Tips for Navigating the Job Market: Part IV Managing Job Offers

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Hello OMTers,

     Here's the final installment of the 'Tips for the Job Market' series. We hope that this series has been informative and valuable in helping you navigate the many hurdles of the job market. We would like to thank our four interviewees for taking the time to share their experiences and insights with us.

Best of luck to those of you on the job market and those who will be entering the market in the near future.

1.       Once you receive an offer, what do you do (after celebrating)? What are the key elements of the offer? Is there any room for negotiation?

SIMONA: Ask people you trust if the offer is fair. If it is, do not negotiate too much – these people will be your colleagues and you do not want to come across as demanding

ADAM: Obviously, the key elements of the offer are pay (including summer support), departmental resources (e.g. your research budget, teaching support, etc.), and teaching load.  There are other things to be sure, but my guess is for most people, those are three biggest.  There is room for negotiation.  Some places are more flexible than others.  But overall, if you have an interest in something, just ask.  I found no one begrudged me for making some demands beyond the initial offer. 

SHON: Key elements for negotiation: teaching load, courses to teach, salary, research budget, and office supplies (computer, software).

While some of these elements may not be open for negotiation, many others are. Be sure to hit on every item and have a justifiable reason why that is important for you. I asked for tips from micro-OB colleagues who taught negotiation at Cornell—they were very helpful. Remember, if you never ask, they’ll never offer it to you. You have very little leverage after signing the contract.

ALEXSIOS: Usually, there is some room for negotiation. How much room that is depends on the school and the constraints it might have, on how badly they want you, and on what other offers you have. Even if you aren’t able to increase your salary, you can negotiate your teaching load, research money, summer support, or getting a nicer office. Don’t push it too hard though. Those guys will be your colleagues and you want to be in good terms with them.

2.       How do you manage multiple job offers? What are some important considerations for deciding between multiple job offers?

SIMONA: Again, go where the best research is.

ADAM: For better or worse, I cannot answer that question!

SHON: I relied on advice from my advisors who had experience with multiple job offers. Important considerations include tenure clock (short or long), colleagues of the institution, research resources, geography, teaching load and whether you can stack your courses in one semester, etc.

ALEXSIOS: Different people have different priorities. You might decide based on salary, location, prestige of the school, family constraints. One important thing to consider is to compare how good the vibe is in the schools you got offers from, and how many and how good people there are to collaborate with or learn from. You might choose the school where the big-name, star professor you’ve always admired and cited is based, but remember that he/she might be too big or too busy to mentor you.

Managing multiple offers, remember that this is a small world. Be careful not to offend the school whose offer you reject. A rejection is never pleasant, but managed correctly will allow you not to burn any bridges. If they really liked you, they may invite you for presentations or short stays. And they probably liked you because there is overlap in research interests, which might materialize in collaborations and co-authorships even if you don’t accept their offer.