[joerobot]

Wow, this article comes in perfect timing for me. Hopefully, you, the HN community could help me.

I am currently being offered a software engineering job at Apple through a recruiting company. What I want to know is, how much should I be asking for? I am 4 months out of college (no Ivy league, just a state college) with little professional experience. So far, I have said $50k, but is that low-balling it? Should I be asking for more? From what I gather, Apple won't be paying me directly; it will be the recruiting company that will be issuing my checks.

edit: Forgot to mention that I would be moving from Louisiana to California if I get the job.

[patr1ck]

I'm confused – Why wouldn't Apple pay you directly?

You shouldn't have to ask for anything, they should present you with an offer.

Meanwhile, you should do appropriate due diligence and interview with other companies that interest you and see what other offers you get. If Apple is interested in hiring you, no doubt other companies will be too.

Also: keep in mind that relocating will incur at least a few thousand dollars in expenses (which your future employer should cover as part of the comp package) and that living in the bay area is very expensive. 50k is do-able, but won't take you very far.

[joerobot]

Thanks, I'll be talking to the recruiter about an offer. Part of the problem is that when I was asked about it, I was basing the salary off of what someone in South Louisiana would make as a junior developer. At the time, I did not have any knowledge of what the salary of someone similar in the Bay Area would be.

I was told that the recruiting company (TekSystems) would be paying me. However, I will ask the recruiter for further clarification.

The job is a contract job and located at the Cupertino campus. So far, I have not had an interview with Apple and have only completed an assessment for the recruiting company. The recruiter has been the middle-man between anyone at Apple and I so far.

When I asked if relocation assistance would be provided, I was given an answer of no. Any suggestions as to negotiating a way to get assistance?

[inklesspen]

"The job is a contract job". That's why; you'll be an employee of TekSystems, not Apple. You won't be getting Apple benefits or compensation.

On the other hand, you can still put Apple on your resume, so it's not all bad.

[acgourley]

That is very low for a junior software engineer. I would ask for 75k but be OK with taking less for a "trial" period of 3-6 months.