Negotiations

I finally had THE meeting with the consulting firm that has been giving me the brush-off for the last 9 months. I showed up and the first thing the principal partner said was, "Epa, Ali, we weren't able to come up with a concrete proposal for you. Perhaps you could make an offer of what your salary expectations are."

What? Excuse me? You weren't able to come up with an offer for me? After me submitting not one but two financial proposals, only to have them poo-pooed for upsetting the "delicate salary structure" of the firm? After the e-mail the day before assuring me that you'd have a concrete proposal ready at the meeting?

You've got to be kidding.

My patience wore thin, and I gave the two partners in the meeting with me a giant piece of my mind (in a lovely, professional manner, of course, though what I wanted to do was scream at them and storm out of the office).

I also told them I'd been forced to accept another project in the time they spent dillying around and not giving me any feedback on our employment talks. Instead of 01 September, I am now available only after 10 October. And that I refused to sign anything but a 2-month contract at 75% time, because of the red flags I'd seen thus far in the process.

I think they were a bit blown away by my willingness to be candid. I suspect it may have a lot to do with the fact that I am a woman, and a young one at that. At present there are 10 men working in that office, and no women aside from the secretary. I believe I may be breaking down some stereotypes for the boys.

And, regardless of how they may have perceived my feedback, it felt GOOD to stand up for myself.

Anyhow, to make what could be a long story somewhat shorter, suffice to say that once I expressed my frustrations, the principal partner started apologizing up one side and down the other, trying to convince me that their flakiness was not at all a reflection of how much they wanted - no, needed me to work with them.

Then they gave me their concrete offer. They'd had one all along. They were just testing me to see how far I would hold out.

The strategy of negotiations can be such bullshit, always waiting for the other party to make the first offer no matter what. Granted, that can be an advantageous approach if both parties are equally interested in and in need of the deal. However, when it is an unequal situation - as is the case with this firm being understaffed and faced with the reality that there is a very small pool of available, qualified people to work in management consulting in Maputo - sometimes holding out until the last possible minute can backfire, driving away the very person you need to hire.

So now I know what they are offering. It is low, almost offensively so. But I will make a counter-offer and we'll see what happens.

Given my experience with this firm thus far, I honestly don't have interest in getting into a long-term professional relationship with them. If my experiences weren't frustrating enough, I heard similar stories from two other people here in Maputo, which tells me that this is more the norm of their operations as opposed to an exception.

However, I do want some spare cash for the end of the year. And I figure that I can do anything for 2 months, no matter how trying. Plus, this firm works a lot with the public sector here, and I have little experience working with the government, so I'm set to learn quite a bit.

I know what I'm getting myself into. I have no illusions that it will be easy to work with these people, or that their attitude will suddenly change once I sign on the dotted line.

On the contrary - I expect this to be a very trying experience. I'm sure I will play the Reality TV game nonstop, and that I will have to bribe myself through difficult workdays by thinking of my wedding dress in California, how much I want to see my parents, and how I will buy myself some hot new outfit and a ton of jewelry supplies with the extra cash. Oh, and a couple of plane tickets, as Rico and I want to go to the US for the holidays.

Also, part of me feels that this trial by fire that I'm expecting will actually be a very good thing. You see, I've grown quite comfortable in my professional position. Sure, there are some drawbacks that come with working as a self-employed, independent consultant. I get stressed out by the uncertainty of my cash flow and the inconvenience of not having a back-office. However, it is overwhelmingly pleasant. I get up in the morning when I feel like it, break up my workday with a trip to the gym, wear pajamas all day if it pleases me, have a leisurely lunch, set my own hours, and get to say "no" to any potential jobs that I don't want.

Sometimes a tough period - where one is forced to deal with difficult people, work outside one's comfort zone, dedicate one's self to a project that is a challenge to become interested in - can be the perfect prescription for professional and personal growth by leaps and bounds.

I feel in need of such a period, if nothing else to remind me why I've chosen to work independently, and why I fundamentally do not want the corporate life, no matter how strong the allure of steady money and a status-inducing title.