How much is a reasonable amount ( or percentage) to negotiate when offered a position? I feel like I countered too high and blew my chances at working in this hospital unit.
Well #1 there’s plenty of hospitals and nursing jobs so it’s not the end of the world if they don’t hire you. They will come back with another counter, trust me.
Pick the amount you want to get like $30/hr and say to the employer, “The range I am comfortable with is $33-35/hr”. That way if they come back and counter, they will probably say $33 because it’s at the low end of your range. Or if it’s a salary position, as an example pick $75,000/year for what you want and say “I would need my salary to be in the $78,000-$85,000 /year range”. See what I’m getting at? Never throw out the number that you WANT cuz you may always get more by doing the above. I also heard years ago that it’s better to let the employer throw the first number out.
It is harder with bedside. But rule of thumb, try to find out the range. In California, it is mandated to put it in the posting. From there ask for a rate within that range. Unless you really ready to walk away from the job, counter at 5 - 10% of the offer.
But remember, if you are applying for a union position, you can't really negotiate rate.
