# Have I been made a fair offer?



## Afterflood (20 Oct 2009)

Hello all,

I have been offered a job as R & D Engineer with a major pharma company.

I have an engineering degree and almost 10 years exprerience in the medical device / pharma field.

They seem like a good company and appeared keen to get me on board.

I was very dissapointed when they made me an offer though - EUR70k a year and a bright future etc.

Maybe I am out of touch (have been working out of country) but I felt that I would be offered something much closer to 100k.

I am not sure whether to take offer or look elsewhere.

I would appreciate if anyone has advice regarding accurate survets etc where I can learn what people in similar positions earn.

Thank you.


----------



## Pique318 (20 Oct 2009)

What colour is the sky on your planet ? Offered a job at 70k and you're wondering if it's fair ? Please! Have you been living under a rock for the last 18 months ? Grab it with both hands, or send me the details.
Surveys are useless as they are all at least 2 years old (any of the ones I've seen are anyway). If you turn it down, there will be someone else waiting in line to take it up. This is no time to play with a hiring company. They have much more choice that you do.


----------



## monascribe18 (20 Oct 2009)

Half a loaf is better than no bread,unless you want to sign on the dole


----------



## Guest122 (20 Oct 2009)

Why not take the job, and keep looking for another as well. If a better offer comes along - happy days.  If not at least you have a job - even if it only pays a "mere €70k/anm".


----------



## Deas (20 Oct 2009)

It may well have been €100k two years ago. €70k for the job you describe in the current market is very fair. In terms of people in similar roles, they may well be earning what you expect; but remember they may also have been there some time.


----------



## dtlyn (20 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I have been offered a job as R & D Engineer with a major pharma company.
> 
> ...




My opinion is that if you feel that you are worth 100k and the Pharma company feel you will bring 100k of value, then there should be no problem. So either they've pitched low and are expecting to you to come back to them or you have not conveyed your 100k of value. 

I think looking at people in similar positions is a waste of time. Each negotiation is between employer and employee and will have it's own circumstances.


----------



## Guest116 (20 Oct 2009)

I cant say I am 100% up on salary levels in your industry but 70k for a senior engineering but non-management role sounds about right and even a bit on the high side.

If this was in a senior management position with a number of direct reports then you would command nearer to the 100k mark or more.

Depends on the role and responsibilities.


----------



## batty (20 Oct 2009)

So you're about 31/32 and you think 70k is too low?

Friend for similar position was recently offered 80K - difference is she has 20 years experience.  She grabbed it.


----------



## legend (20 Oct 2009)

in the business myself and v good offer actually the cost to the company is prob close to 100k when you factor in Prsi, VHI, annual bonus, you prob have a susidised canteen, parking, life assurance, pension contributions, avc's, share scheme, need i go on, madness not to accept....


----------



## Jewel (20 Oct 2009)

Yes, it's a fair offer. 
Assuming it's a non-managemenet role (you make no reference to direct reports in your post). 

What makes you think it's low? Where are you comparing it with? i.e. what country?


----------



## Diziet (20 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I have been offered a job as R & D Engineer with a major pharma company.
> 
> ...



With respect, you are very much out of touch. Do look of course, but you may find other offers (if they materialise) to be significantly lower. You may also find that it takes a very long time to get another offer.

Two reasons: lots of supply and companies are just not recruiting as much. I also have an engineering background with 20 years experience. For the first time in my career my current job is at a much lower salary than the previous one. This is also the experience of colleagues. If you google for salary surveys you will find some comparative data (I think Hays recruitment did one recently). It supports my experience that the market is far more restrained that in the past few years.


----------



## Afterflood (21 Oct 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I will take job and plan on making a significant contribution and then look for significant increase. 
To be honest I dont know how people survie on 70k. 
I will have to improve at managing money i guess.


----------



## musicfan (21 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> To be honest I dont know how people survie on 70k.
> I will have to improve at managing money i guess.


 
Can't wait to see the reaction to this comment!  The majority of people in this country are surviving on much less than this and can manage.

Is is just yourself who will be living on 70K or do a have a partner / kids to support.  Even still, I know couples with kids who survive on half of this........


----------



## Guest116 (21 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> To be honest I dont know how people survie on 70k.
> I will have to improve at managing money i guess.


 
You must be joking, right?


