Competition is Good

So I got a call yesterday from a new recruiter, not one of my contacts. He has what he thinks would be a great fit for me. (Phone work! HA! Ya Know I thought all of those jobs had been shipped off to India.) Well I am not going to turn down an interview so I sent my resume and work history to him. He is going to send it off to the company. It is a UNIX/Networking opportunity and the company is willing to train if I don't have SQL experience. (which I don't and my resume is clear about)

The best thing is that if they want me they have to meet my price. I have been reading alot about women and money lately. According to Jean Chatzy in her Book Make Money not Excuses. One of the reasons that Women earn less than their male counter parts is that they do not determine what they are worth and fail to even attempt to negotiate. Where as there male counter parts will have researched the current market and pay rates and they will ask for more than they are worth in the current market.

Today I read on Dice.com that "The gender gap narrowed slightly in 2006, as women in technology earned an average of 9.7 percent less than their male counterparts. (http://career-resources.dice.com/tech_salary_survey_06.shtml) In a Kiplinger online article "Making It Big on a Paycheck " I picked up that if you at least attempt to negotiate for a higher salary you can increase your starting salary.
"those who negotiated their first salary boosted their pay by 7.4% compared with those who didn't bargain" (http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2007/03/12step.html)

That would leave me just 2.3% behind and I could leverage investments and benefits to cover that easy. So I high balled the recruiter when he asked. I actually want more than what they are willing to pay! Right now, I have some wiggle room, that is if they want me. It would mean that I could end up getting some other benefits or extra training. I just have to keep my self open. It was tough though to just mention the amount I wanted, I think I even qualified it by mumbling about transportation and benefits etc.


Oooh! I am really excited.