[LWJ]

Take the high road for sure! Go talk to the folks where you used to work and have a heart to heart. Tell them that you want it. Also, tell them that you are going to work your rear off for them and be a much more valuable asset to the company.

The whole time, keep this in mind: by far and away the best time to negotiate your pay raise is BEFORE YOU ACCEPT the job.

When you sit down with them, let your enthusiasm fly. Let them know how you have always had management aspirations.

When they get it. And they will. Tell them that your one reservation is that you know that person X, who did this job prior to you was making significantly more and you don't want this to eat away at you. Here is the key - find a win-win on the income. Perhaps something like if you perform X within Y, you get an income bump to Z.

This allows them to quantify your income bump. It is politically easier than just saying I need 120K, or whatever your number is.

Also, remember that you are a known quantity with this company. Remind them that their recruiting cost for you is near zero as opposed to someone who needs to be trained on the culture, etc. Most new hires cost around 35K just to hire!

Good luck. Have fun. Don't be greedy. Don't sell yourself short. A guy I knew took a job with a 5K salary bump. If he thought about it, he would have realized that he would have gotten more money at his old employer given the pace of increases he had gotten vs many new hires don't get salary reviews for a while.

Got it? It is a game. The game of your income.

Good luck.
Larry