4 ms·

I think it depends on what type of person the company is looking for. If they are looking for a leader then they will respect you more if you bargain hard and m

by eweise 10y ago

I think it depends on what type of person the company is looking for. If they are looking for a leader then they will respect you more if you bargain hard and maximize your worth. If they're looking for an agreeable doormat, then they will like you more for compromising on your worth. I've found that management likes rank and file engineers to be doormats, easily compromising and agreeable. Imagine if they have to work hard at the bargaining table, they're also going to work hard trying to get you to work long hours and weekends.

huac 10y ago
Do you want to be treated like a doormat? If not, try again somewhere else.
- eweise 10y ago
  Exactly my point. Don't set the precedent at the bargaining table.
15155 10y ago
I can't think of a regular scenario where it would ever be positive to be in the doormat position. In my experience, companies you actually want to work for will turn away the doormats. I've actually spoken to a number of companies that have openly stated that they would not interview candidates that didn't request an amount greater than a certain dollar threshold (most recent one I can think of was >$160k base, Santa Monica). This is the "we want skilled, assertive people" ideology taken to its conclusion.
imron 10y ago
they have to work hard at the bargaining table, they're also going to work hard trying to get you to work long hours and weekends Good! My evenings and weekends are valuable to me and I want to work with people who value my time. If they self-filter because they're a bad place to work, all the better.
kelnos 10y ago
I just don't see the correlation, though. Your aptitude for being an engineering/technical leader need not be at all tied to your skill at negotiation. Those two things are very different skills. A place like HN should know that very well, as we often talk about the difference between soft skills and technical skills. Personally I'm not a hard negotiator (though I'm willing to walk away if my -- generally not super aggressive -- number isn't met), but I tend to move myself into technical leadership positions fairly quickly when joining a new org.

by eweise 10y ago

huac 10y ago

Do you want to be treated like a doormat? If not, try again somewhere else.

eweise 10y ago
Exactly my point. Don't set the precedent at the bargaining table.

15155 10y ago

I can't think of a regular scenario where it would ever be positive to be in the doormat position. In my experience, companies you actually want to work for will turn away the doormats. I've actually spoken to a number of companies that have openly stated that they would not interview candidates that didn't request an amount greater than a certain dollar threshold (most recent one I can think of was >$160k base, Santa Monica). This is the "we want skilled, assertive people" ideology taken to its conclusion.

imron 10y ago

they have to work hard at the bargaining table, they're also going to work hard trying to get you to work long hours and weekends Good! My evenings and weekends are valuable to me and I want to work with people who value my time. If they self-filter because they're a bad place to work, all the better.

kelnos 10y ago

I just don't see the correlation, though. Your aptitude for being an engineering/technical leader need not be at all tied to your skill at negotiation. Those two things are very different skills. A place like HN should know that very well, as we often talk about the difference between soft skills and technical skills. Personally I'm not a hard negotiator (though I'm willing to walk away if my -- generally not super aggressive -- number isn't met), but I tend to move myself into technical leadership positions fairly quickly when joining a new org.