12.11.13 - 7:02 pm

and then there was that time i got a job offer in florida.

only it wasn�t exactly for the job i applied for, nor did it meet all the requirements necessary to immediately accept. i was hoping for a salary increase over my previous employment. a nice round number somewhere around $60,000 or more. a number that would make packing up and leaving oregon easy to justify.

it didnt quite work out that way.

the entire proposal was very bittersweet. they want me to work for them, but they don�t think i have the capacity to perform the job i applied for. so they invented a new position, business development manager. they would then suspend the search for director of sales, and from what i gather, groom me for a promotion after they feel confident about my abilities. i feel as though they just broke up with me, and then gently took my hand in theirs and said, ��but i really want to stay friends with you.�

there was a signing bonus, which i feel was their way of helping cover my moving expenses. generous, yes. there was a base salary. then there was mention of $20k of my income being based on reaching sales goals. yikes. to me, that doesn�t exactly express confidence in me. now, to be fair, the first year of employment, $10k of that is guaranteed. but the other ten i have to earn, with the possibility of more depending on how awesome i am.

so now it comes down to negotiation, desperation, and persuasion.

step one: negotiate a better base salary. how does one negotiate for thousands of dollars more of value? jesus, i have no goddamn idea. do i do it over the phone, through email exchanges? how can i be most effective at coming to a compromise that i can live with and they can be satisfied with?

step two: succumb to or overcome desperation. how badly do i want this job? with three weeks of unemployment left, do i let desperation decide for me? take the job since there really is no other financial alternative? or do i wait for something better, living meagerly and finding a way to survive until then?

step three: persuasion. how do i persuade julie that we should do this 3000 mile move and change our entire lives? can i do that with the offer i have been given? can i do that if they accept some modifications to my proposal? do i even really want to move? does the thrill of change terrify me or excite me?

to be honest at this moment, i think it terrifies me more.