Are you asking whether you should negotiate your salary or not? Then the answer is a yes every time. Unless the offer made is higher than I was going to ask, I always ask for a higher salary. For example, a few years back (my first full time job in programming), I was offered $50k and I really wanted $55k. So I asked for $60k and let them offer to "meet in the middle" at $55k. I negotiated a 10% raise in a 5 minute phone call. That is the easiest raise you'll ever get. Most people don't get a 10% raise after being on the job for a while unless it comes with a promotion (and additional responsibilities). If you think being a new grad is a negative, try to spin it in a positive light. Since you are fresh out of college, you are used to working with little sleep, meeting deadlines, and following instructions, and by definition you are still in "learning mode" so you can get up to speed quickly. More experienced workers may be a little harder to mold into what they need. In fact, they should pay more for these qualities.