Offer from Microsoft - Customer Engineer, Security
Hi all,
I’m looking to get some more context on an offer I got from Microsoft. The initial offer is for a Level 61 position as a ‘Customer Engineer, Security’ (formally known as Premier Field Engineer)
Offer is:
$125k base
$5k sign on bonus
$30k sign on stock over 4 years ($7.5 per year)
TC: $137.5k excluding yearly bonus and annual stock as I will be joining after the cutoff.
My background:
3-4 years experience (1 year paid internship and 2.5 work)
Certs: CCNA, SEC+, AZ-900, AZ-500
Living in medium CoL area
My initial thought was that this was WAAYYY lower than the market value. Doing research on levels, blind, Reddit, etc., I saw 3-4 years experience should be a L62 position with salary being $150k and TC of $225k. Being a L61 I was expecting $140k base with TC being around $180k-$200k. I tried to counter offer for a L62 with higher TC or atleast a higher TC for L61 and was turned down on both. The recruiter stated this was their best 1st offer and there isn’t room for negotiation.
There are several other reasonings behind me expecting a higher TC:
1.) Azure accounts for 1/3 of Microsoft’s total revenue per their investor report and cloud security is at an all time high in demand right now.
2.) Position is Azure security focused compared to other customer engineers being in Teams, 365, or server.
3.) Job description stated average salary (not TC) is between $103k-$216k in high CoL area.
4.) Inflation increased 8% in the past year.
5.) Hiring manager stated they are in desperate need of this position (more than one job posted)
Recruiter stated this is the final offer. While this is a small pay bump for me, I don’t want to be underpaid compared to everyone around me and the market value. Am I being extremely lowballed or am I being ungrateful and asking too much? Should I risk losing the offer to get a higher TC or accept due to benefits and increase in salary?
Anything helps, thanks all (:
#Microsoft #Azure #Security #Offer
comments
Your job is in demand but there are thousands of who can get certifications . It’s a low barrier for entry.
Good luck
2. Internship experience doesn't count towards YOE.
The way to look at this is, you can always move within Microsoft once you’re in the org. Also, having the Microsoft name on your resume - you can always hop to another tech org.
Unless this TC is lower than your current one, I would take it. I wouldn’t reject it just because you think they should be offering you more for this role.