Salary Offers not matching what I want

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:11 am

I am job hunting. I have spent quite a bit of time looking online for my field and geographic area to determine what an appropriate salary range is. I feel confident the range I am asking for is reasonable and reflects my capabilities.
But, I'm seeing some job postings that are listing salaries much lower. (Most are in range.) For the offers I have received, every one has come in too low. And not like a little too low and I should still consider, I mean so low it's almost insulting.

Do I just keep looking and trying? How can I tell if maybe I am being unreasonable?

mha3484

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:19 am

I have some suggestions but can you please first give some more information about what kind of position are you looking for? Small offices or larger more corporate style offices? Are there any benefits offered?

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:23 am

I'm a new graduate looking for my first full time position in accounting. I have two internships and an officer position in a student organization. I'm eligible to sit for my CPA right away and won't have to get a master's first, and I'm also pursuing my CMA.

I'm looking at both corporate, mid-size, as well as non-profit. (One internship is corporate tax, the other is nonprofit)

The averages I'm seeing online are 46k, 47k, and 52k. According to career services at my university, the average offers received by graduates are around 51k.

I am listing my desired range as 45-50.

mha3484

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:31 am

I work with people to find employment (I am a recruiter). I tell people frequently that salary is only one part of the package when you are job seeking. I have friends who have left jobs they really liked purely because someone else offered more money and they ended up being miserable.

When evaluating a job offer company culture, room for advancement and benefits are equally as important as salary. If all those match up then it may be worth going lower then your desired range.

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:37 am

mha3484 wrote:

I am not in a financial position to treat all of those factors as equal. For me, salary is important.

I wouldn't automatically turn something down if it was only a little low, like 42 or something. But 35? That's not feasible.

Cookiegirl

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:47 am

I am East Coast- I would agree, though, that $35K is a little low for entry level accounting as of now in the Midwest. I would suggest you focus your attention on large and mid-size national firms if you can, as they will have the best packages and the most competitive salaries. If you can hold out a little longer, it probably pays to continue trying- Audit Depts should be hiring now for year end, and if you are interested in Tax, hiring will start in January...

mha3484

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:55 am

We all have our own needs in terms of finances and I am not one to tell anyone else what to do just offering a perspective.

I will be a little open here and say that when I took my current position almost 3 years ago I was under market rate in terms of salary and did not have benefits available. I have gotten significant pay raises bli ayin hara as well as a benefits package to the tune of around 10k more then when I started.

My point on most employment threads that I comment on is just to make sure people are seeing the big picture.

I will also comment as someone who has worked in a variety of offices company culture to a frum person is extremely important. When I have interviewed for positions and the interviewer stresses that its a "fun" office I know its not for me. I dont want to party with my coworkers after work, I have a spouse and kids I want to go home to. My best job was where I was in my mid twenties and the youngest employee by about 10 years. It was a nice pleasant working environment but everyone went home to their familes at the end of the day.

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 10:03 am

amother wrote:

1. Negotiate
2. Non-salary benefits can be worth thousands, so make sure you take into consideration health insurance, number of vacation days, 401k match, possibility of bonuses, etc, when comparing companies.
3. It is far easier to get hired if you are currently employed. If there are no other offers, could you live on the lower salary for a year and then move on?

amother

Emerald

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 10:07 am

Are you looking at audit positions or private accounting? Audit will generally pay more for starting salaries than private accounting and they expect to hire employees straight out of college. It's a lot of hours but the experience will open a lot of doors.
You also mentioned that you don't need a Masters to sit for the CPA. I know in NY, since the CPA requires 150 hours most students get a masters. If it's the same where you are not having one puts you at a disadvantage.

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 11:19 am

amother wrote:

It is also 150 hours here. Most graduating with their bachelor's still have to pursue a master's before they can sit for the exam. I mentioned it because the employers seem to be pleased when I tell them I'm eligible to sit for it right away.

- edited to add: I'm not looking at audit, tax, or even public firms. I'm very into cost and operations. I understand a lot of the higher offers come from that realm, so I fully expect to get closer to the low end of my range. I also recognize it's a bit of a challenge since some of the positions want someone who has the two year public experience.

amother

Yellow

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 4:36 pm

amother wrote:

large public accounting firms serve as 'training centers' for jobs in industry (which is what you are looking for). You may need to bite the bullet and work in public for a couple of years before moving to an industry job. You look like you are looking for a controller type position... but are being offered a bookkeeper salary.

amother

Emerald

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 6:12 pm

amother wrote:

Agreed. Audit is hard work but worth it. Even a year will make a big difference on your resume.

amother

Periwinkle

Fri, Dec 01 2017, 9:53 am

amother wrote:

I am trying to be careful that I'm applying for entry-level positions, but I will admit I tend to be grandiose in my excitement. At a career fair, I had a recruiter (politely) knock me down a peg. I'm trying hard to be aware of that in my answers now.

As a mini-update. I had coffee with a very nice recruiter this morning. I was shying away from that route, but a friend in finance convinced me to try it. I was open with her about how my salary range might be too high because I'm not going the traditional audit/tax route. She said she felt the range was very reasonable, but admitted it may take longer to find what I want.
She also gave me some advice on what to look for in job postings to help narrow my search.

amother

Beige

Fri, Dec 01 2017, 11:06 am

I am straight out of grad school, and underpaid, but in a very frum friendly office, very flexible hours, flexible about taking off, amazing work experience, very nice boss, and it was definitely worth it for me to take this job, although at first I was busy with the money. I think it was a very worthwhile sacrifice. I wouldn’t be getting what I am here, somewhere else. Money is not everything when it comes to a career. The experience I’m getting now will hopefully allow me to work for myself one day - and that would be more lucrative Than any other job I’d get now.