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Not everyone has the negotiating power to negotiate away terms they don't like.
by jonnycomputer 2y ago
Not everyone has the negotiating power to negotiate away terms they don't like.
- JohnFen 2y agoMaybe not, but it's something I've been doing since I was a junior dev. I've rarely had any pushback on it. Regardless, I suspect that most senior devs have quite a lot of negotiating power.
- jonnycomputer 2y agoGood to know. I suspect a lot of people don't even try.
- JohnFen 2y agoIt's shocking how many people don't even know that this is a thing that can be done in the first place. People often see the terms offered as a "take it or leave it" sort of deal. But it rarely is. The terms of employment are the opening offer of a contract negotiation. The worst thing making a counteroffer will get you is "no", not "we're withdrawing the employment offer". As my old business partner taught me, if you don't ask then the answer is automatically "no".
- falcolas 2y agoI know I've tried. And every time it was "just a standard part of the contract" and "not up for negotiation". Yes, they'd rather lose me as a candidate than offer a one-off contract change. A surprising number of places are like this - the perceived cost of maintaining a unique contract over the years is greater than the value provided by any possible engineer.
- ryandrake 2y agoEvery company I've ever worked for was totally unwilling to negotiate on IP assignment, open source work, moonlighting, and similar policy. I even tried the clever thing where you strike out parts you don't like, and it's always met with: "No. Here's the full employment agreement. Sign it unmodified or GTFO."