1. Salary Negotiation Interns, Co-ops, and Recent College Grads
IRA A. FULTON SCHOOLS OF ENGINEERING
Leading engineering discovery and innovative education for global impact on quality of life.
Salary Negotiation Interns, Co-ops, and Recent College Grads
Fulton Engineering Career Center

2. The Good News: At this career level, …
Employers have a good idea about pay:
Academic performance
Experience
Market conditions

3. On the job application
Employer may use a salary question on an application:
Salary requirement- how much you expect to get paid
Salary history- how much you were paid in the past
Responses:
Provide a wide salary range State “Flexible based on duties”
Provide your requirement State “Prefer to discuss in Interview”
State “competitive or Fair compensation” Give Salary History instead

4. In the interview
If asked about your desired salary during an interview, express:
Your interest in the opportunity
Your understanding to be paid in line with market conditions based on your experience (NICELY )
Your willingness to discuss salary in more detail once you and the company decide you’re the right person for the position (Again nicely)
If pressed for a response, provide a salary range based on your research

5. Negotiation: Basics Don’t negotiate until a written offer is made
Let the employer bring up salary first
Once you have had the opportunity to demonstrate your qualifications and know their needs, you are in a better situation to discuss your salary

6. Negotiation: Facts
Your best opportunity to negotiate is before you accept
If you do not negotiate, you may miss out on money on the table, so you lose out on compounding with future raises

7. Employer Expectations
Some employers:
have a set amount: regardless of differentiators
have a range matrix: based on qualifications and scores
Most employers:
are ethical with job offers
want to be competitive with offers
expect some level of negotiation
GPA gets so many points, Internship experience, so many points, etc.– may have overlooked a skill

8. The offer: First response
Once you have the job offer, you should do this:
Thank the interviewer for the offer
Express your interest in the company and the position
Ask clarifying questions about the position if you have any
Ask for time to evaluate the offer
Companies should not press you for an immediate response, but they also need to know if you are accepting it, so they can move to other qualified candidates before THE other candidates get other jobs!
How much time depending on timing
If you know you don’t want to work for them, thank them, express appreciation for the time they took and that you learned a lot about the company, but you are pursuing other opportunities more aligned with your interests. Tell them you would gladly tell your friends about positions.
If you need more time, how much more do you need; you may heavy into classes, but if you are waiting for your dream job, most companies know that when you say you need weeks of time that they aren’t YOUR dream job.
Ramifications for renege

9. And potential for growth
Assess the offer
Carefully consider the job from these perspectives: the position, the organization, the industry,
the location,
the pay ,
And potential for growth

10. Questions to ask What is the hiring salary range for the position?
What is the full salary range for the position as I gain experience?
How was my offer derived?
Was my <insert cool relevant specific skill / experience> considered?
Is there room to negotiate? (salary and/or bonus)
Can you tell me more about the total compensation package?
If salary cannot be negotiated, can more vacation time, relocation assistance and a signing bonus be considered?
Can you tell me when my salary will be evaluated again?
Can an earlier review be done with opportunity for salary increase?
Some employers can negotiate one time items that don’t add to your annual salary like relocation and signing bonuses- these may be taxed at a higher rate and may come with your commitment to stay a certain amount of time or have to pay them or a portion back

11. Counter Offer Have the conversation—or the first of TWO conversations
Sometimes the person you are speaking to is not the final authority
Do it on the phone
Write out what you are going to say so you don’t get nervous
Ask for clarifying documents if needed, like health care costs/coverage per plans
It is up to you to demonstrate why you are a value to the company and worth the added investment
Phone real time can ask questions more naturally; less delay; more personable
Less ideally is

12. Remember Through the process:
ethically sell your skills and experiences by connecting specifically how it is valuable to the company
Never make demands unless you are willing to walk away:
keep the tone conversational, not adversarial
Avoid multiple counter-offers:
after you have negotiated, accept it or decline it
If you do not plan to accept the offer, do not begin the process:
it is a waste of your time and the company’s time

13. FAQs Can I ask for more? Will they get mad?
Yes, you can, and no, they won’t
Be ready for NO

14. FAQs
I got an offer from Company A, but not sure about whether to accept or not.
Ask yourself, “What would make me turn this down?”
Answering this gives you direction on what you want: different position? Location? …?

15. FAQs I accepted an offer from Company A.
Can I interview with Company B?
No!
I interviewed with Company C before taking the offer with Company A. Now Company C has offered me a better option. What do I do?
Honor your commitment to Company A!

16. FAQs
I got an offer that I like, but is lower than another offer I have.
Contact the company and let them know:
You really like their company
Their pay is lower than another offer: and you need to tell them what you want in terms of pay
What’s the background?
Companies want to be competitive
What else should I know?
Be prepared for NO – but if they offer what you asked, you have to say YES
Location, industry, and other factors affect the offer

17. FAQs Where do I find information on salaries? Glassdoor
Fulton Schools Career Center website:
Friends and classmates

18. Note: At later career levels, …
Salary discussion is more complex:
Be prepared to talk salary right up front - imperative
Many more variables:
Experience: technical, leadership, management
Reputation of previous employers
Skills, and degree of experience applying them
Certifications and similar
Industry knowledge, and perception of leadership in industry
Client base …