Negotiation in job offers

I found the articles and the role-play about negotiating job offers to be very intriguing.  Unfortunately, I feel that in many jobs there isn't a lot of wiggle room to be negotiated on. I think it might depend on the kind of job that one is seeking and also the organization that the job is in.

For example, in lower level jobs and for jobs in any type of government entity, I have never had any success negotiating for salary or for other concessions.  And believe me, I have tried.  Once I was a long-term substitute in the High School and when it came time for the position to be filled, I attempted a negotiation for a higher salary by bringing up the fact that I had experience and also an Associates Degree.  I was simply told the starting salary is the starting salary and there was no room for negotiation.  Another time, I was seeking a government job and I attempted to negotiate a flex-time schedule, and again, I was told there was no possibility.  My husband also had no success when he took a Federal Government job and tried to negotiate for a higher rate of vacation day-earning to account for his military service. It seems that these agencies are very unflexible.  Maybe had I taken the class all those years ago, we might have been able to use a technique that would work to persuade them.

In the role-play, the job that the person being hired for seemed like it was a higher level job and one that allowed for more negotiation.  I guess that the more important the job and the more unique the candidate, the better the chances are for negotiation in the job offer.  

That being said, I have had one successful employment negotiation.  This came about when I was working at the University part-time and wished to take on a second part-time job.  I was selected as the candidate for the second job, however, the job hours of the second-job were the same as the job hours for my first job, 8:00-11:45.  Both supervisors preferred that I work the morning shift at their office. So I had to negotiate a bit with both and we finally worked out a schedule where I work two mornings a week and three afternoons at one job and then vice-versa at the other job. I think I have the oddest schedule on campus, however, it works.