Congrats on the counter offer. It equals about $2000 extra per year - 50 weeks x 40 hours/wk x hourly salary.

Yay, Rae! You go, you big ol' negotiator, you!!

That's great! (I stil have your resume, and I am still pushing it, so... you never know!)

Oddly enough, here's an article on the same basic topic, which may be useful:
http://www.salary.com/Articles.....rt=par4399

Good for you, it must be a satisfying feeling to see they want to make this work!

Good work, YLF team. Such great advice and support. Best of luck, Rae.

If you do counter, make sure you do this in the best tone possible. Often in life, it's how you say something that really matters. Be sure you start the conversation to say how much you appreciate the offer and how excited you are at the prospect of working there. And then go from there. I agree it doesn't hurt to ask but make sure you are sounding grateful and not high maintenance. Good luck!

(On a side note, I totally get where Marley is coming from... at one point I made in the multiple 6 figures and now I wait on tables, no benefits. But I do have a really nice place to live with low cost of living so I am still grateful.)

ETA -- I must have missed that you already made the counter offer?

So happy to hear this all worked out for you! My mom once temped for 3 years at a company - I thought that was ludicrous and definitely not what temporary is supposed to mean. Of course, it's all a way to get around paying benefits and giving reviews and raises. Good move to join the permanent team, and with your negotiated extra $1 to boot!

Nice work countering. Women often are afraid to do this. I'd make sure they do a performance review in 6 months and reassess at that time. Congrats!

How fantastic, Rae!! Way to go with the counter offer! Congrats!

Thanks, everyone - as I sit here having a (relatively mild) reaction to an insect bite (a story for another day... going to the doctor soon!), the addition of benefits feels even more significant! It will also be nice to have some paid sick days and vacation days. I feel good about the way things went.

IK, thank you especially for passing on the resume - I definitely felt more confident negotiating with another lead available. And as you said, you never know what the future holds!

Hope you feel better quickly from that bite!

I'm just reading through loving everyone's sage advice, and wanted to add that I'm proud that you countered! I'm also really happy for you that they raised the offer - that $2000/year will always be useful

I just wanted to echo what everyone else said about the value of benefits - and if you two are fully covered by your DHs AND his job is secure (yeah, right, today!), obviously they're not so crucial. But the medical coverage alone is vital to have.

One major illness or accident can wipe out everything. (My DH broke his back working last year and at one point they tallied his medical expenses at $150K!!! Thank God it is covered under Worker's Comp, but accidents happen in our off-time too.)

If your coverage is better & cheaper than his you could use yours, etc.

Here's to recovering and deciding

Thanks, Sara! I saw the doctor yesterday afternoon, and he loaded me up with shots, pills, and potions... I hope that does it. -_-

It must have been scary when your DH was injured - I am glad the coverage helped you out! As for me, the hubs has great insurance, but he does not want to do that kind of work forever. It behooves both of us to take other avenues of insurance into account.

In other news, I am giving my notice today! Bittersweet, because I do love many of my coworkers, but that's the way the cookie crumbles - plus, I am only moving two blocks away.

Whoot! Congratulations, Rae! What a satisfying solution. So glad for you.

Aw, Rae! Sending healing thoughts your way as you recover from the allergic reaction!

I am SUPER EXCITED for you and your new opportunity! Way to go!

AWESOME! I'm so happy for you!

My husband and I own a small business and pay through the nose for basic small business insurance.

Ironically, "nose injuries" are not covered under our policy.
(Thank you! I'll be here all week! Tip your waitress!)

Way to go Rae - I am so glad to hear the way this turned out for you! Can't wait to hear about the new position and how you like it! Also, can't wait to see you in just a little over a week! Woo-Hoo!

Congrats Rae, this is something you've wanted for a long time.

I'm so glad that the base salary was raised due to your counteroffer.

Just to note...
Sometimes a company pays double what the position is worth to an agency and the employee they send because they do not have the manyear to hire a full time employee. They can also be let go at a moment's notice something which is much more difficult to do in theory than practice here in Canada.

Congratulations, Rae! I hope they appreciate you AND your fabulous style!

Hi Rae,
Congrats on your new Gig!

I was going to add (water under bridge now) that you can check out glassdoor.com to get a bead on what a fair salary is in your area for your job title...and sometimes at your company if it's large enough!

Congrats Rae! I am soo glad you made the counter-offer. You should always do that, just in case. I never did it in a hiring process, mainly because they always asked me how much I want ( good tactic for them) and just gave me that ( probably I was asking for too less). But I did a counteroffer at a semi-annual review. It was accepted. And once I got a very bad taste in my mouth when I was offered a raise after I told the boss I'll quit to focus on my dissertation thesis. ( I did stay six more moths because of that raise, before giving in to sleepless nights).
This is getting to long, but my 2c is don't be afraid to ask for money. Jobs salaries are rarely a meritocracy thing it's more demand and offer. Also, men are more bold in this regard. ( I blame society).
Also, a full position is better than temping! You'll grow to love paid vacations. I sure do!