When should you think twice about salary negotiation?

Kate Lindsay, a 28-year-old writer in New York City, was elated when offered a position as an editor on the Rolling Stone magazine website in the spring of 2019. She worked at a women’s media website that often covered advice financial and salary negotiations.

“I felt like if I didn’t negotiate my deal, I would fail everything I learned as a woman,” she says. She emailed the magazine back asking for an additional $ 10,000 in base salary. It was the first time she had tried to negotiate.

After more than a week of silence, she said, she was asked to meet in person with one of the magazine’s human resources staff. She said he commented on how she asked for $ 10,000 instead of “squirming”, and told her there was “no room to move”. She accepted the original offer, but was told three days later that it had expired. The company gave the job to someone else. Ms. Lindsay felt penalized for her attempt to negotiate. Rolling Stone declined to comment on the negotiation.

Many millennials, and millennial women in particular, have internalized the idea that you should always negotiate your salary. But, as Ms. Lindsay has found, negotiation doesn’t always work – and can sometimes backfire on you. And now, during the pandemic, many young people think twice about getting a good deal in a tough economy.

HR experts say the answer isn’t to stop negotiating altogether. Instead, it’s worth considering things beyond your salary, going the extra mile to be collegial and enthusiastic, and realizing that taking an offer as presented every now and then is fine.