Should I negotiate salary for entry level position?

Hello,

I don't have the offer yet ,but I told hiring manager that I am flexible on salary. He got back to me saying

"We would start you at $40k. After six month probation advance to $50k and up to $70 k in three years depending on your contribution to success of the company. "

This is a marine designer position, I am about to graduate with a masters in Ocean engineering. The job AD said "$50k -$70k". Internet search says the average salary for mechanical engineer 1 in that area is $50-55k.

• Should I negotiate ?
• How much should I ask for ?
• What's the most polite yet effective way to handle this?

 

The offer is not brilliant but could be classified as correct. As for the possible negotiation, you are the only one who knows you and you know what you can sell that interests your future employer. You could ask for a bonus depending on the fulfillment of your goals. Someone should clearly define each year what your goals are.
This is my opinion although I know that there are many factors that I do not know.

 

I don't know your negotiating leverage you have, but the best answer I've heard in similar situations was: I appreciate your offer and am excited to have a chance to work with you. I'm confident that I will quickly prove my value here - in fact, I'm so confident that I would ask for a 3 month probationary period with an advance to $50K at that time if you are happy with my work. I'm also confident I will contribute to the company's bottom line success and am happy with the increase to $70K, I simply ask that you review my salary increase on an annual basis. Thank you for this offer - I'm looking forward to it!

Good luck.

 

How many other job offers do you have? If you have six offers and this is the preferred one then you have some leverage, if you have zero other offers can you afford to walk away?

A probationary period is not uncommon, a year at reduced pay is a little, not insane but not normal either.

 

BKay, in my opinion, people do not get a salary based on what he promises to do but what it has already proven he can do. So, at the beginning, you can not demand much based on promises in the clouds.
Oh, and one very important thing, tea, your contractor should detail clearly how could be your professional development in the company.

 

As an employer for close to 40 years, I was amazed at times when an individual would come in an try to command a specific wage WHEN THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE doing a particular job.

We paid based on the CAPABILITY of the individual. If they were exceptional, they had raises quickly because the employee became valuable to us. If they were mediocre, with average value, then their increases reflected this ability. And if they did not contribute to the operation, we either did not bump them up or just asked them to move along. Over the years, this gave us a spectacular core of people who were focused on how well they could do a job, if they had to work through a lunch break, or push them selves to meet a deadline for a customer, they self inflicted the drive to succeed to the betterment of the company and themselves.

I often asked people who were under performers, who they worked for in performance interviews. All to often, perhaps too inexperienced, they would answer, "for you of course" Then I would start my standard presentation that they work for the customer. The customer is the provider of the cash, that pays the employees wage. I was merely the facilitator. Many times the light would come on and the employee bought into the program

If you do not have experience but only a piece of paper, you are unproven as to what you can provide.

Be aware that the employer might have different positions filled at maybe even lower than market condition salary levels, and you should not expect to be parachuted in at a higher than existing wage levels without proof of performance

You made a serious mistake telling the employer that you are flexible in salary. That left the door open to an offer perhaps below market conditions.

 

Saluary is performance oriented, so entry level positions are disadvantaged in this regard. Rather than attempting to negotiating a higher initial salary, you'll find it a better path to permit your new employer to discover your talents, at which point you have something to actually negotiate with.