Salary Negotiation
Salary Negotiations--A Few Techniques to Help You Earn Thousands of Dollars a Minute
Here are a few essential things to remember when it comes time to negotiate your pay.
The only time to negotiate is after you have been offered the job
Early in the screening process, employers what to know how much money you want so they can eliminate you from consideration. They figure if you want too much, you won't be happy with the job and won't stay. And if you will take too little, they might think you don't have enough experience. So never discuss your salary expectations until you are offered the job.
If pressed, speak in terms of a wide pay range
If you are pushed to reveal your pay expectations early in an interview, ask the interviewer what the company's normal pay range is for the job. He or she will often tell you, and you can say that you would consider an offer in this range. If you are forced to be more specific, speak in terms of a wide range. For example, if you figure they are likely to pay from $20,000 to $25,000, say that you would consider any fair offer in the low to mid-20s. This statement covers their range and goes a bit higher. If all else fails, tell them that you would consider any reasonable offer.
You need to know, in advance, what the job is likely to pay so that you are prepared for this line of questioning. A variety of books can provide this information, or you can simply ask people who do similar work for the pay ranges for this type of job.
Don't say "no" too quickly
Never, never turn down a job offer during an interview! Even if you are shocked at how little the job pays, thank the interviewer and ask to consider the offer overnight. You can turn it down tomorrow, telling the interviewer how much you appreciate the offer and asking him or her to consider you for other job that pays better or whatever. This is no time to be playing games: If you want the job, you should say so. And it's okay to ask for additional pay or other concessions. But if you simply can't accept the offer, say why and ask to be kept in mind for future opportunities. You just never know.
This concludes the Salary Negotiation section of the workshop.
For individual use only. Pages are excerpts from The Very Quick Job Search, Third Edition, ISBN: 9781593570074. For permissions requests, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at www.copyright.com or (978) 750-8400.
