Best 3 Ways to Successfully Negotiate a Salary
But he points out that, generally, the higher you go with respect to compensation, the more realistic professionals tend to be about their market value. This could be because they have more experience, learned from mistakes they have made, and have held enough jobs to have a good understanding of fair compensation. Morley offers these five tips to help understand your worth and negotiate for it with confidence:
1. Be realistic about your experience.
"You need to be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do," Morley says. For example, you may be tempted to apply for a job that is offering a $60,000 salary, even if you don't meet the job requirements. One major part of being realistic about what you can make is being realistic about what skills you can bring to the table.
2. Do your research.
"There are a variety of salary surveys that you as an individual can access over the Internet," Morley says. Research professional industry associations and HR Web sites. He also suggests browsing job postings and classified ads. While ads don't always list salaries, you can often get ideas of a pay range companies are willing to offer.
3. Be methodical in your decision making.
Use a simple list-making method, Morley suggests. On a piece of paper, write down all the things that are important to you in order of their rank. While cash for most is king, having a short commute and good medical benefits might matter more than a few extra dollars. Or perhaps you'd be willing to trade a couple thousand dollars for more vacation time. Having this knowledge about yourself, the market and your personal needs will give you the confidence to negotiate effectively. Write down your desired salary and the benefits you most desire. Be ready to play hardball, but give yourself a little wiggle room. That way if you have to negotiate, you can still achieve your bottom line total compensation goal.
