Volume 1 Issue 2 June 2013

Volume 1 Issue 2 June 2013

Bandra Worli Sea Link Counting Apples

GFRG Houses

Tuned Mass Damper (TMD)

She’s the One

Concentration Tips

Phobias

Math mania

Temple City

Salary Negotiation

Random Clicks Staff Marriage Snaps

Pencil Sketches

BANDRA–WORLI SEA LINK (BWSL)

The Bandra–Worli Sea Link, officially called Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, is a cable-

stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side that links

Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. The

bridge is a part of the proposed Western Freeway that will link the Western

Suburbs to Nariman Point in Mumbai's main business district.

The 16 billion (US$280 million) bridge was commissioned by the Maharashtra

State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), and built by the Hindustan

Construction Company. The first four of the eight lanes of the bridge were

opened to the public on 30 June 2009. All eight lanes were opened on 24 March

2010.

The sea-link reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli during peak hours

from 60–90 minutes to 20–30 minutes. As of October 2009, BWSL had an

average daily traffic of around 37,500 vehicles.

Design:

BWSL (Bandra-Worli Sea Link) was designed as the first cable-stayed bridge to

be constructed in open seas in India. Due to the underlying geology, the pylons

have a complex geometry and the main span over the Bandra channel is one of

the longest spans of concrete deck attempted. Balancing these engineering

complexities with the aesthetics of the bridge presented significant challenges for

the project.

The superstructures of the viaducts were the heaviest precast segments to be

built in India. They were built using a span-by-span method using overhead

gantry through a series of vertical and horizontal curves.

The 20,000 tons Bandra-end span of the bridge deck is supported by stay cables

within a very close tolerance of deviations in plan and elevation.

The Bandra–Worli Sea Link is the first infrastructure project in Mumbai to use

seismic arresters. Seismic arresters will enable the sea link to withstand

earthquakes measuring up to 8.0 on the Richter scale.

The construction of the bridge's structure presented major engineering

challenges. These included the highly variable geotechnical conditions due to the

underlying marine geology of the seabed. At times, even for plan area of a single

pile had a highly uneven foundation bed. Further compilcations included the

presence of a variable intertidal zone, with parts of the foundation bed exposed

in low tide and submerged in high tide.

The foundations for the BWSL's cable-stayed bridges consist of 120 reinforced

concrete piles of 2,000 millimetres (6.6 ft) diameter. Those for the viaducts

consist of 484 piles of 1,500 millimetres (4.9 ft). These 604 piles were driven

between 6m and 34m into the substrate in geotechnical conditions that varied

from highly weathered volcanic material to massive high strength rocks.

Pylon tower:

BWSL's largest pylon towers are 128 m (420 ft) high.

The largest pylons for the bridge consist of diamond shaped 128 metres (420 ft)

high concrete tower featuring flaring lower legs, converging upper legs, a unified

tower head housing the stays and a continuously varying cross section along the

height of tower.

The bridge's pylon towers gradually decrease in cross-section with height. They

have horizontal grooves every 3m in height, which permitted inserts. Vertical

grooves in the circular sections require special form liners, as well as require

attention for de-shuttering. The tower legs are inclined in two directions, which

presented challenges in alignment and climbing of soldiers. Construction joints

were permitted at 3m intervals only.

To build the pylons, Doka of Austria was commissioned to build a custom

automatic climbing shutter formwork system, based on their SKE-100 automatic

climbing shutter system. This was fabricated on site and employed to execute all

tower leg lifts below deck level.

Cable-stayed spans:

Main cable-stayed span

The cable-stayed portion of the Bandra channel is 600 metres (2,000 ft) in length

between expansion joints and consists of two 250-metre cable supported main

spans flanked by 50 metres conventional approach spans. A centre tower, with

an overall height of 128 metres above pile cap level, supports the superstructure

by means of four planes of cable stay in a semi-harp arrangement. Cable spacing

is 6.0 metres along the bridge deck.

The cable-stayed portion of the Worli channel is 350 metres (1,150 ft) in length

between expansion joints and consists of one 150 metres cable supported main

span flanked on each side by two 50 metres conventional approach spans. A

centre tower, with an overall height of 55 metres, supports the superstructure

above the pile cap level by means of four planes of cable stay in a semi-harp

arrangement. Cable spacing here is also 6.0 metres along the bridge deck.

