Does this work outside the US? In crappier markets it feels like there just ain't high money jobs. Like a US graduate engineer earns more than a 20ye ceo in other countries. Yeah I can negotiate another 10k but I ain't earning millions more over a decade.
It depends on the country and the company. For example, here in India:
- if you're negotiating with a US tech giant (FAANG, etc) from a position of strength (more than one offer, very good interview and past credentials), you can get away with almost anything, since they want great developers, and they don't mind paying above market. If you barely passed the interview, or you don't have a strong position, they'll just say take the offer or we won't go ahead.
- If you're negotiating with US-based startups or EU companies, then they might not want / be able to go very far with respect to salary (equity is doubly risky for the candidate if they aren't in the US), you can negotiate for great health insurance, more time off, fewer working hours, other benefits.
- If you're negotiating with Indian companies, they'll just hop on to the next candidate who passed the interview and is more desperate than you are. Most Indian companies tend to believe neither in fair wage, nor work life balance, so they won't negotiate properly on either. An employee is not just a replaceable cog, she cannot be allowed to exercise any sort of negotiation lest their current employees start getting ideas.
I negotiate but last move I only squeezed 5% and didn't want to lie about another offer. Timing another offer was not possible. Flipside I am getting some good experience that can lead to better work.
that's alright! a 5% is infinite times better than 0% ;) Will probably not make you a millionaire but it put you in a better position than without it.
I'd recommend not getting stressed about people getting a million% extra, if the story really is true they're outliers and there's a natural bias for those stories to surface faster (or there's more to the story).
In my case, as I've gained experience that percentage has increased, specially when prioritising good experience over just pay at the beginning.
Though I'm closer to the end of my career than the start and now at the point I'm maxxed out what I can earn and it is approx graduate salary in US but no cheaper COL.
I need to find how to pivot.
Don't want to be a manager though. Craft path (e.g. staff developer) feels thin at the top, I.e. musical chairs ... not enough seating for the demand!
Therefore giving up the working for someone else game it has to be.
