for context i’ve been unemployed (happily) for 9 months. I really needed a long break after my last job as I had extreme burnout and was suffering mentally and physically because of it. so I took a good chunk of time to get my mental health better and enjoy some time off. for the last couple months though I have been applying to tons of jobs, and finally these last couple weeks i’ve finally gotten some interviews.
today, I got an offer email for a job that is similar to my last role in terms of the position itself (mid-level marketing position), but the company, fortunately, seems like a much better situation. the offer was also $30k more than I was making at my last place, so suffice to say I’m very pleased with the salary offered. buuut it’s also a hybrid role (3 days in office) when I had really wanted a fully remote job, and only 15 days pto (that includes sick time) which feels like the bare minimum.
I’ve heard that you’re kind of a chump if you just take a first offer, as they expect you to negotiate salary. so my question is, would I be stupid to just accept the salary as is without asking for more because it’s already more than I expected? or should I ask for a little more money just because they might do it? or, should I try to negotiate for more pto instead of more money? is that probably a lost cause?
I’ve only tried negotiating a salary upon job offer once before and it was not successful, so I have some fear about it. I don’t want to risk them withdrawing the offer or seeing me as a problem hire asking for a lot right from the start. especially considering the salary they’re offering is actually competitive within this industry.
any advice would be appreciated!