sympathetic colleague at the institution.
Some places, especially public universities,
have essentially non-negotiable salary scales
based on rank. An applicant need not waste
time negotiating salary there and should
focus instead on negotiable variables or a
higher starting rank. Some public universities
and many private ones have an X or scale
component of salary, distinguished from the
Y or off-scale component. The Y component is
usually negotiable.
Know the person empowered to negotiate
on behalf of the institution. This could be the
dean, the department chair, or someone else.
The applicant should seek to negotiate direct-
ly with the person making the offer, but it is
useful to know whether that person has the
sole authority to negotiate salary. Similarly in
companies, salary ranges may be set by direc-
tors or vice presidents, but group leaders
may have some freedom to negotiate.
The applicant should also learn the rules of
advancement. At some companies scientists
may expect to be promoted frequently, with
salary increase with each promotion. Others
base salary increases solely on productivity.
Some employers may offer a better title for
lower salary, but the applicant should beware
of a low-paid Assistant Director position at a
company that has 50 Ph.D. employees of
whom 30 are Assistant Directors.Don’t Be Rushed
The first offer is an opening bid. The salary
offer may be made in a one-on-one conversa-
tion, ending with, “What do you think about
that amount?” Unless the offer is generousbeyond the applicant’s wildest imaginings, it
is best not to respond immediately. It is
appropriate for the applicant to express
appreciation, and say, “I need a little time to
consider the offer [and/or] think about it in
light of my other offers [and/or] discuss it
with my partner.” Even if an applicant even-
tually accepts the offer, clear and calm-head-
ed consideration is preferable to a rush judg-
ment in a flush of flattery.Use Competing Offers
An applicant’s bargaining power is enhanced
by a tangible competing offer. It is appropri-
ate to let the prospective employer know
about the competition to give the prospective
employer the chance to sweeten their offer. It
is easier for an institution to justify a higher
salary to match a competing offer than to
make the case on merit alone.
Some high-salary offers from industry do
not influence negotiations with academic
departments because the jobs are not compa-
rable. Likewise, a top-rated academic depart-
ment may not respond to a more lucrative
offer from a less prestigious institution. An
applicant should provide competing offer
information to her first-choice employer
rather than to make an explicit demand that
the offer be matched.
An applicant should never exaggerate or
lie about the existence or value of competing
offers. The scientific community is like a
gossipy small town where everyone knows
everyone else’s business, and this will
inevitably come to light eventually. Some
employers will not respond to a competing
offer unless they see it written. Furthermore,
it is counterproductive to cultivate offers
merely to up the ante for the first-choice
offer, a practice which is almost always
transparent: the first-choice employer feels
manipulated and the second-choice employ-
er feels used. Long-term professional good-CHAPTER 6 • CAREER TRANSITION 187The best source of information
is a sympathetic colleague at
the institution.THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY