Sixty-three percent of advertising and marketing executives are at least somewhat willing to negotiate compensation when extending a job offer to a top candidate, according to a survey by The Creative Group, the marketing/creative staffing division of Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI). Twenty-eight percent are not.

“Job seekers often have more leverage than they realize when negotiating a starting salary,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “Businesses that have gone through the process of selecting a top candidate are motivated to hire that person, even if they have to sweeten the deal.”

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “When extending a job offer to a top candidate, how willing are you to negotiate compensation?” Their responses include:

• Very willing: 23 percent
• Somewhat willing: 40 percent
• Not very willing: 14 percent
• Not at all willing: 14 percent
• Don’t know/no answer: 9 percent

The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It included more than 500 telephone interviews — approximately 375 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 125 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.