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I recently graduated and am looking for a full-time position. I was interested in a small local start-up company and did some unpaid demo work for them to show them what I had to offer.

After the demo work they offered me a job in the company saying that they selected me over other candidates on the strength of my demo work.

The salary they offered is lower than what they usually offer candidates for that position with my education/experience (based on information from a friend working in a similar position in that company). I am worried that they may be offering a lowball offer because I showed so much enthusiasm and a willingness to do unpaid work for them. I am interested in the position, and would be happy working for less than what I've been told is their standard offer, but would like to negotiate a slightly higher salary than what they initially offered.

When faced with a lowball first offer, is it possible to negotiate without jeopardizing their offer, and if so, how should I approach the negotiation?

jmac
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zfetters
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    "I have a friend..." In payroll or HR? Do your research on GlassDoor or a similar site. $32K/year is not bad for a fresh college grad in some markets. In Manhattan, that would be pretty bad. In Cheyenne, it would be pretty good. – Wesley Long Jan 14 '14 at 06:15
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    Hey eclipse, and welcome to [workplace.se]! Could you please make an [edit] to clarify your question a bit more? You are being offered $32k for a job. You want to get closer to $50k. You want to know how to negotiate to $50k? You want to know what a fair salary should be for that job? You want to know whether it is worthwhile to take the low salary even though it isn't more than what you're making for the experience? If people can't understand what you're asking, it's hard to get good answers. An [edit] would help. Thanks in advance! – jmac Jan 14 '14 at 06:42
  • @wesley - He is a developer there, the company would probably still be considered a startup but is starting to grow quickly and needs to bring on more developers to handle the amount of work they have – zfetters Jan 14 '14 at 06:46
  • @jmac - sorry for the confusion, edited to make the question more clear, also thanks for the welcome – zfetters Jan 14 '14 at 06:46
  • @eclipse, thanks for the edit! Are you sure that $50k is for a similar position to what you're being offered? If the role is different, the same salary guidelines probably wouldn't apply. Also note that saying, "without losing the offer" isn't something anyone can guarantee -- you probably need to decide if you're willing to take the $32k, or willing to lose the job and negotiate up. – jmac Jan 14 '14 at 06:49
  • @jmac - Im sure the 50k is a similar position if not the same position i would have, also i realize theres no way to guarantee i won't lose the offer was just wondering what the best way to go about negotiating the offer would be? Also i should add that the CEO is who i am dealing with for the offer and he is based in another state so the offer was sent via email after interviewing with the CTO at the development office which is local to me – zfetters Jan 14 '14 at 06:52
  • Hey eclipse, sorry, last clarification here. You're sure the $50k is for someone of the same experience/ability that you have? Is the job type the same (not full time employee vs. contract employee, etc.)? Do you think that this offer was intentionally low because this was your first position, or do you think there may be a reason other than them trying to lowball you? – jmac Jan 14 '14 at 07:01
  • @jmac - From what i know the $50k is for someone without a lot of experience such as myself coming out of school. Im not sure if it was intentionally low because it is my first position or possibly because they know i am very interested in the job and went out of my way to produce demo work to show this (which they said was a big reason they offered me employment over other candidates). Overall the offer to me personally does seem fairly low, and I'm not even necessarily looking for the $50k, even around $40k would be good for me – zfetters Jan 14 '14 at 07:05
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    @eclipse, I made an [edit] to try to clarify what you've said in the comments and get you a better answer. If you think that I missed the point or that the question as I've edited it won't get you useful answers, please feel free to make an [edit] of your own to improve it. Good luck! – jmac Jan 14 '14 at 07:21
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    @jmac - looks perfectly fine to me, the more I've been reading up on the subject the more i feel like i should definitely be asking for more at this point I'm just not sure what the proper way to do so is or even what i should ask for initially – zfetters Jan 14 '14 at 07:25
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    While it can depend on where the company is located and what type of development you're doing, low to mid $30k range is definitely low for development, even for someone coming out of college who's demonstrated their ability to a company. I had a 6 month internship my senior year (back in 2008), and landed a job within 2 months of graduating making $52k starting. This is in the Midwest, where cost of living is fairly low. I'd say they're trying to low ball you. What type of development do they have you doing? – MattD Jan 14 '14 at 21:20
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    $32k seems insanely low for a college graduate of proven value, unless they are offering substantial equity. Otherwise I would keep looking. If you're desperate, then take the job and keep looking. You'll make more money if you are willing to move. – kevin cline Jan 16 '14 at 05:53

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