The WCC Job Market Team hosted an interview on negotiations. You can view the panelists’ responses in the video. See below for a summary of information, as well as further tips and notes from the unrecorded parts of the event.

Panelists:

• Joel Christensen (Brandeis University)

• Monica Cyrino (University of New Mexico)

• Nandini Pandey (Johns Hopkins University)

Moderators:

• Amy Pistone (Gonzaga University)

• Erika L. Weiberg (Duke University)

When, Who, and How of Negotiations

At what point in the job search can you negotiate, with whom, and how does the conversation take place?

WHEN: As soon as you get the offer, but not before.

WHO: The chair is the person you have the most access to; working with the chair is the best place to start. Power leans upward; chairs have less power than deans, deans less than provosts, and in some institutions, decisions are made at the provost level. Do not communicate with the search committee.

Note too that sometimes chairs are just caretakers, and it may be best to consult the person who signed the letter of offer. If you don’t know, you can always ask.

The bottom line is that the chair is a friend and ally, and because they steward the search, they want it to be successful.

HOW: Speak with the chair via phone or zoom, then follow up in writing in email, because all the negotiations channel upwards to the dean and provost.

PRO TIPS:

• By the time you get an offer, the ball is in your court.

• Get as much information as possible about the department, college, university.

• Do they have a union?

• Focus on your one big ask, rather than chase after many smaller requests.

• Come with a friendly attitude and a willingness to work with the chair! Remember that you both have an interest to maintain a positive, long-term working relationship.

What You Can Ask For

What can you ask for during negotiations?

Generally, a higher salary is more difficult to obtain, since it is a recurring expense. When you are asking for an increase in base salary, think about how you may want to justify the request. Some things to consider:

• Comparable salaries of scholars from similar institutions

• Cost of living differences

• If where you’re moving to will have employment opportunities for your spouse (note that if this is a make-or-break situation, you’ll have to mean it and follow through)

PRO TIP: Decisions at the dean’s level are made by considering the data, so gather what you can as part of your negotiation!

Beyond asking for a higher salary, you can ask for things in two basic categories:

• FINANCIAL SUPPORT: housing stipend; moving allowance; research funds; travel funding; summer funding; one-time signing bonus; start-up funds; conference/speaker/event funds; funds to cover the costs of training seminars, professional development, and/or career coaching.

• OTHER FORMS OF SUPPORT: course release; research assistant/student employee; funds to cover the costs of training seminars and professional development, career coaching; equipment, computers, access to databases, lifetime memberships to professional organizations; agreements in writing about particular service expectations.

PRO TIP: Be sure, for all negotiated items, to specify the time frame for the benefit and whether the funds will roll over and be available in the next fiscal year.

Non-Tenure-Track Positions

Can you negotiate if the position is non-tenure track?

NON-TENURE TRACK: Anyone who gets an offer of a job, even if just for a year, can ask for supplemental help. Remember, the department needs to be able to close the search successfully. Some things that non-tenure track personnel can ask:

Does the department have available resources (as opposed to monies from the college or university) to share, for example, for travel? Computer?

Ask for a specific course assignment that maximizes course preparation.

Support for developing new courses, study abroad, teaching initiatives.

PRO TIP: Every person needs to understand their worth. There is a tendency for women and persons of color to underestimate their worth and under-negotiate. Respect your worth.

Accommodations

When should you raise the need for accommodations around chronic illness or disability?

Not until you sign the job offer; deal directly with the institution’s office of Human Resources, not the chair, dean or provost.  Meet with HR after you are an employee, and HR will communicate the accommodation to your supervisor(s).

With that said, it’ll be beneficial to do some research about the range of accommodations available to you before accepting an offer, as they may differ depending on state and institution. HR may be able to point you towards the right resources.

Spousal Hires

Can you negotiate a position for your partner?

Lately it is becoming more rare for institutions to hire partners. Bring it up as part of the negotiation. This can be phrased as wanting to know what employment options are available for your partner, as you will be moving with them. Be ready with an up-to-date CV, and know what you’re specifically asking for (i.e., an academic post, a postdoc, a teaching position, which department they would work in, non-academic jobs within the institution, etc.). It may help to be flexible and open-minded about what your partner can do; instead of asking for a specific position, you may want to offer their skills and ask where they can be useful. It doesn’t hurt to ask, because there may be needs that you don’t know about.

FAQs

How long do I have to make a decision once I receive an offer?

Generally, the norm is 1-2 weeks. Note though that the back-and-forth nature of negotiations, as well as writing up revisions to the initial offer, can extend this time. If you receive an offer but still have campus visits scheduled with other institutions, you can request more time to honor those visits or even ask those institutions to pull up the timeline of your visit.

Is it possible to negotiate with your current institution even long after you’ve accepted an offer with them?

Negotiations with your current institution may be broached during promotions, after you’ve received awards, grants, or recognition, or if you require more support (i.e., course release, summer fund, increased pay, etc.) upon taking on more service responsibilities. Some tips when negotiating with your dean or provost include:

• Broaching the topic from a general perspective; perhaps bring up a recent article from the Chronicle of Higher Education and discuss from there.

• Having already built a friendly and positive relationship with your dean.

• Approaching negotiations on the basis of wanting to stay rather than threatening to leave.  

• Gathering data whenever possible, such as documenting service hours, collecting testimonies from your peers, recording when you’ve won awards.

• Coming with solutions rather than problems.

Why do failed searches happen? Do they occur during the negotiation process?

Failed searches can happen for a number of reasons, but they’re usually because of the institution and not you. Maybe the search was started too late, the faculty cannot agree on an aspect of the job search, or funding has been pulled. It is very unlikely that searches fail at the negotiation stage.