You must prepare yourself to negotiate the amount of your salary. Your financial expectations should be realistic and adequate to your skills and professional experience. If you do not know how to effectively fight for adequate pay, use our advice.
How to negotiate salary? The most important assumptions
Let’s start with the most important point, i.e. proper preparation. You should know that negotiations begin much earlier, even before they occur. So do your homework and get ready to talk.
First of all – think about how much you want to earn. Secondly – check the earnings offered by companies in your area and in similar positions. For this purpose, you can, for example, read the salary reports, check ads with pay ranges for similar positions, or ask industry friends about what remuneration seems reasonable for them in the proposed position. This will give you arguments for conversation, and by the way you will check how much you can afford in negotiations.
In addition, you can practice talking to someone close. Build confidence in yourself, recall a situation from the past in which you were assertive or imagine negotiating with a friend.
Choose the right time
During the interview, let’s wait for the recruiter to initiate the topic of pay. Let’s arrange a meeting with the boss if we are already employed and we want to get a raise. Let’s try not to act too hastily – only a well-thought-out strategy will help us achieve our wage goals.
Stick to the rules
How to negotiate a salary with a potential employer so as not to commit a faux-pas? Never touch the topic of pay first. If your employer is interested in hiring you and starts negotiations, and even offers you a specific amount, you’ll be in the perfect position to talk about money. If the recruiter asks you about your financial expectations, you can ask him or her for more information about the position and responsibilities that are associated with it. Add that you would like your salary to be relevant to your work experience and skills.
Give yourself a day or two
It is good practice not to accept the offer right away. If you can afford it, better give yourself time to think about it (well, unless you got a lot more at the start than you expected or you really wanted to work in a given company). Under the influence of positive emotions, we are able to make greater concessions and it works both ways – you when you receive the offer, the employer when you accept the offer.
Why is it worth negotiating?
First of all, you have nothing to lose. An employer will not withdraw a job offer just because you ask about the possibility of negotiating a salary, bonus or other elements of the offer. Most of them are even prepared for some concessions to the candidates they want to hire.
Secondly, by deciding to negotiate your salary or employment conditions, you show your employer that you know your value and can fight for your rights. These qualities are desirable in some positions, especially managerial.
