Do not ask about salary too early in the interview, as that can make you seem only interested in yourself. However, it is perfectly fine to ask for information about benefits, though you’d be better off waiting until you are near the end of the interview. Read the interview and decide for yourself if it seems like you are a good fit for the job. Obviously, if it is clear you and the organization are not a match, asking about benefits is a waste of time for both of you. When you do feel like there is potential, though, asking about benefits is an easy way to lead into asking about salary without appearing greedy.
Benefits vary widely from company to company and should be considered when making a decision about a job offer. Base your choice on the total compensation package you are offered, not just the base salary. For example, in 2019, the average annual health insurance premiums for an individual were about $8,000 and about $20,000 for a family of four. Most companies ask employees to pay 25-50% of the premium as a co-pay. A co-pay reduces your salary dollar for dollar.
You should also factor retirement benefits into your decision about a position. Most organizations offer a 401(k) Retirement Plan. Under a 401(K), employees authorize a payroll deduction (typically 3-5% gross salary) and the employer matches some or all of that amount. A 401(k) is valuable as those deductions are tax-deferred; you pay no taxes on your contributions or investment gains until retirement. Besides retirement and health, benefits like vacation, childcare, and tuition are also important parts of your compensation.
If you do feel like it is okay to ask about salary, do so gently. Try saying something like, “Can you give me a sense of the salary range for this position?” As with everything else, you should research the salary ahead of time. Websites like Glassdoor can give you some sense of a company’s salaries, and many industry associations take annual salary surveys you can find online. Getting the employer to quote the salary first lets you make a counteroffer, one that’s based off your research. Emphasize that you want to work there but need a more competitive salary.
When thinking about your salary, you should also take the cost of living into account. Living in San Francisco or Manhattan can cost twice as much as living in Kansas City. There are many websites (like this one) that can help you compare the cost of living in various parts of the United States.
I say maybe you should not take the first offer from a company because it often depends on the size of the company you are negotiating with. A medium or large company (over 50 employees) will have established a competitive salary range. Your offer should be in that range. If you do some research and find that the offer is competitive, you might want to accept it without trying to negotiate. However, do not forget: benefts are extremely important to the total compensation package, and you should try to negotiate these if they are not in line with similar positions.
If you receive an offer from an organization of under 50 employees, the company might try to offer the lowest salary possible in order to keep their costs down. If that happens, you should point out that their offer is not competitive and try to negotiate a better total compensation package. Since the company has decided they want you, they should be willing to increase the offer. If, on the other hand, they are not willing to increase their offer, this will show you what type of managers they are.
How to Ask for More Money
Negotiating a salary is different than negotiating a one-time transaction. When you buy a car or a house, you will likely never see the person again. The seller’s incentive is to get as high a price as possible, while the buyer wants to pay as little as possible. If you pay too much, well, you can get angry, but that is the end of the transaction. However, once you are employed, you are expected to work for the good of the organization.
In any case, if you are ever in doubt, ask for help! A career counselor will have access to all kinds of job resources, and your family and friends might have some wisdom to offer you. I also recommend reading What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles, for some helpful rules for salary negotiations.