[noonespecial]

This is a negotiation. That was their opener. Its not personal, its probably automatic to lowball all new hires hoping to get lucky. This is when you counter. Something like $65k and 2 weeks vacation. Since they seem to think vacation is important you might then say something like "I could do 60, maybe but I'd need at least 4 weeks..."

You can't get what you don't ask for.

By the by, if they happen to say something like "4 weeks vacation isn't standard company policy", look them right in the eye and say "I'm not an ordinary hire". This has never failed me.

[justina1]

Four Days vacation in 2011 is actually not totally unreasonable (it would eight days for a full year, as opposed to more standard 10, or two weeks). But I agree with everything said above, it's a negotiation: negotiate.

[noonespecial]

I usually find that when employers haggle over vacation days, its a huge warning sign that its not going to be a place I want to work. I usually press them for extra or make up a "previous engagement" that I'll need time off for during the bargaining just to see how they react.

Then again, I always did find all of the ceremony around "earning" vacation days through attendance, banking sick days, and rolling over vacation like its cellphone minutes to be completely insane.