My uncle told me to always negotiate salary, even for my first job out of college in Chicago.

I didn't listen and accepted the initial offer, but found out later the company had budgeted 15% more for the role, a mistake that cost me thousands.

3 comments

3 Comments

joelwells18d ago

Ever wonder why companies even have that extra budget set aside if they don't plan to just offer it up front? It's like they're testing you to see if you'll ask, and keeping the difference if you don't. That 15% isn't just one vacation, it's the raise your next job bases their offer on too. So you're actually losing money for years, not just once. Makes you question the whole starting salary game, doesn't it?

the_finley18d ago

Ugh, why do uncles always have to be right? So they basically had an extra pile of money with your name on it just sitting there, and you politely said "no thanks, I'm good." I mean, that's like finding out the vending machine gave you free chips but you walked away. That 15% is probably a whole vacation or like, a year of fancy coffee. Brutal lesson to learn.

julia_miller2411d ago

Wait, the next job bases their offer on your old salary? That's messed up. So if you lowball yourself once, you're stuck with lower pay forever? That's like a domino effect of lost money. No wonder people say to always negotiate.