As usual, lots of great points made by all.

->pgrzelak:

Plus the ability to purchase a week of extra "unpaid" time.

That is really something I like about what I have where I'm at. I buy the extra week every year and if I don't use it, I get the money back. That's a luxury I'd hate to lose.

->Mach:

My current employer did give me "time served" credit for my previous industry experience that counted towards my seniority date and consequently, accelerated when I was eligible for an extra week.

That's something I'd really like them to do, but I'm a little leery of being too pushy on the issue. I think their logic is they want you to prove to them you have loyalty to them. They couldn't care less that I showed loyalty to my current employer for 5 years.

->DWallach:

I can't speak to the policies of generic American firms, but I can speak to your negotiating power. If you have multiple offers, and the sticking point for you is their vacation policy, do make that clear. It might shake loose an exception to the supposedly hard-and-fast rule.

Yeah, I did try to negotiate, but I didn't push it too much. I mentioned that I have 3 and can buy a 4th, but she said "my hands are tied" and "we're trying to change it, but right now, it's 2 weeks for everyone." I always operate under the assumption that all these rules are negotiable, but I also have to think that maybe they've made a blanket "no exceptions" statement. Since today was my first round of interviews I was a little hesitant to take a more strong negotiating stance, I'll save that for if I get an offer on the table.

Or, just become an academic.

I hate you.

->loren

Boy was I bummed when i was in Vienna and they said they got something like 4 or 5 weeks STARTING.

Tell me about it! This is exactly why I said "For USAians" in the title. I didn't want to hear all the Euros gloating about ther 350 days of vacation each year.

->Folsom

How many years of experience do you have? If you have moe than five, I would try to get an extra week.

I have been at Vanguard since June 1999. That makes it 4 years and some change... But since it's my 5th *calendar year* (99, 00, 01, 02, 03) that's how they count years of service. So 2003 is the first year I've gotten the 3rd week, and I purchased the 4th, which I may sell back this year. But going back to 2 weeks might be very tough on the soul. I guess I need to do some more probing to try to see how serious they are about "no exceptions."