Hi all, I just got a job offer in the US but the office is vastly different than what I have selected as my top three office preferences. I do not like that city and want to negotiate that. So my questions are: 1) Do I have room to negotiate and who should I appeal it to? The Partner who I interviewed with or the HR/ or both? 2) How may I phrase my ask?
Thank you so much for letting me know.
Congrats on your offer! You should definitely clarify with HR, especially if you were never told about an office outside your preferences. Partners are rarely involved with the admin side of recruiting and so I wouldn't include them until you really need their involvement.
In terms of how to phrase your ask, I would 'play dumb' and ask subtly pointing out that you were suprised to be offered an office that you had not selected. It could just be an admin mistake or perhaps an office headcount constraint.
Good luck!
(edited)
Hi Jonathan,
Firstly, congrats on the offer. Barring the location issue you are almost there :). Feel happy.
Regarding the location, go back and negotiate if you must and feel strongly against the location i.e your life will turn upside down if they put you there. If you can compromise a bit and make things work long-term, then let it go. Its your personal choice so be true to your heart.
1. Your negotiation should be gentle and based on first understanding why they put you there. Approach the HR first, thank them for giving you the job, explain how excited you are but concerned about the location. Clarify and get all the inputs. On the flip side, you never know and there could be a bloody good career growth opportunity in the location they are placing you!
2. Provide 2-3 strong reasons on how this will put you in a difficult setup.Explain how being in the location of your choice, you can be more effective & valuable to the firm. Get HR's initial reaction to this. At this point HR may offer to speak to the partner or clear your way to speak to the partner. Dont be afraid to ask gently if this doesnt come up. Your tone should be humble and collaborative
3. Have some options in mind in case they don't budge e.g. can you transfer to a location of your choice in 6-12 months? If they dont budge at all, what are you willing to settle for? Are you willing to walk away from this job worst case?
This is my initial view but there can more to it. So feel free to buzz and share more context on your situation for a razor sharp advice.
Good luck.
Adi
Hi Jonathan,
In the first step I'd recommend to call (yes, calling, not emailing) your HR contact and inquire about this situation to ensure that this was actually intentional from the firm's side (and you are actually surprised by that). This will open the conversation without any threat to both of you.
Honestly I don't see a lot of potential for real negotiation, but in any case it's worth investigating. Arguments in your favor will circle around your personal connection and network in your 3 prioritized offices; whereas in the other office you are completely on your own (you can include your significant other in that conversation as well, if any).
Hope this helps - if so, please give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!
Robert
Hi Jonathan,
That's tough!
I would reach out to HR and just clarify the city. As politely as possible, ask why that city has been selected. Frame it as confusion/clarification given your selected offices were different...i.e. was there a glitch of some kind.
When they come back to you, then say "Is there any chance of interviewing in one of the selected offices? If not I totally understand"
If they still lock you into the same office, go through with the interviews, but once you have an offer in hand, ask to change.
Hi Ian, thanks for the reply! I hace upvoted the answer. I want to clarify that I have recieved the offer and has been assigned to an undesirable office. How may I react in this circumstance? Thank you.
Ah! apologies, I misread. I think you should call them up. Frame it mostly as a point of confusion. i.e. "I had selected office a,b,c. Just wanted to check if there's been a mistake?"
Then, from them realizing their mistake, see if they can put in one of the 3 offices of choice.
Given covid, you may be able to get around the issue and just work from home for a year!
Thanks Ian!
Hello Jonathan,
Congratulations on the offer!
I totally understand your dissatisfaction. You should HR in the first place to clarify why this city was chosen and whether there is an opportunity for a change.
Of course, you should be polite and calm. Ask if you can change for a preferred city or when it would be possible to do in the future.
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GB
Hi Jonathan,
You should of course try to reach out to your HR contact and try to clarify if you can change your office preference.
If no - take the offer and try to switch the office after you start working. It should not be that difficult within one country.
Best,
Anton
Hi Jonathan,
Congrats on your offer. In terms of your questions:
Best,
Francesco
Sometimes supply and demand are matched and other locations are offered by the HR team. Of course you can try to negotiate that. Reach out to HR to understand the background and tell them about your personal situation and your preference. Of course think through all possibilities beforehand to fully understand your options. Are you willing to turn the offer down in case they don't budge. Are you willing to delay your starting date if that should emerge as an option, etc. Only when you fully understand what you want and what you're willing to accept if your priority should not be on the table you can play the hand you've been dealt to the best.
