In some industries salary negotiation is almost expected (sales for instance), but I'm not sure how prevalent this is in this IT industry.
Is it typical in the software industry for software developers to counter salary offers made to them?
Edit: My previous question was closed, so I'm attempting to extract anything too localized from my question and reduce it down.
It is no different than any other industry.
Find a job you love and are passionate about. The money part will take care of itself when you do.
In my experience, whether or not people negotiate salaries is more a function of their personality, than their profession. Unless you're in a profession where the salaries are strictly controlled (e.g. some government jobs), you'll always find some horse-trading.
Sales people are probably well known for negotiating their salaries as, almost by definition, most of them have this personality.
Absolutely. I always ask for what I want, then when the company makes an offer I either get it or they low-ball. If they are low I counter and we work out something in the middle. Could be a salary compromise, or vacation time, or location, or whatever.
It's my understanding the negotiation is fairly common. It seems to be, at least.
As a potential employee in any field, you should be willing to negotiate any point in an offered contract if it's not to your satisfaction.
As a developer, you're ideally positioned to do so. You're a specialized, skilled employee. And, there's a built-in cost, usually in the five-figure range to turning down your counterproposal and jumping back into the pool of potential employees. You're a job applicant, not a job supplicant.
Any firm that's going to rescind an offer because you try to negotiate is a bad place to work anyway.
I think everyone should try to negotiate their salary (and possibly other benefits) when applying for a job, even if it's your very first one. Business is always business and if you know what you're capable of and what you can bring to the company, you really should try to let that show and take advantage of it.
When I was hired for my current job (software dev), my recruiter negotiated for me, and got me a couple more Gs than was initially offered.
I see no reason why you wouldn't try to negotiate. The question shouldn't be whether or not to do it, but how to do it.
I'm sure they will have a reason for the figure they came up with, and you should also. Be polite but also concrete with your counter offer, and give reason why you're worth it. The same as you when asking for a raise.
Mark
I think it is probably more common than in other industries because every person is hired on a "personal contract". there are generally no standard scales as you would have in many government jobs and some huge organizations.
I think that most companies low-ball intentionally, though with the current financial situation they may not be as flexible. But still, you should be allowed to at least try and reasonably negotiate any offer.
The simplest negotiation strategy is also the least confrontational; simply don't be the first party to put a number on the table.
If you put out the first number, you virtually guarantee that you will be making that or less. If they put out the first number, you can only go up.
An ex-manager of mine liked to say "Shy boys get nothing". If you don't ask, you don't get, and if you don't ask then you might spend your time at the new company kicking yourself for not asking.
Being a professional is all about getting paid what you think you're worth. The hiring company should deal with your request for a given salary in a professional manner - if they don't, then consider whether it's a place you want to work and consider how they're likely to deal with pay increases once you've started there.
Just be careful not to ask for a stupid amount of money, and remember that in this financial climate you're not likely to see anyone dishing out pots of gold. However, you might just get some other benefit (stock, one-off joining bonus) out of the discussion.
Good luck.
My wife recently quoted a business book she was reading: "You never get what you deserve, only what you demand." Yes, negotiate. Always. If you're expecting that you'll be noticed and rewarded after the fact, you're in for disappointment at best.
I think it is typical. If they are not interested, you probably never get to the negotiating phase. If you do get, add something (5-10 %) to what you think you should get and prepare to have answers ready when they ask you why you should get that much, and be willing to come down a bit, but not too much.
Some employers have a "standard scale" for the position in question and there's no negotiating. That's the exception, though, and not worth bothering with. You'll know it when you encounter it.
Otherwise, you should always negotiate. You should also put off negotiations until they've decided they want to hire you. There's no point until then, and after they've made the decision to hire they'll be more likely to pay what you're worth to them.