The title is the question given by my ex-boss when I told him that I’ll move to a new office. Yeah, this is unusual thing that you can tell your ex-boss that you are going to move from his office—well, I’ve ‘gone’ from his office about four months ago and keep in touch with him and everybody else there.
Yes, I was very lucky when I get an open minded person as my boss. He supports me to get something better for my life, including accepted my reasons why I can’t stay longer @ his office. [Well, I won’t tell you why. We’re not talking about those reasons here now.]
Before I leave, I promise to keep him posted to the thing about my career progress, due to his willing to see me back to his office. One day after I get the call from my office-to-be about the salary-thing, I told him that I probably passed the last interview test and now on salary bargaining session.
“It depends to the job,” I answered his question above.
Yup. When I worked as freelancer (for such creative work), I mostly get per hour or per day payment, or per project. When I worked for office as staff, they gave me the salary based on their institution rule.
I was about to discuss how much the salary I should ask to this new-office-to-be when he gave me references. He asked some of his colleagues who works at NGO about the salary [see, how kind he is to his ex-staff?].
New Thing
“Is it possible to inform us about the salary you wish?” These words came out from my new boss when we were doing such bargaining. This is the time when my confusing-confused begin.
For me, being asked by a person to join his/her institution is one thing; and being asked for the salary you wish from the institution you will join is another thing. I was working for about six years. The last two years was professional works (means that the institutions pay me for what I’m doing), while the others are for voluntary—just like the works I did for some student organizations in campus.
For those professional works, I’ve never knew how much the institutions pay me until I get my first payment. Yup, never do salary bargaining. What I did before I work for the institution is asking the workfield or the job descriptions. Then if I’m interested in it, I’ll join without knowing how much they will gonna pay me.
Why? The fact that they will pay me during/after the job is enough for student like me. Experience is all I’m looking for. But unfortunately then, that drives me to a thought that “I will never value myself for a job until I get my university certificate!” Under my consciousness, I’m creating big mistake!
That’s why I was very confused when my new office call me for such salary bargaining. What to say? How to ask? Which to choose?
I had about three days to think about that salary before I tell them. For that, I asked some friends and family for consideration. A friend gave me this formula:
- Calculate how much you pay for your daily meal (I eat three times a day with different kind of price—it’s rather difficult to count).
- Calculate how much money you need for your daily transportation cost from home to the office, vice versa.
- Then multiple it to 25 workdays. The result would be the lowest payment you should ask.
- Moreover, remember to think about other payment, such as your energy, communication cost, your entertainment, and your bank account deposit for future/sudden needs this is the hardest count to make.
Other friend who works in Jakarta and ever worked in Yogyakarta said that the lower salary for Yogyakarta is about 1,5 - 2 million rupiahs. It is equal to 3,5 - 4,5 million when you live in Jakarta. When you get these numbers, you would never be a wealthy one, but it is really enough to live by yourself with no more monthly session of your hand under your parent’s hand.
Determination Day
When the day-to-tell-the salary-I-wish is almost there, I didn’t get the best number to tell yet. The days before, I have just read a management book: “The 30 Most Common Problems in Management” of W Delaney (nggg, maybe I should’ve read the book “Planning Your Career Change”). It doesn’t help this problem, anyway. So I did consult to my brother. He gave me some how-to-decide tips. He asked me to compare the salary I get from my previous job then make it as my criterion. Humm, it is easier then the last two formulas, I guess, since I don’t have to calculate how much I should value myself. After that, I texted my boss-to-be:
“At my previous office, I get [I tell the numbers] rupiahs as maximum income per month, out of incentive for doing such program/project. Humm, I’ve never been asked for the payment-I-wish, since the number is given already. That’s why I’m confused when you asked. You better give me the numbers, then we’ll bargain :)”
Then she replied with different numbers. Deviates about quartile smaller then the numbers I gave. I didn’t reply till she asked me for confirmation, two days after that.
“OK, Ma’am. By Dec 1 I’ll join [I said the name of the institution]. Tq very much,” I replied.
“Is that mean that you are agreeing the number of salary we offer? So then, there would be a media meeting on the 1st of Dec @ [she mentions a restaurant name], you may be there @ 9. Thx, Adriani.”
“The numbers is enough for me... :) OK, [sumthing] Resto, 9. Tq, Ma’am.”
“Thank u, Adriani. Welcome to our team!”
“My honor.”
This is the end of my very FIRST salary bargaining...
Hope there would be wonderful new work experience with the new people at the new office. New new new!
New amiennnn! :)
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