[hjay]

A bit of an addition to the note on not starting a long-term relationship on the wrong foot with your future employer.

I do think negotiating a job offer is very important. It doesn't benefit anyone if you are feeling undervalued/underpaid at a job. Work performance will take a hit, team dynamic will slowly shift, you will wake up every morning dreading to go to work.

However, I do think there is a need to resist the urge to treat negotiation like a game. Sure you may have gotten the best offer possible for your skills/experience, but how much do you need to be satisfied and do your best work? If you get hired having massively oversold yourself and the value you bring to the team, are you sure that would be a good start for your new job?

I recently negotiated a 7.4% increase on my base pay for a new job. I could have easily negotiated a 16% increase but I didn't. I want both parties to start the relationship happy. If either side feels like "did I just get cheated out of X?", that is a loss for me. Sure, any relationship may go bad, but why start a relationship if it's not going to be sweet to begin with?

[roguecoder]

It's called "capitalism". By accepting lower-than-possible wages you are merely distorting the market and boosting corporate profits.

The only thing being negotiated is how much of the surplus you get and how much they get. They won't hire you if you aren't going to be worth significantly more to them than they are paying you (thanks to sticky costs).

[afterburner]

Well, your employer is definitely treating it like a game.