The superstructure comprises twin precast concrete box girders with a fish belly

cross sectional shape, identical to the approaches. A typical Pre-Cast segment

length is 3.0 metres with the heaviest superstructure segment approaching 140

tones. Balanced cantilever construction is used for erecting the cable supported

superstructure as compared to span-by-span construction for the approaches. For

every second segment, cable anchorages are provided.

A total of 264 cable stays are used at Bandra channel with cable lengths varying

from approximately 85 metres to nearly 250 metres. The tower is cast in-situ

reinforced concrete using the climbing form method of construction. The overall

tower configuration is an inverted "Y" shape with the inclined legs oriented along

the axis of the bridge. Tower cable anchorage recesses are achieved by use of

formed pockets and transverse and longitudinal bar post-tensioning is provided

in the tower head to resist local cable forces.

A total of 160 cable stays are used at Worli channel with cable lengths varying

from approximately 30 metres minimum to nearly 80 metres maximum. Like the

Bandra channel, the tower here is also cast in-situ reinforced concrete using the

climbing form method of construction but the overall tower configuration is "I"

shape with the inclined legs. Similarly, tower cable anchorage recesses are

achieved by use of formed pockets.

The foundations for the main tower comprise 2-metre-drilled shafts of 25-metre

length each. Cofferdam and tremie seal construction have been used to construct

the six-metre deep foundation in the dry.

SUDHEER

Economical GFRG buildings

Devdas Menon, Professor in Department of Civil Engineering - IIT Madras,

explains how they came about building a flat that could create affordable housing

for masses.

India has a severe housing shortage problem, which is well known. In particular,

there is a need to address the shelter needs of the lower income groups and their

aspirations. The challenge is to make these aspirations a reality, by providing for

an affordable solution. Ideally, the solution should be scalable - to reach the

masses - and should be quickly built, and at the same time addresses issues of

sustainability and quality. Clearly, we need a 'game changer' in the housing

industry.

We believe that the technology proposed by IIT Madras, and demonstrated

recently by the construction of the 'GFRG demo building', has the potential to

meet this challenge of providing rapid affordable mass housing.

Advantages over conventional buildings:

High speed of construction: GFRG demo building with four flats in two

storeys (total 1981 sq.ft.) built within a month!

Less built-up area for the same carpet area: wall panels are only 124mm

thick.

Less embodied energy and carbon footprint: significant reduction in use of

cement, sand, steel and water; recycling of industrial waste gypsum.

Lower cost of structure: savings in materials; no plastering.

Lower building weight (panels weigh only 43 kg/m2), contributing to

savings in foundation and reduction in design for earthquake forces,

particularly in multi-storeyed construction.

Buildings up to 8-10 storeys can be designed using this load-bearing

system, without the need for beams and columns.

Excellent finishes of prefabricated GFRG panels - used for all the walls,

floors and staircases, with minimal embedded concrete: no need for

additional plastering.

The 'model housing apartment', comprising four flats in a two-storeyed building,

has been constructed inside the IIT-M campus within a month at a finished cost

that works out to Rs. 1250 per sq. ft. (including excellent finishes). The 'GFRG

demo building' was inaugurated today by Sri TKA Nair, Advisor to Honourable

Prime Minister of India, in the presence of Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director,

IIT Madras.

Since 2003, the IITM research team had conducted extensive studies on the use

of these panels as structural members for all components of the building,

including earthquake resistant design. These panels, originally developed by

RBS Australia, were intended as wall panels ('Rapidwall') suitable for rapid

erection of walls in buildings to carry gravity loads. The panels are made of

calcined gypsum plaster, combined with special additives and glass fibres, to

produce GFRG panels - 12m long, 3m high and 124mm thick (with hollow

cavities). The IITM research group extended the application of this product for

the entire building system - including floors, roofs, and staircases, thus

significantly reducing the consumption of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC).

The team also collaborated in the indigenous development of an excellent water-

proofing material, which is essential for prolonged durability of the GFRG

panels, especially in the case of roofs and toilets.

