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oh my god this is my first time posting in corporate wasteland.. and i'm not feeling happy about it. there's a job fair tonight and i just finished prettifying my cv..

anyway, as some of you already know, i'm finishing my bachelor's this quarter (last week of march). as my first venture off into the 'real world', i have to start looking for a full time j-o-b to pay everything off, and to save for travel! plus, well.. i actually am interested in biomedical research.

let's say that i looked around on hotjobs and found that the average salary for a research associate I is X, with 0-2 years experience. X being an amount that i'm happy with. well, i've been doing undergraduate internships at two different institutions for the past half year so i think i have an advantage over someone who's just graduated that doesn't have much research experience (if any). thing is, there are people with masters degrees that apply for the same positions. guess it depends on luck. so me being a newly graduated cellular/molecular bio major with some research experience.. am i even in a position to negotiate? can anyone offer any tips for salary negotiations?

on the other hand, i've been offered a job at one of the places that i'm interning at (well, sort of. they said they'd know more after the budget meeting next week). does it change anything if they were the ones that trained me?

thanks!

quote:

am i even in a position to negotiate? can anyone offer any tips for salary negotiations?

on the other hand, i've been offered a job at one of the places that i'm interning at (well, sort of. they said they'd know more after the budget meeting next week). does it change anything if they were the ones that trained me?

Yes, you are always in a position to negotiate. And, though one company may be the ones who trained you, what they offer to pay still needs to be competitive with others.

They know this, but they also know this is new to you and you may scared/etc. to speak up. (totally normal, it is how alot of folks get out of college and stuck with low paying jobs, myself included) It is good that you know the salary range; when offered something, know the absolute minimum you are willing to work for (and make sure it is enough to live on and be able to save a bit), know what you would like, and know what your reach would be. DO NOT go lower than the minimum.

I am not great at negotiating...I have usually gotten what I asked for (or what they were offering was alot better than what I got paid). Other things to consider than just salary, however, are equally as important. Benefits (med, dental, vision, life insurance, disability), Vacation (holidays, sick days, etc.), tuition reimbursement, other perks (cell phone/discounts, fitness/health club)...they are key and are often forgotten when more money is thrown in the pictures. I would tend to go for better benefits with a little less salary (i.e. they pay 100% of coverage and I get paid X, or the other company that only pays 50% of health benefits and I get paid X+2K).

Medical research is in high demand. Get into a place, make sure they have tuition reimbursement, and have them pay for your masters.

It is scary, but you'll be awesome!

EDIT TO ADD: PLEASE proofread your resume and cover letters. I have received resumes, even for writing positions, where it is obvious it hasn't been proofread. (i.e. spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, word misuse, font change, misalignment) Have someone else look at it for these types of things. Your CV is your first impression, and will be the thing getting you in the door.

What Anniebanannie said is right, also remember that this is a negotiation. Also try for a little more than what want and work your way down from there. It's always difficult doing it for the first time, I know from first hand experience as well. If you're prospective employer agrees to your first offer, that means it was to low.

only three things to add:

try to negotiate vacation, even if is just time off without pay. it is not always possible, but definately worth a shot.

the second thing. since you mentioned the masters/no masters issue. be wary of working for a company where you will be working beneath people who have masters. regardless of how good you are, you may be limited in your progression until you have a masters as well.

finally, also be aware that if you work for the same company you intern with, it may also be more difficult for your career to progress, because many of the people will always think of you back on the level that you were when you first started with them.

thanks so much you guys! this is exactly what i need to hear about.