Let the Negotiating Begin

Before going into salary negotiations, ask yourself the following questions to understand where your psychological strengths lie.

• How much do you want the job you’re interviewing for?
• Aside from money, does this job fulfill your other requirements, such as career growth, social commitments, or educational advancement?
• Do you have other job opportunities (even offers) available to you?
• How do your other job opportunities measure up to this one?
• At what point are you willing to walk away from this negotiation?

To get inside the employer’s head, ask yourself the following:

• How desperate is the employer to fill this position?
• How many other candidates are in the line-up for the job?
• How do you measure up against the other candidates?
• Does this employer know about your other job opportunities/offers?
• Does the employer know how much compensation you’ve been offered by other employers?

Talking Money
Here’s a simple rundown on how to talk money:

• Get the employer to state a salary range before you mention yours. It’s a well-known poker maxim that the first player to tip his hand is likely to lose.
• Don’t say “yes” or “no” to the offer until you’ve had time to think about it. Best thing is to call a time-out to crunch your numbers—even a day or two. Say something like: ”I’m glad we’re both enthusiastic about my working here. I’d like to take your offer home and think about it. Could we meet tomorrow to talk more?”
• Consider all the elements of your compensation package (insurance, retirement plan, and all that good stuff) before settling on a salary.
• When all is agreed upon, get it in writing.

Counter Offers
Things might not fall into place immediately in your bargaining efforts. The employer may not readily agree to all your requests (remember, for an employer, cherries are never in season). Instead of signing a deal right away, he may make a counter-offer. If that happens, take some more time out, assess the situation, then return to the bargaining table with your response.

Take your time to be sure you’re making the right decision with regard to your long- and short-term goals. Maybe there’s a way to compromise on one of your points and compensate with another request. If you find yourself wanting to make a counter-counter-offer, put together a package that feels like a win-win for both of you. Then, take a deep breath and go back into the ring with confidence.

26 Job Interview Tips
21 Sample Interview Questions
Salary /Job Search Coach