Too Good To Be True?

Well, I got the call with the job offer yesterday. It wasn’t good.

Sure, I’d get full benefits, and I’d have a great boss in a fantastic work environment, but the salary is 30% below what I was earning a year ago. If I had known the salary would be that low (they didn’t divulge, and I didn’t ask since I had put my minimum salary requirement in my profile on their website – I figured when they called that the minimum requirement I put in my profile was in their range for this position), I never would have applied in the first place. I plan on countering with an offer of my own – namely, my minimum salary requirement. If they balk at that offer (and they probably will, given that it’s significantly higher than their offer), I’ll come back and volunteer to work reduced hours per week for that salary. I don’t know if that means I’ll get benefits, but it’s worth a shot at this point.

I’ve gone through various emotions after getting that call yesterday. Shock, disbelief, sadness, anger, bitterness, resentment, resignation, and determination – not always in that order.

I’m drafting up an email which I’ll send tomorrow evening so it’s the first thing they see on Monday morning. However, I don’t know whether I should email the woman with whom I interviewed who knows me and wants me for the position, or the HR rep that considers me to be just a name because we’ve never met, and has no vested interest in whether I accept the offer or not.

I’ve been scouring the ‘net trying to find samples of counter offer letters, but most that I’ve found relate to executives making six-figures who want perks like a company car, more company stock, or bigger bonuses. None relate to a little ol’ secretary who wants to be paid what she deserves given the fact that she has almost two decades of experience and knows more software than the average admin.