I've never understood advice that talks about negotiating fringe benefits like vacation time. At best, company policy will prevent those terms from being negotiated because they're standardized. At worst, you're just going to look like an entitled asshole from day one if you try to get special treatment. I'd much rather make up for it in salary negotiation and take the same deal that your future teammates got.
At best, company policy will prevent those terms from being negotiated because they're standardized.
If you frame your counteroffer as “I would take this job if you gave me $X more base salary or Y more vacation days”, then the guy across the table can decide which option is more offensive to company policy. It’s not your job, as the applicant, to decide in advance what terms the employer will accept. Your job is to communicate what you want until you either have a deal or feel comfortable walking away from the table.
At worst, you're just going to look like an entitled asshole from day one if you try to get special treatment.
Personally, I have better things to do with my time than count up how many days off each of my co-workers have taken and compare them with the numbers in the employee handbook.
