Asked for relocation and a month of temp housing instead of pushing on base, and that's the one they said yes to
Base was genuinely at the top of the band and the recruiter told me so twice. So instead of grinding on a number that wasn't going to move, I asked for:
- relocation paid up front rather than reimbursed months later
- one month of temporary housing while I found a place
- start date pushed two weeks so I could actually move properly
Got all three. The housing alone was worth more than the raise I'd have fought for and lost.
The thing nobody told me is that these come out of completely different budgets than salary, so nobody has to go back to the same person for approval. If base is capped, ask what else exists. There's usually a list you weren't shown.
2 comments
- 0
AnonymousAnon Used the same logic and asked for a hardware budget and a yearly training allowance when base was frozen. Got both without any pushback. Salary was apparently untouchable and everything adjacent to it was apparently a rounding error, which tells you something about how these budgets are drawn up.
- 0
AnonymousAnon The different-budgets thing is underrated and completely true. Signing bonus is usually the same story — it comes out of a pool the hiring manager can approve without going back up the chain. Did you have to name the housing specifically, or did they start offering options once you pushed?