Low Base Salary, High Bonus, should I take it?
I recently received an offer that pays 1.5k LESS in base salary, but the bonus is a whopping 37%, compared to my current bonus of only $10k. The offer is at a very well respected firm. I am a bit concerned about the base salary being lower than what I’m currently making, especially since bonuses aren’t guaranteed. I haven’t tried to negotiate yet, but I remember the recruiter telling me earlier in the process that there “might” be some wiggle room of a few thousand dollars on the base, so it doesn’t sound like I would get much of an increase, if anything, but I will certainly ask. It’s also worth noting that in addition to a traditional 401k match of 4%, this firm also contributes 15% of your salary, regardless of what you’ve contributed. They also pay $100 a month towards student loans which is nice. I currently only get the standard 4% 401k match and no student loans support.
I’m currently in a very tedious job (Proposal Writer) that doesn’t offer much in the way of a career path, and I’ve been trying to get out of it for a while. This is a competitive intelligence job so it would be a step up from a career perspective.
Assuming that there is no wiggle room on the salary, would you take this offer?