Never go into a job interview without having done the research on what comparable local wages are for your target position. Information is power, and don’t be afraid to negotiate your value based on your research.
Hardcore Salary Negotiating Tips
By Dawn Rasmussen, CMP, Pathfinder Writing and Career Services
Few people are experts at negotiating their own salary after they are moving forward with accepting a job offer.
Part of the reason is that they are afraid of articulating what they think that they are worth.
Other part is that they don’t actually KNOW what they are worth.
When it comes down to the brass tacks of coming up with a compensation package that you can live with without grinding your teeth every day you come into work, you’ve got to know your numbers.
Websites such as salary.com, glassdoor.com, indeed.com, and payscale.com are just a few that provide ranges of pay scales that are adjusted geographically.
But at the heart of your game, you need to know what your absolute bottom number is that you can live with, and what you think you can ask for … without going over the top, of course.
Being confident with this knowledge in hand is the next part of the negotiation process.
And sometimes, confidence means walking away when the offer simply isn’t right.
Confidential note to you: It’s OK to walk when someone won’t pay you what you are worth!
But when the discussions are going well and the negotiations begin, the best way to really enter into the compensation conversation is to have a well-thought-out business case that illustrates the value you bring to the table.
It’s one thing to say you want a certain number.
But it’s an entirely different situation when you bring out the heavy artillery and give specific examples of how the companies you’ve worked for have benefited from your contributions.
That means gaining a perspective of what the pain points are of the prospective employer so you can pull out stories that specifically show results that have solved those issues.
Ultimately, any employer is wants the best employee possible, and they know that sometimes, that means shelling out more pay in the long run to snag top talent such as yourself.
But here’s another tip: Don’t get so hung up on salary numbers that you forget what the overall compensation package means.
With healthcare costs spiraling out of control, more and more employers are backing away from paying in full for benefits. So beware that this could be another component of the negotiation process.
Additionally, with so many people starting to wake up to the realization that their work/life balance is out of whack, looking at adding time to recharge may be also a key negotiation point.
Finally, retirement plans are increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Lucky is the employee who encounters a prospective employer with a lucrative 401K matching program!
Overall, when it comes to the final part of the salary negotiation process, be positive, upbeat, and a problem-solver. The other side tends to respond better when you give them an opportunity, even if it means you counter-offer with a higher number.
And pausing after the employer provides their number can prompt the other party to quickly amend their offer.
Be informed, be smart, and be empowered when negotiating your salary. What you do now can make a significant difference when factored over time in terms of your lifetime earnings.
