There is one word that can really trip you up when you’re negotiating that new contract.
“Non-negotiable.”
When you get an offer and are told the salary is non-negotiable, know that many organizations have policies that, if you make a counter-offer to a non-negotiable salary, they must retract the offer.
Management may see a counter-offer as a red flag proxy for being a trouble maker.
So, you have to decide.
Is the offer so low, you’re not going to take the job if it’s not raised? If so, you have nothing to lose by risking a counter-offer.
Do you really want the job? Identify other sources of value that are not labelled “non-negotiable”— the job description, the work hours, loan forgiveness.
Try to wheedle the same value as you would get by receiving a higher income.
You may be surprised how much leeway you have.
You may be surprised by how much you can succeed.