Quote:Well, to tell the truth, while my answer was "absolutely no," I'm not sure I'm right.   It depends on the situation, how bad you need the job, what type of job it is, your feel for what they expect in terms of negotiating, etc.   My answer was based on my personal experience and observation.   I've seen people who let pride stand in the way of making a rational, big-picture decision. 

 

But as I think about it, my answer ("absolutely not") may have been wrong.  If you're young, if your skills are in demand, if you think not negotiating would show the hiring manager that he's hiring a weak person, etc, etc.  And there are so many other factors. 

 

I never negotiated, and everything worked out well for me.  On the other hand, I have read that one reason women make less than men is because women are not as assertive in their salary demands.   You don't ask, you don't get.  

 

I guess it depends. 

 

Like most things in real life, an absolute answer is almost never right. As you stated, it depends. 

 

Believe me, I understand the perspective of "Don't get greedy, take what is offered" and "You are jeopardizing the offer if you try to negotiate." The reason why I raised the question was because I had gotten pretty much this self same advice (on both sides of the discussion) from other friends, former co-workers, professional job recruiters and so on. 

 

Regardless, I appreciate everyone's input.

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