You’ve got your figures all lined up, your briefcase is packed, and you’re ready to go face Ms. Employer and tell her what you want. Before you take the big step, glance over the following guidelines to be sure you get all you deserve from the transaction.
1. Deal with the real boss.
As early as possible in your interview process, find out who the final decision-maker is with regard to hiring, determining your job title, and authorizing your compensation agreement. Knowing who has the final say will help you develop a negotiating strategy for that manager; and hopefully you’ll be able to speak directly with her in the final stages of your negotiation, if not before.
2. Go cherry picking.
When your salary negotiations start, remember this terrific bargaining technique called “cherry picking”: Imagine that you and the employer are under a cherry tree. You’ve loaded lots of bargaining “cherries” on the tree, knowing that not all of them will get picked. The manager, feeling pretty smart about his bargaining skills, will likely pick a few of your “cherries” and leave the rest. Likewise, you can pick and choose from what he has to offer. In the ideal salary negotiation, you and the employer walk away smiling, feeling that you both got a good deal.
3. Schedule annual reviews.
It’s in your interest to have an agreed-upon schedule for your annual reviews. Try to negotiate something like this: an initial salary review after your first six months on the job and annually thereafter. That way you’ll squeeze in more pay raises during your tenure. Once your schedule is fixed, mark your calendar so you can remind your boss it’s review time, if he lets it slide. Prompt reviews are important since every day on the job should be bringing you closer to a raise.
4. Figure out the negotiation strategy.
Having a few job offers on the table at once can increase your bargaining confidence. Try to market yourself to more than one employer so that you can compare offers and career opportunities. It will also give you an added confidence that could give you the upper hand in the salary negotiations.
26 Job Interview Tips
21 Sample Interview Questions
Salary /Job Search Coach
Preparing for Negotiations
You’ve got your figures all lined up, your briefcase is packed, and you’re ready to go face Ms. Employer and tell her what you want. Before you take the big step, glance over the following guidelines to be sure you get all you deserve from the transaction.
1. Deal with the real boss.
As early as possible in your interview process, find out who the final decision-maker is with regard to hiring, determining your job title, and authorizing your compensation agreement. Knowing who has the final say will help you develop a negotiating strategy for that manager; and hopefully you’ll be able to speak directly with her in the final stages of your negotiation, if not before.
2. Go cherry picking.
When your salary negotiations start, remember this terrific bargaining technique called “cherry picking”: Imagine that you and the employer are under a cherry tree. You’ve loaded lots of bargaining “cherries” on the tree, knowing that not all of them will get picked. The manager, feeling pretty smart about his bargaining skills, will likely pick a few of your “cherries” and leave the rest. Likewise, you can pick and choose from what he has to offer. In the ideal salary negotiation, you and the employer walk away smiling, feeling that you both got a good deal.
3. Schedule annual reviews.
It’s in your interest to have an agreed-upon schedule for your annual reviews. Try to negotiate something like this: an initial salary review after your first six months on the job and annually thereafter. That way you’ll squeeze in more pay raises during your tenure. Once your schedule is fixed, mark your calendar so you can remind your boss it’s review time, if he lets it slide. Prompt reviews are important since every day on the job should be bringing you closer to a raise.
4. Figure out the negotiation strategy.
Having a few job offers on the table at once can increase your bargaining confidence. Try to market yourself to more than one employer so that you can compare offers and career opportunities. It will also give you an added confidence that could give you the upper hand in the salary negotiations.
26 Job Interview Tips
21 Sample Interview Questions
Salary /Job Search Coach