Editing 2597: Salary Negotiation
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by a COMPLEX FRACTIONAL SALARY INCREASE - Please change this comment when editing this page, for fun and profit. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. Sincerely, management.}} | |
− | + | Cueball has been offered a new job, with a starting salary of $55,000. He is flummoxed by this high-stakes situation and starts to ramble with decreasing coherence. | |
− | Cueball has clearly done some research, but perhaps too much as he | + | When offered a new job, it is common to negotiate on aspects of the offer such as salary, and employers may offer below the market rate initially in the expectation that the final negotiated amount will be higher. Given that one's future income depends on the outcome of a one-time process requiring skills unrelated to the job one is hired for, it is advisable to take one's time and do as much research as possible. Cueball has clearly done some research, but perhaps too much as he takes out several sheets of paper and confuses himself further. |
− | + | Eventually he settles on a number with a repeating decimal, which cannot be paid in whole cents. However, if he would be happy with an arrangement such as a leap cent every three years, the issue would be resolved. | |
− | + | He asks what 20% of $55,000 is, apparently following common advice to take the initial offer and add 10% to 20%. The value he settles on is 12.1212...% larger, or exactly <sup>37</sup>⁄<sub>33</sub> times the asking price, which is not a value that could reasonably be reached by adding 20%. In classic Cueball style, he has made the simple problem sufficiently complex that one must wonder how he got there. However, the value does still fall within the band suggested by the common advice. | |
− | + | This can be read as a cautionary tale about taking time to compose one's thoughts before responding to a situation. The confusion caused by the wad of papers also reminds us that more information does not necessarily mean more clarity. | |
− | + | For more interview-related XKCDs, see: [[125: Marketing Interview]], [[1088: Five Years]], [[1094: Interview]], [[1293: Job Interview]] and [[1545: Strengths and Weaknesses]]. | |
− | + | This could also be taken in series with Cueball (possibly as a stand in for Randall) misunderstanding classically "adult" ideas, see: [[905: Homeownership]], [[1674: Adult]], and [[616: Lease]] | |
− | + | ==Transcript== | |
+ | |||
+ | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | + | :[Ponytail sits at an office desk, with Cueball sitting on the other side. It appears as though he is being interviewed] | |
− | :[Ponytail sits | ||
:Ponytail: We'd like to extend an offer! The starting salary is $55,000. | :Ponytail: We'd like to extend an offer! The starting salary is $55,000. | ||
:Cueball: Wow. I guess I'm inside a negotiation! | :Cueball: Wow. I guess I'm inside a negotiation! | ||
− | :Ponytail: I... | + | :Ponytail: I ... weird to phrase it like that, but-- |
− | :Cueball: | + | :Cueball: I can do this. |
− | :[Zoom in on Cueball's upper half | + | :[Zoom in on Cueball's upper half] |
:Cueball: I won't accept a penny over $50,000. Sorry, I mean under. Under $60. I mean, $600. Thousand. $600,000. I want a 15% cut of the salary. Raise. Double down. Fold. Pass. Fill it up with regular. | :Cueball: I won't accept a penny over $50,000. Sorry, I mean under. Under $60. I mean, $600. Thousand. $600,000. I want a 15% cut of the salary. Raise. Double down. Fold. Pass. Fill it up with regular. | ||
− | :[The same shot, except Cueball is now holding three pieces of paper | + | :[The same shot, except Cueball is now holding three pieces of paper] |
− | :Ponytail | + | :Ponytail: Are you-- |
:Cueball: Sorry, sorry. Let me start over. | :Cueball: Sorry, sorry. Let me start over. | ||
− | :Cueball: | + | :Cueball: Ok, my chart says... |
− | :Cueball: ... | + | :Cueball: ...can I borrow a calculator? What's 20% of $55,000? |
− | :[ | + | :[Zoom out again. Cueball has put the papers on his lap and has raised his hand in the air, pointing. In his other hand he holds a small rectangular device] |
− | :Ponytail: Listen, if you need to- | + | :Ponytail: Listen, if you need to-- |
:Cueball: I won't take this job for less than $61,333 point 3 repeating! | :Cueball: I won't take this job for less than $61,333 point 3 repeating! | ||
− | :Ponytail: Sure, $61,333 is fine. That's actually- | + | :Ponytail: Sure, $61,333 is fine. That's actually-- |
− | :Cueball: | + | :Cueball: '''Point 3 repeating or I walk!''' |
+ | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Job interviews]] | [[Category:Job interviews]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | ||
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