The GFRG panels for the 'demo building' at IIT Madras have come from the

plant of FACT-RCF Building Products Ltd, Kochi, using reprocessed gypsum

from FACT. The building has four units, making up a total built-up area of 1981

sq.ft - two flats with a carpet area of 269 sq.ft. each, intended for the

economically weaker section (EWS), and another two, with a carpet area of 497

sq.ft. each, intended for the low-income group (LIG). The plans can be replicated

horizontally (in plan) and vertically (in elevation) in mass housing projects. This

demonstration building will also be used by another research group at IITM

Madras working on decentralized solar photovoltaic systems with Direct Current

(DC) appliances, to demonstrate savings in electrical energy consumption.

The panels are prefabricated and cut to desired sizes based on room dimensions

with openings for doors and windows, thus making rapid construction possible. A

panel has two skins of 15 mm thickness that are interconnected at regular

intervals (250 mm) with 20 mm thick ribs. The cavities formed by these

interconnections can be used for several purposes - filling with concrete, and

laying electrical conduits and plumbing pipes.

Filling the cavities with concrete increases the vertical load-carrying capacity

almost tenfold, and inserting vertical steel bars in these cavities, contributes to

their earthquake resistance. In a multi-storeyed building, the number of

concrete-filled cavities and steel bars can be reduced at the higher floor levels.

When used as floor slabs, reinforced concrete beams can be embedded and

hidden in some of the cavities, as per the design. The overall weight of the

structure and consumption of concrete comes down significantly. Conventional

plastering is eliminated.

The research work has resulted in two PhD theses, and two PhD scholars are

currently continuing the R&D efforts. The Department of Science and

Technology, Government of India, had awarded a research grant of Rs. 1.32

crores to complete the research work and bring it to a stage of technology

transfer.

The panels may be unfilled, partially filled or fully filled with reinforced

concrete, as per the structural requirement. Experimental studies and research

have shown that GFRG panels, suitably filled with reinforced concrete, possess

substantial strength to act not only as load-bearing elements, but also as shear

walls, capable of resisting lateral loads due to earthquake and wind. It is

possible to design such buildings up to ten storeys in low seismic zones (and to

lesser height in high seismic zones). However, such construction needs to be

properly designed by a qualified structural engineer.

The GFRG demo building also demonstrates the use of an innovative

waterproofing treatment using a nano-technology based solution, developed by

Zydex Industries, Vadodara, for the specifications evolved by IIT Madras.

Based on the research work carried out at IIT Madras, and the research reported

elsewhere (Australia and China), Building Materials & Technology Promotion

Council (BMTPC), Government of India, has accorded approval of GFRG panels

for construction in India.

Ref: NDTV blog by Prof Devdas Menon

article suggested by

Rakesh Kadarkarai J

Video link \\edrcdatacenter3\ERDC - INFRASTRUCTURE\COMMON\Team 8 - Master Minds\June 13

Tuned Mass Damper(TMD)

A mass that is connected to a structure by a spring and a damping element

without any other support,in order to reduce vibration of the structure.

Tuned mass dampers(TMD) are mainly used in the following

applications:

Tall and slender free-standing structures (bridges, pylons of bridges,chimneys,

TV towers),stairs, spectator stands, pedestrian bridges, steel structures, ships.

Results and discussions

Studies on the Performance of Multi Storey Structure with and without TMD

Subjected to Harmonic Ground Motion.

Effect of Structural Damping and TMD Damping:

Acceleration ratio, bending moment ratio and Displacement ratio are the

response ratios of structure.

Percentage of structural damping depends on stiffness of structure.

Percentage of TMD damping depends on ratio of damper weight to the

weight of structure.

Below graphs are experimental results showing the variation of response

ratios to the change in damping percentage of TMD and comparing the

same for change in damping percentage of structure as 2%, 3% and 5%.

The response ratio for all the structure studied is less than unity

indicating that the TMD is effective in reducing the acceleration, bending

moment and displacement of the structure.

The acceleration ratio , base shear ratio, bending moment ratio and the

displacement ratio decreases with increase in the TMD damping and

increases with increase in structural damping.

This indicates that increase in the damping of the structure decreases the

TMD effect.

