Hi guys! I recently graduated with MS in CS and I am excited because I just received a job offer from a company I really like for an entry-level sw engineer position. The thing is that, although the salary is not my priority and I care way more about gaining experience, their offer unfortunately is way below of what I expected. Actually after I did some research I realized that, comparing to the average salary range for the entry-level sw engineering positions in my area (one of the most expensive areas in the US) supposedly [X - Y]$ (where X is the lowest average and Y the highest), their offer is 20% below X! I wouldnt have a problem accepting an offer around X but this one is even lower than the lowest. Can I counter offer the X which is 20% more than what they offered me but at the same time is the minimum average? -- And mind you that I didnt even take under consideration the fact that I hold a MS degree which in many cases yields to a 5-10% more pay.
How do you handle it? Accept or reject it.
I don't know where you got the idea that a degree means a fixed increase. Local supply and demand is what drives salary. What might be happening is other forces are at work (e.g., outsourcing). Did you take any economics as part of your degree?
I also don't know what survey you're referring to when you quote averages. They might be national aggregates, but that doesn't mean your local economy is a perfect representative of the sample results. Did you take any statistics as part of your degree?
No one can advise you here. It's very much a subjective choice, based on what you can afford to accept. We have no idea whether you'll be able to live on that amount of money, or if your ego is the only thing involved, or if you'll have better luck if you turn this down and wait for a better offer.
There are a lot more variables to consider here:
1) You may be looking at pre-recession salary figures. Entry level software engineers are going to find it tougher to find work, and you can expect the salaries to be lower than what you might otherwise believe.
2) How good is the experience? If you really like the place, and they have experienced people who can really teach you the ropes, IMO this job would be more attractive than a similar position which paid 20% more and had you work in isolation.
3) Do you have any on-the-job experience? If not, people who have at least internship experience are more attractive than you. If so, you might be justified in asking for a little more.
I personally would keep the counter-offering at a minimum unless you had another offer in this market. I wouldn't recommend that for someone with a lot of experience, but for an entry-level position with no work experience (even with a MS), I think that you should take it, if you think you can get quality on-the-job experience at this employer.
Your (potential) new employer's strategy is throwing out some poor vibes - but this happens a lot. You could go back with your research and say that x is a more valid salary for the position - they may well go for it.
On the other hand if the market is depressed you may have to choose between gaining the experience (which will get you a better paid position) at a lower salary than you hoped for and waiting to get paid.
Don't take the job with a bad attitude but work out that if you have to wait a month for another position, it could take months (5 or 6?) to make up for that lost pay even if you subsequently get x. By that point you will have the experience to take your case up again in any event.
If you like the look of the job take it - the money will work itself out along the line.
You should try and negotiate the salary if you are really interested in the position. The worst thing they can do is hold at their original offer.
Almost every time I have asked for more money during initial negotiations I have been successful.
It will definitely be easier to get more money up front than after you accept the position.