Helpful tips to negotiate your salary

They have probably been asking you to tell them what you would want in terms of salary.  And if you have mentioned a number before they make the offer you have already broken one of the key rules of negotiation.

Don’t talk about salary until they make you an offer.

1) Build your case for your candidacy by making sure you tell them how you can help solve their problems Talk about previous accomplishments that are directly relevant to the job.  Find out if they have any objections and try to overcome them.

2) Do your research.  Find out what is the range of salary for the exact position in your city by looking on Glassdoor, Vault and Salary.com  Know what is realistic for your city and state.  Salaries vary a great deal from state to state and city to city.

3) Never throw out the first number.  The first person to say a number in any negotiation loses. If they ask you early on in the process say you know they will be fair.  If they ask you again, say let’s wait until I understand the roles and responsibilities.

4) When they offer you the job, THEN you can start to negotiate.  Give a range making sure the low end of your range is the lowest you are willing to accept. Everything is negotiable…not just salary. Negotiate every aspect including training, continuing education, attendance at conferences, sign on bonus, vacation, travel relocation expenses, how and when you will be evaluated, and how often you will get a raise.  Start with the easy yeses, NOT with vacation time.

5) Never respond immediately. When they make the offer, say you are thrilled and would love to work for them and you need 24 hours to think about it, or if it is on a Friday, say you need the weekend to think about it.  Then when you talk to them on Monday morning say, I am relly excited about working for xyz company.  Is that the best you can do?  Usually the first number they give you is not the last.

(c) 2019 Amy Geffen All rights reserved