How To Negotiate Your Salary (Video)
Salary is one of the key elements to factor into a job offer. Remember, it is not the only thing to consider and should be taken into consideration with the whole offer, including benefits, responsibilities, etc. Please watch the movie above which offers some great, simple tips on how to negotiate that starting salary with a prospective employer.
STEP 1= DO YOUR HOMEWORK
This basically means to research what the average starting salary is for the position you are interviewing for in the location that you are interviewing. There are a lot of great sites that assist you with this and many of them are listed here!When an employer gives you a salary range for which the position falls you want to know whether this is acceptable or not. If you dont do your research before hand you wont have any point of reference.
STEP 2= STALL TACTICS
You dont want to have to start talking salary until well into the interview process. If you havent had the chance to prove your worth to an employer, they are most definitely going to start out at the low end of their salary range. If and when you prove that you would be a wonderful asset to the organization they will more likely to work with you and your salary goals. Stall them…dont put salary in your cover letters, never ask in a first interview, and if they bring it up put the ball in their court.
STEP 3=SHIFT THE BURDEN
When an employer asks you what your salary range is, put it back in their court. Let them know that the experience that this positon will offer is much more important than the salary, what range did you have in mind? This will hopefully allow you to have a better understanding of what the low and high ends of their range look like.
STEP 4=CUT TO THE CHASE
If they are persistent and have asked you multiple times what your salary range is, than give it to them. Quote the salary averages that you have researched and let them know that you would expect to be compensated comparable to others in your field, with your experience. This is where the prior research will come into play, and this is extremely important.
STEP 5=JUST SAY NO
Dont feel compelled to accept the first offer they give you. Employers will ALWAYS quote you in the low end of their range because they expect some negotiation. It cant hurt to ask! If you feel that you are being offered a low salary, you do have the option to say no.
STEP 6=MULL IT OVER
Even if they offer you more than you were expecting, dont throw your hands up in triumph. Keep a professional demeanor and let them know that you want to review the offer and you will let them know in 24 hours.
Salary negotiations can be daunting, especially for entry level candidates, but remember, most employers expect it. They are waiting for a counter offer and expect that you will take some time to review the package they have offered you. Take the time to make sure that it is definitely the position you want, at the salary you want, but be realistic!!!
Tags: job offer, job search, Salary negotiations
Jena joined the CSPD as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Professional Development with over 4 years career services experience including a background in corporate recruiting. She is excited to work collaboratively with the Fox School students regarding career search strategies and hopes students gain some additional insight into the job search through “Opportunity Knocks”.
Kel is an undergrad majoring in Management Information Systems, graduating in 2010. He is very involved and hopes to share some of his experiences with other students. His goal is to motivate others to do their best. He believes that with a little inspiration you can get where you want to be. Through this blog, he wants to show you that opportunities are out there.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:25 am
HiEvery other blog I have read about Negotiation Letters, has been lacking in information. Your insight into Negotiation Letters is sooooo much better than anything else I have read. Thanks Megan.