“You are in business for yourself. You just don’t know it
and most of you don’t act like it. I’ve hired dozens of engineers
and have had only a few negotiate AT ALL. Given the value of
compensation packages these days, it pays to get educated and to
negotiate. This is true even if you are happily and comfortably
employed or if you have ten good offers in hand. Never trust
headhunters, hiring managers, or human resources personnel to take
care of you. All have interests which are not perfectly aligned
with yours.”
“The only way to make sure you get what you want is to negotiate
for it. To negotiate, you need information. Go prepared to every
interview where you might be offered a job.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask ANY business question. If they hesitate
or refuse to answer, you have to assume the answer is bad or that
they don’t trust engineers. Either way, it’s not a good sign. Keep
looking. Just make sure you are asking the right person.”