Long-winded answer coming…
First of all, congratulations!
Second, I was in your position just last week. I was offered a job in a different department with my current employer. The salary offered was substantially higher than what I was currently making and, all things considered, I would have gladly accepted the offer as-is. I really struggled with the question of whether or not to negotiate for more. In my case, since I was staying with the same employer, salary was really the only potential point of negotiation (benefits are pretty much fixed). I asked a friend what she thought, and her response was to tell me to ask myself the following questions:
1. Do you really think you’re worth $offer + $x? (i.e., are you objectively justified in asking for a higher salary?)
2. If there was no possibility of negotiating, would you still take the job at the offered salary?
After thinking about it for a long while, I came to the conclusion that THESE QUESTIONS ARE BULLSHIT. Re: #1, determining one’s “worth” in $$$ is highly subjective…until you start asking people what they’ll actually pay to hire you! Which will never happen if you talk yourself out of negotiating! Re: #2, let’s flip this question 180 degrees. Do you think your prospective employer is asking themselves, “hmmm, would I be willing to hire windawake at $50k? At $52k? If so, I should just offer $52k right off the bat!” Nope! There is absolutely no incentive for them to give their best offer straight out of the gate, and nobody expects them to.
Melody, I have to take issue with your suggestion that negotiating for more salary/benefits “might come across as a bit Gen Y entitled.” Isn’t it similarly entitled for employers to offer prospective employees less than they’re willing to pay, which is, by definition in a relatively free labor market, less than they’re worth? This is a business transaction. Both actors can be expected to rationally act to maximize their position. Employers do this by leading with offers for less than they’re willing to pay. Prospective employees do this by asking for more. Both parties can say “no” or counter-offer whenever they feel like it.
The cultural baggage we seem to have that prevents us from taking these perfectly rational steps for fear of seeming “too aggressive” or “entitled” drives me crazy! We internalize those bullshit questions my friend asked me above. Sure, there’s the possibility that the person you’re negotiating with will actually be offended (though if they’ve done any amount of hiring in the past, they shouldn’t be). If that happens, then you might want to consider what it will be like working for someone who gets unduly emotionally wrapped up their business dealings with others.
To finally return to my recent experience, I asked for a salary that was about 5% higher than what I was offered. The hiring manager actually came right out and said that she had been given a salary range from HR that dictated what she could offer. She asked if I would accept the top end of the range which, while not the 5% I had asked for, was nonetheless about 3% more than initially offered. I accepted, and as far as I can tell, everyone came away happy.
So there’s my vote: I’d try negotiating if I were you. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.