“Should you negotiate pay for your first fresh grad job?” — Fresh grad asks Singaporeans for career advice

A young Singaporean fresh out of university has turned to the public for career advice, asking if they should negotiate the salary for their first job right after graduation.

On Tuesday (Nov 15), the fresh graduate turned to more experienced Singaporean workers for some career advice. The individual posted a question on an online news forum specifically for any questions related to life in Singapore. “Should you negotiate pay for your first fresh grad job?” the post read.

“(I) just got an offer for a full-time job as a fresh university grad,” he explained. “They are offering A amount but my expected was between A-B (500$ diff between the two ranges). Should I negotiate to try to get to B or between A and B? Or just stick to A?”

The netizen also shared their sister’s advice, saying, “My sister says no because it’s a first full-time job so I (haven’t got) much experience. I’ve interned at a lot of places (if this helps).”

In response to this, many online users encouraged the fresh graduate to negotiate. “Always negotiate,” said one. “Best case scenario, you get the increase, worst case scenario your salary is still A. Companies don’t rescind offers or lower them if you negotiate.”

“Never hesitate to negotiate,” another advised. “Companies do tend to lowball junior and fresh grads so better be ready for salary negotiations. Also, it helps to have another offer on hand or at (the) very least,  be interviewed (by) another company. It gives you leverage to get a slightly higher pay.”