You’ve sent in your application, nailed your interview and got the offer. Don’t be so quick to celebrate – it’s not over yet. Here comes the most awkward (in my opinion) part of getting a job: salary negotiations.
In this kind of economy, it’s easy to say that you should take any offer that comes your way. But I don’t quiet agree. Your initial offer determines the base for your future bonuses and raises, which are calculated as a percentage of your salary. Not only that, but you need to be fairly compensated for the skills and work you bring to the table. If not, it’s very easy to develop negative feelings towards your job and your employer once the “honeymoon phase” wears off.
What are some steps you should take when thinking about salary negotiations?
1. Figure Out if Your Offer is Fair
The first thing you should do is figure out whether or not the offer that you received is fair. There are two things you should consider when answering this question: comparative salary and cost of living.
One way to know if your compensation level is fair is to figure out what other people in similar positions are getting paid. But isn’t it rude to ask how much people make? Yes, it is. That’s why I really appreciate the geniuses that came up with Glassdoor. Glassdoor is a site where you can search the average, median and range of salaries based on company, position and location. The best part about this site is that in order for you to utilize their services, you need to input your salary level (internships and part time jobs are okay too, for the really recent grads out there). This makes sure that the data keeps on building. So go on to Glassdoor and search your position title in your city. But bear in mind that this data has been collecting since pre-recession, so the numbers might be slightly higher than what might be “fair” in this type of market.
In addition to considering what your comparative salary is, also consider the cost of living in the city you will live in. High cost cities, like New York or Washington DC, might require higher pay than cities like Atlanta or Detroit where cost of living is lower.
If you find that your offered salary is lower than what you think should be based on the two analysis above, then proceed to Step 2.
2. Gather Your Courage
Having “The Talk” with your future employer is intimidating. I mean, they were nice enough to pick you among other qualified candidates. Do you really have the right to ask for more money? Shouldn’t you just take what you can get? What if things get awkward by asking for more money?
It’s normal to think these things when faced with the prospect of negotiating your salary. But the fact is, they chose you over the other candidates for a reason. And that reason gives you the right to ask for a more reasonable salary. Salary negotiation talk will not make things awkward with your employer if you can give thoughtful reasons on why you’re asking for a higher salary. It’s just a frank, professional negotiation and as long as emotions don’t get mixed up, negative feelings can be avoided.
So have confidence in yourself. After all, they picked you for this job!
3. The Talk
This is the difficult part. Call your HR representative – no emails! – to present your argument. Start with a thank you for the offer. Then go into the reason(s) why you’re asking for a higher salary – is it because it’s not comparable to salaries of other positions? Or is it not enough to cover your basic living expenses? Then present the amount you think would be fair.
Then listen to what the HR representative will say. From their language, you can determine whether they are pretty firm on their offer or if there will be room for negotiation. If they say that their offer is firm, then thank them for their time and really evaluate whether this job will be worth it.
Just as a note, there are employers out there that will tell you things like “you’re lucky that you even got this job” or something equally degrading. This is a huge red flag – even if you accept this job, they will not treat you as a valuable member of the team. And no amount of compensation will be able to offset the negativity of feeling unwanted at a workplace. I would really think hard about whether you want that job or not.
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Have you gone through a salary negotiation for a job recently? Feel free to share your thoughts or advice!
-J
Job vs. Career 