Salary Negotiations, & Getting Back In

First, a bit of good news. I'm no longer underemployed. After nearly 14 months I finally found a job perfectly suited for me, and the next step in my illustrious career in broadcast journalism. It was the strangest twist of fate that brought me to this position, as I suppose fate is often to blame for such glorious outcomes. Back in late April, I interview for a position for which I was, admittedly, completely underqualified. But my interviewer said he would pass my resume along to the stations News Director, "just in case" something ever came up. To my surprise, about two weeks later I got a call from the News Director. He had a News Producer position coming up and wanted to know if I was interested. Absolutely! An interview, a try-out, some painful waiting, and finally an offer. And with the offer came the part I had been dreading the most, the salary negotiation. I mean, honestly, I've been on unemployment for over a year, anything would be an improvement, right? But then again, I don't want to sell myself short. With other jobs I've had in the past the salary was put out on the table pretty early on in the process, there was no guessing involved. Not this time. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but I also knew, I've been wrong before.
In this article, Low-Ball Salary Offers: Should You Take It or Leave It? Harvard Kennedy School associate professor Hannah Riley Bowles says "job seekers who receive a low offer should compare that offer to what they can get elsewhere in the current market, rather than what they could have received before the recession began."
Let me recap... job seekers should compare a low offer to what they can get elsewhere. Excuse me Ms. Bowles, but are you not aware that this is not a buyers market? There are hundreds, if not thousands of applicants vying for each job. If you won't work for what the employer is offering, the next person in line probably will. I don't think we're in a position to pick and choose, no matter what we think we're worth. Do I think I'm worth more than I'm making? Absolutely! But I'm looking ahead (and looking back, and thanking God I'm no longer unemployed). I see this position as a stepping stone to the next, and so on. When you've been out of the job market for any length of time, the goal is to get back in. It's easier to find a job when you have a job, as the saying goes.