Ward writes:
I had two job interviews, two days apart. The one I am hoping to be hired with is the latter. At my first job interview I was immediately offered a job, but it does not meet with my salary requirement nor does it offer any benefits until after 60 days. How do I tell them I wish to wait until after my second interview without messing up the first interview?
The Career Doctor responds:
First, congratulations on moving forward with such success in your job search. I wish you continued good luck.
That said, let me offer a few pieces of advice about job-hunting and salary negotiation.
Job-seekers should always have an idea of the salary range for the jobs you are applying for — because you never want to apply for a job that pays below what you are currently making (unless you are making a drastic career change) nor jobs that pay well above your current salary (and level of expertise). So, I am assuming the salary offer was not totally unacceptable, but simply below what you had expected.
Now to your dilemma. First, you should never accept any job offer on the spot — always thank the employer for the offer, but ask for some time to review it before making a decision. Using this strategy allows you to stall for time if you have other potential offers in the pipeline, gives you a chance to review the entire offer (salary and benefits) at your leisure, and provides time for you to consider making a counterproposal if the offer is not quite acceptable to you.
So, in your situation, knowing you may have a better offer pending, I suggest you ask for some time to consider the offer. By the way, I would also ask for the complete offer in writing. I know some employers don’t like to do it, but job-seekers need to protect themselves — and be assured of all the benefits promised in the verbal offer.
If the second offer never comes, the next thing you need to decide is whether you want to continue job-hunting or whether the first offer is acceptable as is, or with some adjustments from a counterproposal.
If you do decide to make a counterproposal, be sure to follow the protocol — you have only one shot at negotiating, and make sure all your counterproposals are backed by research and facts (not personal pleas). And finally, a caveat: a small percentage of employers do not negotiate and will actually rescind the offer in a huff if you attempt to negotiate, so there are risks here.
Learn more about salary negotiation in the Quintessential Careers Salary Negotiation Tutorial. And learn more specifically about counteroffers in this article on Quintessential Careers: Job Offer Too Low? Use These Key Salary Negotiation Techniques to Write a Counter Proposal Letter.
