Negotiation 101: Stop Writing, Start Talking

By now, you’ve probably heard about the scholar who had a tenure-track job offer rescinded after she tried negotiating on a number of terms. That incident has stoked a lot of talk on an important question: What’s the right way to go about negotiate an academic offer? We asked our experts to dole out some advice.

Given the hiring climate we’re in, what advice would you give to young academics on negotiating?

Do your research and pay attention to your environment because possibilities differ dramatically depending on an institution’s mission and resources. Use the interview process to collect data about teaching loads, resources, and other key information. Your future colleagues will want you to be successful and will typically offer you advice, especially if you are a junior person.

Begin by expressing gratitude for the opportunity and frame all requests in terms of how much you want to make the offer work.

Stop writing and start talking. It can be difficult to convey appropriate tone in email and the medium does not give us an opportunity to gauge if we are off-track in our requests.

Ask more questions. “My research on salaries in teaching-intensive four-year institutions indicates that most assistant professors are earning in the neighborhood of $65,000. Is that within the scope of possibility here?” or perhaps, “Every institution has different parameters when it comes to negotiating an offer. Can you tell me where there is wiggle room in your offer?”

While it’s common wisdom that you shouldn’t negotiate if you’re not prepared for the other party to walk away, we’ve almost never heard of that actually happening. Have you?

I polled several of our deans, and none had heard of an offer being rescinded in response to a counteroffer. Most said that if a counteroffer seemed excessive, they would repeat the original offer and let the candidate decide whether to continue the process. One dean noted that his reaction to an outrageous counteroffer from a senior person, who should know better, would be different than his reaction to one from a junior person, who might simply be naive about how things really work.

Here’s what other academics had to say in the Negotiation 101 series:

• David Evans: “Know Your Absolutes.”
• Gene Fant: “Be Reasonable, Be Transparent.”
• Paula M. Krebs: “Find Out What’s Really Negotiable.”
• Allison M. Vaillancourt: “Stop Writing, Start Talking.”
• Jonathan Rees: “At the Very Least, Negotiate Your Salary.”
• Rob Jenkins: “At a Community College, It’s Take It or Leave It.”
• Noliwe Rooks: “Women, Don’t Demur.”
• David Leonard: “Don’t Play the Game.”