Structure behaviour with and without vibration control device

Real time structure with Tuned mass damper (TMD)

Petronas Towers

Burj-al-Arab

Taipei 101

TEJA DNV

Counting the Apples in the Classroom

A teacher teaching Mathematics to seven-year-old Laiq

asked him, "If I give you one apple and one apple and

one apple, how many apples will you have?" Within a

few seconds Laiq replied confidently, "Four!"

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless

correct answer (three). She was disappointed. "Maybe

the child did not listen properly," she thought. She

repeated, "Laiq, listen carefully. If I give you one apple

and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you

have?"

Laiq had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated again on

his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make

the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the

one that will make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, "Four…"

The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Laiq

liked strawberries. She thought maybe he doesn't like apples and that is making

him loose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her

eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one

strawberry, then how many you will have?"

Seeing the teacher happy, young Laiq calculated on his fingers again. There was

no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to

succeed. With a hesitating smile young Laiq enquired, "Three?"

The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She

wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she

asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how

many will you have?"

Promptly Laiq answered, "Four!"

The teacher was aghast. "How Laiq, how?" she demanded in a little stern and

irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young Laiq replied, "Because I already

have one apple in my bag."

"When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect, don't

think they are wrong. There may be an angle that you have not understood at

all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a

predetermined notion."

She’s the one

She was a crazy little girl

I was crazy in love

It was a breezy winter fall

I fell for her and how

She had dreamy blue eyes

That want me reach skies

I always wonder why

It made me butterfly

Seems it was just a random lens

And the eyes weren’t blue hence

Still, she was a crazy little girl

I was crazy in love

She had shiny long hair

That made her more fair

I love this wonder queen

The fairer ever seen

It was a sultry midday

Of a boring Sunday

Without giving it a thought

She cut her hair short

I even now wonder

Why, I was into her

Still, she was a crazy little girl

I was crazy in love

She had comely little smile

That drives you hundred miles

She was my cutie little pie

I could never see her cry

But something then happened

And, she was always into tears

And whatever I try

I could never stop her cry

I even now wonder

Why, I was into her

For whatever I thought

She wasn’t at all that

Maybe, she isn’t the crazy little girl

I was crazy in love

But there’s no reason for love

The reason is love

- Rakesh Kadarkarai J

P.S: The poem fetched me a prize in women’s day poetry competition

Concentration Tips and Exercises

Lapses in attention happen every day.

Your mind drifts from reviewing spreadsheets to

checking e-mails to the conversation in the next

cubicle. Multiple projects sit unfinished on your

desk. What makes it so hard to focus, and how

can you keep your mind on track?

Total absorption in a task requires a balance of challenge and progress. If the

work is too easy, you grow bored. If the work is too difficult, feelings of anxiety or

frustration lead to avoidance.

Helpful tips:

Set one-hour slots for tedious work with more interesting tasks in between.

Break stressful work down into small, manageable steps.

Focus on one task at a time. Juggling will lead to mistakes.

FOCUS Tips (Main source: http://altmedicine.about.com/)

1. F : “Five More” rule

If you're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up –

Just do Five More.

Read Five More pages.

Finish Five More math problems.

Work Five More minutes.

Pushing past the point of exhaustion.

Continuing to concentrate when your brain is tired is the key to S-T-R-E-T-C-H-

I-N-G your attention span and building mental endurance.

2. O : One thought at a time

Feeling scatter-brained? Make your mind a deal it can't refuse.

Yes, the mind takes bribes.

Assign it a single task with start-stop time parameters.

Still can't get other concerns out of your head? Write them

down on your to-do list so you're free to forget them.

3. C : Conquer Procrastination

When you're about to postpone a responsibility ask

yourself, "Do I have to do this? Do I want it done so it's not

on my mind? Will it be any easier later?"

Those three questions can give

you the incentive to mentally apply

yourself because they bring you face

to face with the fact this task isn't

going away and delaying will only

add to your guilt and make this

onerous task occupy more of your

mind and time.

4. U : Use your hands as blinkers

Picture your mind as a camera and your eyes as its aperture.

Most of the time, our eyes are "taking it all in" and our brain is

in "wide-angle focus."

