re: How does one go about negotiating salary?

D,

I think you know who this is,Kris. When you negotiate a salary a couple things are very important. In general 401k matching and healthcare are not flexible because they utilize qualified plans and all employees other than execs get the same. paid leave is very negotiable. you negotiate this by saying you want credit for years worked with your current company. For example if the new company has a policy of giving you 2 weeks for the first 5 years, 3 weeks in years 5-10, and 4 weeks thereafter, if you've been at work for 10+ years, you say you want credit for all that time, not just to start over. additionally, comp time is very negotiable. if you work a weekend, you take Monday off with your kid.

As to salary, it should be negotiated open ended on your part. you should throw out a range. if you really want to make 75k, you say based on my experience level and what I'm seeing in the market, I was expecting something in the range of 77K-95k. The bottom of the range should never be less than what you'd be willing to take, and the range should be broad. Ideally they comeback mid-range. worst case they come back bottom of the range.

Email me if you need more leverage.