----------



## demoivre (21 Oct 2009)

Whether it's a fair offer and whether one can sustain a particular lifestyle on that offer are two different things. Unless you are familiar with the salaries of    R & D Engineers in the pharma sector I don't see how you can comment on the former and if you don't know the op I don't see how you can comment on the latter !


----------



## jhegarty (21 Oct 2009)

Take the offer now.

And once things start to recover start to sniff around / re-negotiate.


----------



## Luckycharm (21 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> Thanks for the advice. I will take job and plan on making a significant contribution and then look for significant increase.
> *To be honest I dont know how people survie on 70k*.
> I will have to improve at managing money i guess.


 
You must have champagne and caviar every night - are you a real life Ross O'Carroll Kelly


----------



## Afterflood (23 Oct 2009)

Thanks for the advice.

I spoke with HR and gave the lady a piece of my mind.

She says that they cant increase the offer but that there will be a review next Feb and I could expect a 4 or 5% increase.

This has left me more depressed. a 4% increase, where is the incentive to work?!! I have my doubts about this crowd.


----------



## Deas (23 Oct 2009)

Are you trolling?  There are people here with industry experience genuinely giving you best advice and your responses don't seem to acknowledge this.


----------



## Complainer (23 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> I spoke with HR and gave the lady a piece of my mind.
> 
> ...


You should definitely hold out for a €100k offer. They clearly don't appreciate your talents. I'm sure there will be a long queue at your door of HR people just waiting to get you on board. Sure the €70k that you'd have earned while looking for your €100k job is just peanuts.


----------



## Guest116 (23 Oct 2009)

What kind of salaries had you been earning previously and in what locations\countries?


----------



## SparkRite (23 Oct 2009)

Complainer said:


> You should definitely hold out for a €100k offer. They clearly don't appreciate your talents. I'm sure there will be a long queue at your door of HR people just waiting to get you on board. Sure the €70k that you'd have earned while looking for your €100k job is just peanuts.


 

Couldn't agree more!

It's hardly worth getting out of bed for less than 2,000 a week.
And what's worse, is that they would probably expect you to come in 5 days a week. Bloody slave drivers, what a cheek!!


----------



## clk230 (23 Oct 2009)

I wouldn't get out of bed for €100K, I would hold off...either that or look for a  6month review which would bring you closer to the salary you expect...

If you feel you're worth it, why short change yourself? I wouldn't.


----------



## Guest116 (23 Oct 2009)

clk230 said:


> I wouldn't get out of bed for €100K, I would hold off...either that or look for a 6month review which would bring you closer to the salary you expect...
> 
> If you feel you're worth it, why short change yourself? I wouldn't.


 
Clearly the OP logged in as another user


----------



## camel (23 Oct 2009)

aristotle25 said:


> Clearly the OP logged in as another user


Clearly a troll. Don't get sucked in...


----------



## thesimpsons (24 Oct 2009)

Afterflood said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> I spoke with HR and gave the lady a piece of my mind.
> 
> ...


 


ha, I needed a laugh tonight - just got it.   Tks


----------



## John Rambo (24 Oct 2009)

Not a bad effort at trolling...you got a few people to fall for it hook, line and sinker


----------



## Afterflood (25 Oct 2009)

I dont even know what trolling is. I am 100% genuine. I do appreciate the advice but I am genuinely dissapointed with the offer made to me. 70k seems like a pittance to me. Im sorry if i upset people with this view.


----------



## yram (25 Oct 2009)

Are you saying that for your education and experience 70K is not enough?

Fair enough I guess - but as people have said already, in the current climate the company obviously A) do not think you are worth 100k or B) are giving you the market value of what they think that role is worth.

So, you are either grossly over valuing yourself or they are grossly under valuing the role. And these days, its an employers market - you are not the only one out there now with 10+ years experience and degrees/masters/PhDs.

I think some of the problem here is that you are making wild statements and not backing them up - hence people taking you for a troll.

Why would 70K not be enough to live on? If you do have such a lavish life style, would the difference of 30K really make much of a difference?


----------



## micmclo (27 Oct 2009)

70k is an insult!

I'd march into the HR office and slap the manager across the face 
And demand a decent offer for your many skills

So definitly hold out for 100k and let some sucker who needs a job and has 10 years experience takes this one


----------