What if you want to switch to telephoto focus? Cup your

hands around your eyes so you have "tunnel vision" and are

looking solely at your system / text book.

Placing your hands on the side of your face blocks out

surroundings so they are literally "out of sight, out of mind."

Like, Pavlovian trigger (Pavlov rang the bell, fed the dog,

rang the bell and fed the dog, until the dog started salivating

as soon as he heard the sound of the bell), using your hands as

blinkers every time you want to narrow your focus teaches

your brain to switch to "one track" mind and concentrate on

your command.

5. S : See As If For the First or Last Time

Want to know how to be "here and now" and fully

present instead of mindlessly rushing here, there, and

everywhere?

When your mind is a million miles away, simply look

around you and really SEE your surroundings.

Study that exquisite flower in the vase. Get up close to

the picture on the wall and marvel at the artist's

craftsmanship.

Lean in and really look at a loved one you tend to take

for granted. This will “Velveteen Rabbit” your

world and makes it come alive in your mind's eye.

EXERCISES (Source: http://www.readersdigest.ca/)

Everyone can improve their ability to concentrate by spending a little time each

day exercising their mind. Try the following three exercises. Concentrate hard

and try to play as quickly as possible.

Game One:

Say the colours of these fruit drops aloud as rapidly as possible.

Game Two:

Read the following words aloud—quickly!

Game Three:

Say aloud what colour the following words are and NOT the actual colour.

You probably found the last exercise particularly difficult. This is because it brings

together two contradictory kinds of information: one from reading the words and the

other from recognising the colours. The left side of the brain processes the first piece of

information, while the latter is processed by the right side of the brain. So, you will first

read the word (red) before perceiving and verbalising the colour of the font (green).

You have to make a great effort of concentration and attention to stop the first item of

‘read’ information from imposing itself. If you really concentrate you will be able to

perform this exercise more and more quickly.

JASMINE. T.S

DID YOU KNOW?

CONTINUED…………….

Bacillophobia - Fear of microbes

Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria

Ballistophobia - Fear of missiles or bullets

Bolshephobia - Fear of Bolsheviks

Barophobia - Fear of gravity

Basophobia - Inability to stand, Fear of walking or falling

Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes

Bathophobia - Fear of depth

Batophobia - Fear of heights or being close to high buildings

Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts,

salamanders, etc

Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles (Aichmophobia)

Bibliophobia - Fear of books

Blennophobia - Fear of slime

Bogyphobia - Fear of bogeys or the bogeyman

Botanophobia - Fear of plants

Bromidrophobia - Fear of body smells

Brontophobia - Fear of thunder and lightning

Bufonophobia - Fear of toads

MATH MANIA

KAKURO

“A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive it, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

*** Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side

By - Rachel Mariam Oommen

By - Rachel Mariam Oommen

Temple City- Bishnupur-West Bengal

Bishnupur was ruled under the Gupta period by local Hindu kings who paid

tribute to Samudra Gupta. Following a long period of obscurity, where the land

oscillated between being a minor independent principality and a vassal state.

The land is also called Mallabhum after the Malla rulers of this place. The Malla

rulers were Vaishnavites and built the famous terracotta temples during the

17th and 18th century at this place. The terracotta temples here are the best

specimen of the classical style of Bengal architecture. The legends of Bipodtarini

Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.

Bishnupur (the distance from Kolkata is 132 km), now the headquarters of the

subdivision of the same name in Bankura district, is a seat of crafts and culture.

For almost a thousand years it was the capital of the Malla kings of Mallabhum,

of which Bankura was a part, till their power waned during the times when

Mughal Empire weakened under the last monarchs of the dynasty. The

patronage of Malla king Veer Hambir and his successors Raja Raghunath Singha

and Veer Singha made Bishnupur one of the principal centres of culture in

Bengal. Most of the exquisite terracotta temples for which town is justly famous

were built during this period. Apart from the unique architecture of the period,

Bishnupur is also famous for its terracotta craft and its own Baluchari sarees

made of tussar silk.

Sumit Guha

9 WAYS TO NEGOTIATE THE SALARY YOU WANT

So you think you deserve a hike in salary? Here are some tips that will help you

get paid what you're worth. (Source: U.S.News & World Report LP; Images:

ThinkStock)

Money can be a highly sensitive topic to discuss in any context, but even

more so during the interview process. With a quality job on the line, you

may hesitate to press a hard bargain for the salary you want.

