Negotiating a new jobs salary

If you have been offered a new job it’s important to keep in mind that you shouldn’t try to rush things, if you are looking to receive the maximum amount of pay. When you are going into the interview you should be prepared for anything that may get thrown your way, including numbers or questions of how much you think your worth. If the interviewer brings number directly to you in the interview you may want to ask for more time to think about the offer, this will help take the pressure off of you and give you time to think about it with a  clear mind. Many times an interviewer will ask you what you feel you will be worth, so you should go into the interview prepared to answer this question. The best response to this question is to turn it around and place it back on them, by asking what kind of salary range they had in mind for the particular position. If you are already employed and just looking to see if you can find a better job offer out there you may want to include a basic number in your salary requirements, to get this number you should calculate your current pay and also include all your other benefits that you receive. Once you come up with this number you should then add a little more onto it, to give yourself some extra bargaining room.

Note: If you are desperately looking for a job this may not be the best method for you to use. However if you don’t  necessarily need the job, you may also consider turning down the job, they may comeback to you with a better offer.

Negotiating a raise with your current position

If you already have a job but feel that you deserve a pay raise you should get yourself well prepared before going in and asking, as your boss will certainly question why you feel you deserve a raise. You should be able to present your case clearly to your boss, you should have an idea of what others in your field of work are getting paid, as well as the average experience level, and responsibilities. If needed you should be able to present some examples of the research you have conducted, only present this if necessary.

Here is a list of bargaining tools and tips, you should consider before going in and asking for a raise:

1.Examine what your experience and skills are, as well as what you bring to the company. Then take a look around to find out what others in the same line of work are getting paid. If it looks favorable for you to get more money, this will be a strong argument when it comes time to ask.

2.Keep in mind some of the other benefits you maybe receiving if you are specifically interested in getting paid more you may be able to use some of them as bargaining tools. If you are interested in other benefits rather than receive more money, you should bring that to the table as well, you could ask for anything from more time off, to increase benefits such as healthcare or a better pension.

Some other negotiating tools you may want to consider using, if you know other in the industry you could offer your employer some business contacts. You may also consider suggesting performance based salary increases, this shows the employer that you are willing to put in the extra effort but you would like to be rewarded for your troubles.

Consequences

Unfortunately things may not always go as planned. If you are negotiating for a new job you may lose out to another candidate who has just as many qualifications as you but is willing to accept a lower salary. If you are asking for a pay raise, does your company risk you leaving? If they do how much will it take for them to replace you?

As you might imagine whoever has the most to gain in these deals will likely lose out on the negotiation, as they will have quite an uphill battle to deal with. There are many other factors that make this a difficult situation to judge as well, so if you do go into this negotiation process you should keep an open mind and try to be flexible about these things.

Last but not least if you are able to close the deal make sure that you get it down in writing, and that it’s signed by both of you. This will make it harder to go back on at a later date. Also be sure that you don’t overlook anything in the process, (e.g. if it’s a new job will you have to relocate?). There of course are always other factors that you may need to consider that are special to your situation, but make sure that you consider every angle before going into the process and certainly before you settle on a deal.