Salary Negotiation

One of the most anxious moments of a job search is that moment when the job offer is made and the salary is far less than you had anticipated. You are left with the dilemma of saying nothing and receiving less than your worth or making an observation on the salary without having your facts at hand at which point you risk alienating your prospective employer. Before you enter the interview itself prepare yourself for the possibility of a salary negotiation scenario.

The following is a list of the steps you must take to prepare effectively:

Complete extensive research on your salary expectations, benchmarking against industry standards.

Perform research using tools such as salary.com, which can provide the detailed information you are looking for.

As your prepare for your interview detail your strengths and experience, your successes and achievements, these are your greatest bargaining chip. Demonstrate how these achievements will effectively contribute at your new organization.

Look at the added benefits being offered such as Stock Options, Compensation Packages, Pension, Health Insurance, Bonus and Holidays amongst others as they have added worth.

If you are relocating for this new position look at the expenses that have to be incurred including travel expenses, temporary housing arrangements, and relocation expenses. These needs to be considered as you negotiate your salary. At the interview itself it is important that you wait until the employer mentions the salary first, doing so first will reflect badly on your interview etiquette. Avoid entering into the salary negotiations until you have the complete picture of what is involved so that you have a solid base from where to negotiate from. Once your employer has made the initial offer, you may provide the salary range in line with the position you are seeking. The employer will quickly see that you have performed your research and have your facts. Don¡¦t raise your current salary so that you may inflate the salary requirements for the new position. Your employer will quickly determine that you have been untruthful and your credibility will be destroyed. You are in no way obligated to accept the first offer just because you feel it is the correct thing to do, your dissatisfaction will quickly turn to resentment which will lead to an unhappy working environment. This is why extensive research must be performed so that you are in a confident position as you begin your negotiations. Becoming agitated or aggressive will irreparably damage the carefully cultivated image that has been presented to the employer thus far. Be positive at all time and focus on the salary rather than the situation. Finally ensure that once you have reached agreement with the employer that you request confirmation of the salary in writing, effectively closing the deal.