How to Negotiate a (faculty) job offer in a Stem discipline

1. How to Negotiate a (faculty) job offer in a Stem discipline Brian J. Rybarczyk, Ph.D. Assistant Dean, Academic and Professional Development The Graduate School, UNC Chapel Hill brybar@unc.edu

2. What are key questions you would like addressed today?

3. Case Scenario Congratulations! Your on-campus interview with Your Favorite University, a public R2 institution in Seattle WA, went really well, and the chair of the department of biology has just offered you the position as assistant professor. She has made the following compensation offer: $60,000/yr + benefits, and $5,000 in start-up funds; the standard teaching load is 3/2. What is your first response to the offer? What are your next steps?

4. Key Take-aways • They want you • You are expected to negotiate • Not natural or “comfortable” • You won’t get what you don’t ask for • Create a plan in advance • Communicate professionally and timely • Transition from trainee to professional

5. Negotiation Process Additional communications –written/verbal Written offer Edits letter to include agreed upon finalized details to sign Dean/Chair calls with offer Interview Final written offer letter Verbal discussions back and forth

6. What’s in an offer letter? • Job title, department, terms of appointment • Salary • Expected duties • T & P process • Start-up funds • Benefits • Leave • Moving expenses • Background check • Other Terms of Offer (See Resources for samples)

7. What to do before the offer • Prioritize (What’s most important to you) – think broadly, location, colleagues, expectations, resources, support • Budget (What will it take?) – position, lifestyle, cost of living • Research & Benchmark (What is your market value?) – depends on position, location, type of institution

8. Factors that influence negotiation • Type of institution & constraints • Offer packages to other recent hires • What will make you successful? (think beyond salary) • Experience and skills (think beyond job requirements)

9. Key Points to Consider: • Start considering factors as you’re on the job market – even before interviewing • Make or break points? Non-negotiable factors • Pick your battles- What can you live with? What’s your lowest bottom line? • Highest salary/market value at start important – grows %-wise with raises • Strategy: Clarify vision: writing a Research Statement (multiple versions depending on type of institution) may help to work out what you’ll need to negotiate

10. Lots to negotiate… • 9 or 12 month appt. and/or • Summer support/summer salary • Teaching load + assignments • Research personnel/teaching support • Timeline – 2nd visit? Partner/family to see area, meet more people • Start date • Computer • Lab space + equipment • Grant support (time, course release, administrative) • Moving expenses • Housing support • Dual career options • Medical benefits • Interim health care • Conference Travel • Professional development funds/opportunities • What will count toward tenure – research publications, grants, when these ideas were initiated • Early tenure • Publishing costs • Society membership costs • Parking • Sabbaticals

11. More research to do in advance (build & use your network now) • Recent hires – salary and start-up ranges • Peers/alumni at institutions you’d like to work at • What is it like to work there? • Support? Mentoring programs? • Research expectations? • Teaching expectations? • Tenure requirements?

12. MORE TEACHING FOCUSED INSTITUTIONS More research-focused Positions • Salary range (9 month appointments) • Teaching load/course • Start up funds (if research expectations) $ • Reduced teaching load for research set-up • Undergraduate assistants • Shared research support, equipment • Salary range (9-12 month appointments) • Start up funds $$$$ • Reduced teaching load for research set-up and grant submission • Salary recovery from grants? • Graduate student assistantships • Technician/personnel Caveat: Public institutions vs private institutions

13. Salary • Ranges stated in job ad (sometimes) • Type of institution – public vs private, PUI vs R1 • Public information on salaries – Chronicle (caveat: skewed with Business School, Engineering Schools, Medical School) • Be aware of salary compression • Postdoc position – grant funded, defined salary • Research scientist position – institutional or grant funded • Assistant professor – institutional line item - FTE • % of position on soft money? (Schools of Medicine)

15. Other resources for salary information • State institutions may have accessible public databases • Glassdoor • HigherEdJobs • Chronicle of Higher Ed https://data.chronicle.com/ • The Scientist – Salary Survey https://www.the-scientist.com/features/2017-life-science-salary-survey-30198 • Professional societies

16. $45,355 difference in just pre-tenure alone (with 2% annual increases) https://www.the-scientist.com/features/2017-life-science-salary-survey-30198

17. Matching another offer is the easiest request • Can negotiate salary w/o other offer in hand (2-10%) • Make the most ambitious offer you can, given the data you have • Don’t give a range (e.g., “$65 – 75k”) • Ask, then be quiet • Don’t get so focused on salary that you forget about other components

18. Start-up Funds • Range $0-$100,000+ - depends on position expectations, institution, type of research/discipline (basic sciences, engineering, clinical departments) • Restrictions on what to spend on? • Could be time limited to spend • First year only? • Spread across first 2-3 years? • Strategy: Make 3 variations of lists (before on-site interview): • Absolute must haves (bare minimum) • Nice to have list (bare + some more) • Ultimate list (dream)

19. Confounding factors

20. Timing will be variable – initial offer (verbal and/or written)  Negotiation  final offer to sign off on

21. Case Scenario Congratulations! Your on-campus interview at Your Favorite University, a public R2 institution in Seattle WA, went really well, and the chair of the department of biology has just offered you the position as assistant professor. She has made the following compensation offer: $60,000/yr + benefits, and $2000 in start-up funds; the standard teaching load is 3/2. What is your first response to the offer? – What are your next steps? –

22. Case Scenario Congratulations! Your on-campus interview at Your Favorite University, a public R2 institution in Seattle WA, went really well, and the chair of the department of biology has just offered you the position as assistant professor. She has made the following compensation offer: $60,000/yr+ benefits, and $5,000 in start-up funds; the standard teaching load is 3/2. What is your first response to the offer? – What are your next steps? –

23. Case Scenario Congratulations! Your on-campus interview at Your Favorite University, a public R2 institution in Seattle WA, went really well, and the chair of the department of biology has just offered you the position as assistant professor. She has made the following compensation offer: $60,000/yr + benefits, and $5,000 in start-up funds; the standard teaching load is 3/2. What is your first response to the offer? – Express enthusiasm and gratitude for being offered the position, set a timeline for a response What are your next steps? – Strategize counter offer, Salary, prioritize needs, shoot for high end of bench-marking from your research. Put forth key negotiation points with justification.

24. Resources • https://chroniclevitae.com/news/2196-the-professor-is-in-when-the-promise-of-research-support-falls-flat?cid=VTEVPMSED1 • https://theprofessorisin.com/category/negotiating-offers/ • https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2012/09/05/essay-what-new-faculty-members-need-know-about-salaries • Offer letter templates/samples • https://provost.uga.edu/faculty-affairs/faculty-offer-letter-template/ • [DOC]Tenure Track Faculty Offer Letter - CU Denver • https://administration.ca.uky.edu/offerletters

25. Time for Questions