places negotiate ANYTHING with a new grad unless, for some reason they were headhunted for the position. Now after they demonstrate skill and aptitude during a years work , more negotiation is possible. But a new grad (and, no, does not matter how good the school, how great the grades, whether they teched in nursing school or not) is rarely given options to negotiate, as they will require substantial orientation and an untried entity.

As a general rule for experienced nurses in Florida, unless it is a upper management /headhunted position, there are no negotiations for benefits packages at all. When she attends orientation, they generally give out a sheet with the options and rates on it and chooses what she wants.

Please review the literally hundreds to thousands of threads available on the topic. Florida was on the top of the list a few years ago on this BB as the salary Hall of Shame.

[Music in My Heart]

I'd recommend caution in trying to negotiate compensation. The hospital surely has many other qualified candidates that could be tapped in lieu of your wife.

In the present environment, any attempt at real negotiation may be hazardous. If I were to even consider such a thing (and when I received my very-low offer 6 weeks ago, I decided that it wasn't worth the risk of alienating them), I would begin with a nibbler like, "Is there any room for salary negotiations?"

It has been my experience in other professional settings that new-grad salaries are generally not negotiable.

My advice would be to simply accept the job and be very grateful for it. With a year or two of experience under her belt, she'll be in a position to negotiate for her next job.

[asfreeasabird]

I would agree be thankful you were offered a job. At our facility we have slightly reduced the amount we hire new graduates at, and each one of those new grads is thankful by accepting this job they will no longer be a new graduate. I have noticed we have been hiring from a wider geographical area than we used to, and for the first time my manager and team leader were looking at grades in the hiring process. Most companies have a set rate they hire new graduates at and this has very little negotiation room because almost all new graduates have the same amount of experience, none. You can start negotiating when you have something different such as certifications, or multiple years of experience. Hope this helps.

[NurseAnnie123]

The above two posts are excellent.

Here in TN, I would say that most facilities have a base rate for new grads that is non-negotiable. The ONLY time that a new grad might get a higher salary than the base would be if they had significant hospital experience as an LPN prior to achieving their RN degree. I don't think that benefits are ever negotiable, with the possible exception of upper management.

I would be very thankful that she got an offer at this time.

[destiny5]

Not much negotiating room with new grads. I would however tell her to pinpoint something on it that makes her an exceptional "new grad" and ask for $1 more an hour. They will not withdraw the offer because she wants more money, and they may meet her in the middle. Tell her to be confident and the HR person will let her know what they can do. I ALWAYS try to get more money and I always do. Most times they laugh and meet me in the middle. I also got more money as a new grad so it can be done. Most importantly, tell your wife to always see herself as valuable. I use to work in HR so tell her don't feel bad, most people get low ball offers.

[Blackheartednurse]

Threads like this really makes me upset..There are literally thousand of grads that would kill for a job and you want to negotiate...and how much experience do you have??? Are you bringing years of experience to your place of employment? Excuse me for saying that but you are starting from a scratch and you should be more humble in my opinion.What are you brining to to the table? Theory and little clinical experience... You can negotiate after establishing reputation through working in a hospital for a couple of years and after becoming an experience,marketable nurse..No wonder some grads have trouble finding jobs;;;being picky isnt worth it in today's economy so dont negotiate and be greatful that you were offered a job...and this come from a last years's grad who couldnt find it job for six months despite not being picky.

[elkpark]

I cannot think of a scenario in which a new grad (with nothing special/additional to offer) would be in a position to negotiate a higher salary rate. Basically, "a new grad is a new grad," and they cost hospitals lots of money to orient and train -- they are a financial burden to the hospital for the first year or so, and, from the hospital's perspective, they are doing new grads a favor by offering them jobs (and many hospitals have quit hiring new grads in the last few years, at least for the time being!)

The hospital/employer offered your wife their standard wage for a new grad RN -- from their point of view, if she doesn't like it, there are a kazillion more new grads, exactly as qualified as she is, who would be happy to take it, so they'll just move on to the next person on the list.

Also, you mentioned "negotiating" benefits. Most healthcare employers offer a package of benefits and that's what you get, take it or leave it. There is often a "flex" option that allows you to choose which choices you most want from a menu, and perhaps different levels of healthcare coverage (for which you pay more or less, and can choose which one best suits your needs), but the package is the package -- there's no "negotiation" about it.

Congrats to your wife for getting a job offer -- as others have pointed out, many, many new grads out there would be delighted to just get a job offer, regardless of salary. Best wishes ...

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I suspect that the OP is not getting the answers that he desired or expected.

I have to wonder why people go to school, but never actually research what the going pay rate is for their field, in their desired locale and what sort of negotiations are typically done, BEFORE they go to school or graduate and start job hunting. That would have helped with perspective in regard to job hunting.

And, I have seen new grads never hear from some HRs after attempting "negotiation", especially when they have unemployed nurses beating down the doors. But feel free to try, you might get a few more cents, or you might get the door. Which is important at this time?

When I worked in HR, I know that you would be seeing the door - the facility would not waste time negotiating with an easily replaceable GN with no track record. There was no good reason to, and plenty of reasons not to.

Negotiation is also much better and more effectively done when you have something to negotiate with, and GNs do not have that leeway. I did "negotiate" myself up after 9 monthes on the floor.

May I ask, why is not the involved wife not posting in her own right, what is her impression about the situation? And why the OP did not go to a very trustworthy source such as the wife's nursing instructors, etc. The instructors have a lot of inside info on pay rates for facilities in the area, and whether there is any negotiation is doable.

Nurses have to display some independence to be successful in job search and negotiation. Maybe "we" could step back and "she" could negotiate the job.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

why is it a "we" when it's her job?