"I think there are a lot of people who are reluctant to negotiate who think

they'll lose the job if they do," says Barbara Safani, owner of Career

Solvers, a New York-based career management firm. But hiring managers

anticipate attempts by candidates to secure a higher salary, and talks can

be peaceful and productive, as long as both sides respect each other's

preferences. "Negotiation is a collaborative, not a combative, process,"

Safani says.

Do your homework in advance

Before reaching the negotiation stage, research industry salary norms for

the position you're applying for. Salary comparison websites such as

Glassdoor and PayScale let you tailor your salary search by company,

position, experience and city and request a personalized salary report.

For direct insight on how a company has handled matters of salary,

contact a past or present employee through a mutual friend or social

networking website like LinkedIn. "Employees who have worked there are

the best source of that information," says Robin Bond, founder of

Transition Strategies, a law firm that represents employees, and author of

"How to Negotiate a Killer Job Offer."

Avoid or ask the question yourself

If salary is raised during the early phases of the interview, it's best to

"table the conversation," Safani says.

"The problem with giving a salary too soon in the interview process is that

it can sometimes end the conversation," she says.

A figure on the high end of the salary spectrum could leave you in the too-

pricey category. But a low-end figure could lead a hiring manager to

conclude you're too junior for the position, Safani notes.

To respectfully turn the tables on the inquiring hiring manager, recite the

average salary for the position and ask if the company adheres to that

norm, Safani says.

Don't short-change yourself

Your eagerness to work for the company could blind you to a raw deal.

Safani notes that most hiring managers avoid making their best offer

right off the bat. "[Hiring managers] have a range that they're working

within, and they want to have some wiggle room in case the candidate

wants to negotiate," she says.

Unemployment shouldn't soften your stance

You may think being jobless puts you at a severe disadvantage or

eliminates your leverage. "People feel that they can't ask for anything

because they're unemployed," Safani says.

While you may feel like you're bargaining from a position of desperation,

remember the "value that you bring to an organization compared to

another candidate is the same regardless if you're currently using your

skills," she says.

Take other perks into account

A salary coupled with other financial incentives could put you on par with

or surpass what you're currently bringing home. "I look at a compensation

package as having a lot of components in it beyond just base pay," Bond

says.

Start-up companies in particular, Bond says, will partner salary with

various forms of equity such as restricted stock units, shares, performance

shares and options.

If a financial stake in the company isn't offered, "you might want to

negotiate some things that are not directly related to the position but will

make it a better offer for you," Safani says

Picking up the tab for your Internet or cell phone bill and membership fees

to professional associations are benefits that can "sweeten the pot," she

says.

More vacation time, the option to work from home, relocation benefits and

career counselling for a spouse who's recently lost his or her job are other

items you can request, Bond adds.

Be delicate, but convincing, in your dialogue

Approach the talks, Bond says, like a long-term romantic relationship

"that you care about and don't want to trample on."

Opt for carefully calibrated words rather than desk-pounding theatrics.

"You can't be demanding - you have to be persuasive," she says.

Emphasize your value

Having attracted the company eye with your resume, bring the document's

words to life by detailing how you're different from the pack.

"You want to be talking about what you've done successfully in the past

and how that's transferable to the new position," Safani says.

Leave nothing to chance

Presuming a positive company review six months or a year after being

hired, you calculate you'll gain later what's been lost upfront. With the

expectations of a pay raise, you take a no-need-to-negotiate mentality.

Safani advises against such assumptions, especially if the prospective

employer is a large corporation. "If it's a large company, the chances of

getting an earlier review are lower than if it's sort of a smaller ...

Rule nothing out

Even after lowering your initial price tag, the company comes back with

its original offer. The burden of a decreased pay check, particularly if you

have a family or live in an expensive city, may be too much to bear. But

the duties of the job would enrich your skill set in a way your current job

never could.

Sometimes you take a job because it's going to round you out [and] give

you some great experience," Bond says of the experience-for-pay trade off.

"You might have to take a step back financially."

Sharath Babu

Sumit Guha