Negotiation Skills for All

Once a hiring manager chooses you from a pool of candidates and starts the offer process it is time to negotiate your new salary and benefits. A few of the top tips are listed below so you can negotiate effectively. Please send your questions about negation to our recruiters.

• Don’t disclose your pay requirements during the interview process.
  The first person to provide numbers establishes the range. If you give a salary number first, the interviewer will either tell you you’re in the same ballpark as him, or you’re too high. If you ask for less than the interviewer was considering, you'll probably get it – and he may never find out you might have earned more in the past. Also, interviewers always want you to disclose your requirements first. You don’t have to give in, yet you do not want to try to remedy this situation by giving an unreasonably high number because then you will sound unreasonable.
  

  Your first line of defense is to say you’d like to talk about salary once you have an offer. Still, a good interviewer will persevere. Try asking the interviewer what HE/SHE would pay someone for this job. Whatever number he gives, you can say, “That’s a great starting point." (You will ask for more later.)

• Do not negotiate until you have an offer in writing.
  Here’s why: Let’s assume the job you want pays a salary and a bonus, but you don't know the details about the bonus part. If you do not get a written offer specifying the pay elements before you start negotiating, then you might negotiate a higher base salary but lose a portion of your bonus. That's because the bonus gives your hiring manager some "wiggle room." She/he can take it off the table before you know you're supposed to receive it. Get the full offer in writing so you know what you have to work with during your bargaining.
  

  Once you have that written offer, ask for a day to think about it and then come back with a counter offer. Admittedly, you may hate confrontation and know you're not a good negotiator, but there is nothing to lose (you have an offer in hand) and you're likely to get more money. Remember, you will get better at negotiating each time you try.

• Do your research and plan your attack.
  You must know pay range for your position in order to know what to ask for during the negotiation phase. Don’t just check out salary surveys online and in trade journals, ask the person hiring you. Talk with friends in similar jobs or recruiters who regularly fill this type of position in your geographic region. Find the top of the salary range and ask for that, especially if you know you are worth that amount. Discuss with the hiring manager your research and remind him/her why you are worth the top of the range.
  

  If you are fortunate enough to find out that your offer already is in the high end of your salary range, then propose taking on more responsibilities so you can ask for slightly more pay. Suppose you are an accounting manager with a background in technology. You can say that while most accounting managers pass off technology duties to someone else, you will handle this yourself. This entitles you to ask for slightly more.

• Know what you need.
  Each person is compensated in different ways – and not always monetarily. For instance, if you love what you do, you may not mind earning less than someone that sits next to you at the office. Likewise, if you have a shorter commute you may be open to working for a bit less since you don’t have as great of an expense for travel. Everyone will advise you, but you are the one looking at the job, and you must decide if you want it, regardless of the size of your paycheck. No salary survey can tell you that. You need to decide what's important to you and what trade-offs you are willing to pay make. Please do not give up being paid more because you hate negotiating. Self-knowledge, good negotiation skills and a little nerve will help ensure you earn what you deserve on your next job.

Remember, you are the "chosen one", you’re the top candidate for the job. When starting to think about negotiating for more money you must be reasonable. In today’s economy companies aren’t giving out first-class air travel, but you do have options that can improve your salary outcome.