Many of us are applying for jobs whether it is because you hate your current job and want out, you want to move up, you are relocating, have been laid off, or you just graduated and are entering the professional world for the first time. Every one of you has something special to bring to the table. When applying for jobs you need to know from the start what your salary limit is. What I mean by salary limit is how low are you willing to go in terms of getting paid. There is no point in applying for a job wasting YOUR time and THEIR time if they are not going to pay you the minimum you expect to be getting paid.
Of course negotiating pay is for those with experience. If you are just starting your professional career your focus should be on which company is going to build the strongest foundation for you so that later on when you do have experience/expertise you have opened many doors for yourself to move up and out into another competitive big name company and make those big bucks. My BEST advice for you and anyone that does not have professional experience or is a novice to the field you are applying to if you have two job offers and one pays 60 grand and the other 45 grand but the 60 grand company is a small name company and the 45 grand company is a big name company GO FOR THE 45 GRAND option! Trust me! The pay off will be greater in the future! Focus on building your resume! Many people make this mistake because they are focused on instant gratification. They want the money and they want it now! It's a big mistake. Truly.
Now back to my experienced folks going for that next job. You have experience. KNOW YOUR WORTH. You need to be prepared. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! I can't stress this enough. Do you know the percentage of how many people actually negotiate salary when they receive a job offer? Not very high! It's about 35% and ladies we are the worst statistically! Main thing you need to do as the interviewee is do your homework. Get on the internet and research about your company find out how much people are making in positions similar to you. How much is the average pay in general for the position you are interviewing for not just in your company but in the job market. Research HOW TO NEGOTIATE salary if you are not a good negotiator or not sure what to say!! Make an outline. Have it ready for when you possibly get that phone call so you don't forget why you are so great that you deserve more than they are offering you! Most employers are offering you less than they can afford to give you from the get go because they are expecting you will negotiate salary. They have already created a cushion for themselves. Yes, they are clever. So it's money you just lost by not asking! The worst they can say is no. It's NOT a big deal. They want YOU. That is why they are calling and offering YOU the position and not the others. Get the thoughts out of your head of: "I don't want to be demanding", "thousands of people applied for this job", "I'm sure there are others that would take this position for the salary they are offering" ect. Those are irrelevant at this point. You were recruited for a reason! You have expertise that others cannot bring to the table! This is your time to brag! So speak up! Tell this HR rep how amazing you are and what you are going to bring to this company and why you should be paid more. THEY ARE EXPECTING YOU WILL NEGOTIATE. They are already prepared, don't miss your opportunity!! I can't stress it enough. Be prepared!
Ok, so you did your thing and told them how great you are and what you will bring to the table and they will not budge on salary. This is not when you give up and just accept the job. There are PLENTY of things you can negotiate and SHOULD negotiate such as: benefits (effect date? most companies start 30 days after hire date. Negotiate for start ON start day), sign on bonuses, relocation assistance, bonuses (yearly), severance (not for everyone), education allowance, professional development money, opportunities for advancement, technical support (if you need to learn new computer programs ect.), work schedule, and your start date. Nurses, this is especially important for us because the majority of hospitals are unionized so our pay is fixed by years of experience. This is when the other factors come into play. Negotiate away and don't forget to mention all your certifications!
Now, you have got this amazing job. You negotiated your salary amongst other things on the list and now you are 5 years into your job and you find out the Sarah your coworker who has the same education and experience as you is getting paid significantly higher than you. You have a problem with that and want to approach your manager about it. Research suggests the BEST WAY of handling this situation is NOT to go to your manager and say, "I found out from Sarah that I am making X amount less than she is and thats not fair". Let me tell you something if you didn't know already. THE WORLD IS NOT FAIR. That argument is invalid and it will put your manager in defense mode and more than likely work against you than for you. There are many reasons that Sarah maybe getting paid more than you such as: maybe Sarah negotiated pay and you didn't or maybe you got a sign on bonus and Sarah did not. These are just examples. The best way to approach this issue is to go to your manager and talk about how you feel that you work very hard and that you excel in your field (listing examples of course) and you feel that your pay is not up to market value (of course you should know your market value!). This tends to result in better outcomes. I can't promise it will result in a salary change but research suggests this is the best way to do it for those who have been successful in getting a raise.
Many people are uncomfortable negotiating salary or money in general. The philosophy is "I should just be happy I got offered the position". Well ya, you should be happy but, you should also know your worth. You have been selected for a reason and you deserve to defend that and ask for what you are worth. This is not a taboo. Employers are expecting you to negotiate. If you don't, they win; and statistically they do win, approximately 65% of the time. So go out there! Get that job! Most importantly, know your worth!
A good book to read for my readers out there:
"Getting to Yes" by Robert Fisher and William Ury
Some helpful links:
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/about/administration/careers/documents/SalaryNegotiation.pdf
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/08/05/negotiating-your-salary-in-a-difficult-economy/
http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-professor-gives-tips-on-negotiating-2013-8
Happy job hunting!
Until next time.
-Norah
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