THE POSITION
• Day-to-day tasks and responsibilities
• Degree of independence
• Opportunity to learn new skills
• Opportunity to apply academic preparation
• Access to mentors and professional role models
• Hours: both stated and expected
• Criteria used to evaluate you
• Personalities of supervisors/colleagues
• Opportunity for travel
• Pressure and pace of work
• Social signicance of position
• Fit of position with long term goals
• Transferability of skills
• Work/life balance
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
• Base salary
• Signing bonus
• Annual bonuses
• Sales commissions
• Annual or performance-based increases
• Medical/dental/vision benets
• Retirement plan
• Paid holidays/vacation/sick leave
• Life insurance
• Stock options
• Prot sharing
• Relocation expenses
• Professional development/educational benets
THE ORGANIZATION
• Quality of products and services
• Management style/quality
• Opportunity for advancement
• Reputation and image of company/protability
• Support of professional development
• Importance of your division/team to the company as a whole
• Company/organization culture
• New hire training
• Integrity/ethics/company values
• Growth potential
• Stability (nancial/market)
• Innovation and encouragement of new ideas
• Work environment (atmosphere/pace)
• Employee recognition
• How you are treated during the interview process
• How work is accomplished (team v. independent)
• How decisions are made (top-down v. collaborative, quick v.
drawn out)
LIFESTYLE
• Cost of living
• Proximity to family and friends
• Commuting distance/costs/trafc
• Recreational/cultural opportunities
• Employment opportunities for partner
• Proximity to graduate schools
• Weather
WAYS TO LEARN ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION AND
POSITION
• Obtain a written job description
• Speak with potential co-workers in the department
• Connect with alumni who work there
• Talk to faculty, classmates, and others in your network
who may be familiar with the organization
• Ask to see the workspace assigned to the position
• linkedin.com – company and employee proles
• glassdoor.com - company proles and reviews
When evaluating an offer, don’t just look at the salary. The benets package is also important. Evaluate the factors below by
researching the company, asking questions, and being observant during the interview process.
It’s important to consider aspects of the
compensation and benets package, beyond
monetary:
NEAR-MONETARY
• Benets
• Overtime pay
• Company car
• Cell phone/laptop/tablet
• Commuting expenses/parking
• Gym membership
• Relocation assistance
• Expense coverage (cell phone, mileage)
• Dental or optical insurance
• Training and education
• Childcare
• Discounts (to events, merchants, etc.)
• Freebies (event tickets, merchandise, etc.)
NONMONETARY
• Title
• Flexible start date
• Promised review dates
• Travel assignments
• Extra vacation time
• Flexible schedule
TIP: It is not ethical to accept a job offer while continuing your search for
another job or waiting for another company to offer you a better position.
If you need more time to make your decision, you can ask the employer
for an extension. Your career counselor is available to provide guidance on
how to handle delicate situations you may encounter during the offer and
negotiation process. For more information on ethical conduct during the job
search, please visit careerservices.calpoly.edu/content/student/ethics.
CAL POLY CAREER SERVICES | EVALUATING OFFERS
careerservices.calpoly.edu | 805-756-2501
DO:
• Come to the table with condence
• Start the process with positive comments regarding the
company and the position
• Know what you can deliver in tangible terms
• Understand your strengths and how you’re unique
• Practice the negotiation session
• Demonstrate exibility
• Gain an understanding of the company evaluation
process and future salary increases
• During the process, hear what is being “communicated”
not just what is being said.
• Be aware of body language and other subtle nonverbal
signals, both yours and the employers’
• Be sensitive to the goals, needs, and risks of the
employer
• Be realistic
DON’T:
• Accept a job offer on the spot; it’s acceptable to request
a few days to respond to the offer
• Use commitment words: always, must have, deal breaker,
never, won’t consider
• Make it personal by discussing what you can or can’t
afford and lifestyle goals
• Push the process too far; negotiating should not be
contentious
• Haggle
• Avoid negotiating because you are intimidated or you’re
“just grateful to have a job”
CONSIDER:
• Current demand for your expertise in the job market
• Urgency of the company to ll the position
• Size and nancial strength of the organization
• Company’s internal exibility to adjust salary
WHY NEGOTIATE?
Whether it is appropriate to negotiate salary for a given position depends on a number of factors: the size and culture of the
organization, how well the candidate ts the employer’s needs, how difcult the position is to ll, median salary for that position, and
cost of living in that geographic region.
In the corporate sector, some companies expect potential employees to negotiate for salary and benets and may be able to improve
their offer. Others will not have the exibility to negotiate, especially for entry-level positions. Be prepared for either situation.
In non-prot and government organizations, salaries and benets are usually more standardized, and the employer may not be able to
improve on the original offer. It is always appropriate to ask politely if there is exibility in the offer.
APPROACHING THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS
TIP: Some companies may not want to engage in
negotiation, but you can still explore and possibly
expand the offer by asking questions. Consider
inquiring “Where did the number come from?” or
“What did you count as my years of experience?” Be
more specic than, “Is that number negotiable?”
USEFUL WEBSITES:
• careerservices.calpoly.edu – Graduate Status
Report data on Cal Poly graduates’ starting
salaries
• wageproject.org – calculator to determine your
job worth
• salary.com - salary ranges by job title and
geographic location
• paycheckcity.com – tool to calculate your take-
home pay
• mappingyourfuture.com –tool to develop your
baseline personal budget
• payscale.com - cost of living comparisons
NEGOTIATING COMPENSATION
KNOW YOUR WORTH
It is your responsibility to articulate how and why you will
contribute to the employer’s goals and educate yourself
on salary ranges for your target positions. Talk to peers,
professors and people working in your eld. Use multiple
websites to benchmark salary ranges and determine your
budget/bottom line.
WHEN TO NEGOTIATE
The best time to negotiate is after an offer is made but before
you have accepted it. Ask for a summary of benets so you
have a full picture of your offer. Always wait for the interviewer/
employer to bring up the topic of compensation. Below are
some useful phrases for navigating this process.
Before an offer is made, avoid being the rst to state a salary:
While I’m excited about the position, it depends on the
offer. What does someone with my background and
experience you typically make in this position?
After an offer is made, continue to avoid being the rst to
state a salary:
I am seeking a salary that matches my experience.
Based on my research, someone with my education and
experience in this location makes between x and x with a
median salary of x.
I’ll consider any reasonable offer.
What do you typically offer well-qualied candidates?
TIP: Make an appointment with your career counselor to
practice the negotiation.
