will and personal integrity should not be
sacrificed for what may be a modest short-
term gain.Value the Goodwill of Your
Colleagues-To-Be
In the long run, honesty about needs, goals,
and priorities is the best policy for salary
negotiations. The salary negotiator is often a
department chair or project leader who is
limited by institutional policy. This individ-
ual is strongly invested in recruiting the topapplicant and can intercede on behalf of the
candidate only if she knows the applicant’s
actual needs and priorities. If an applicant
would like to accept a job offer but cannot
because her partner has been unable to find a
job, the employer may be able to help. If the
applicant is enthusiastic about the job but
shell-shocked by property values, the
employer may be able to swing assistance.
However, an applicant should only make
special requests if she intends to accept the
offer if they are met.Accepting an Offer
When you have considered all the issues and
negotiated a good starting salary at a place
where you are eager to begin work, accept
the offer and don’t look back. The negotiation
process is idiosyncratic and never completely
fair. It is likely that you will learn that a col-
league at your level is making more money
than you. As long as you entered the negotia-
tion well-prepared and feel good about the
process and the outcome, you did well. ■188 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS II
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.