HOW TO NEGOTIATE A JOB OFFER
1. It is best to begin researching salary ranges before you apply so have an idea about the suitable salary range.
2. Once you’ve been invited for an interview, conduct more research on the company’s benefits and culture to see how likely you are to get what you are looking for
3. Negotiation doesn’t start when you get the job offer but when the topic of salary is brought up during the interview and the best negotiators know what they are looking for and has information about what is negotiable and to what degree so it is important to have an idea about salary target in mind specifically based on your background and your geography. Your current salary is also a good indicator, you can use tools like Payscale, Salary and Glassdoor to get an idea about the salaries as well.
4. Understand your employer’s constraints. Do not demand ridiculous amount of money. Be reasonable. Your job is to understand where they are flexible and where they are not. When you are talking to a large company that’s hiring 10 similar people at the same time, then they probably can’t give you a higher salary than everyone else but they may be flexible on start dates, vacation, bonuses etc. On the other hand, if you are negotiating with a small company, there may be room to adjust the initial salary offer or job title but not other things.
5. When you propose your salary and desired terms to negotiate, do not talk. Wait for the response and don’t make it feel like it’s all about your needs and wants. It’s good to explain how they will benefit from hiring you.
6. Once you receive an offer, show your enthusiasm for the job and ask how long you have to evaluate the offer. Consider the whole deal. Don’t just focus on money but on the value of the entire deal: responsibilities, location, travel, flexibility in work hours, opportunities for growth and promotion, perks, support for continued education etc.
7. Negotiate multiple issues simultaneously. Help them understand why you deserve what you are requesting but don’t make demands, you can questions instead to make the conversation feel like win-win for both parties. You can form your request as a question. For example, if asking for a higher salary, you may say: “Based on my current skillset, I was expecting a higher starting salary. Is there a possibility increase?” once they worked on it, respond with thanks and don’t just say there are two other things you’d like. If you ask for only one thing initially, they may assume that getting it will make you ready to accept the offer.
8. Don’t negotiate just to negotiate. It’s definitely worth negotiating if something is important to you but negotiating over every little thing may harm in longer run and may affect people the wrong way and limit your ability to negotiate where it matters more.
