Negotiating your salary with your boss or an interviewer could, admittedly, be an awkward experience. The interview goes on smoothly until the question ‘how much would you like us to pay you?’ pops up, and your heart freezes for a second. Negotiating your salary is your right, and you must utilize it effectively. The golden question is, ‘how?’
It is incredible that many employees would rather not negotiate their salaries. According to a Salary.com survey, 18% of respondents have never discussed their salary terms both as job applicants and an employee. A major factor responsible for this is the fear of asking for too much or too little.
Here are 9 proven tips you need to bear in mind the next time you negotiate a higher salary, whether as a fresh graduate or as an experienced professional.
Know your worth
Here is the best way to start a negotiation of a new job on the right foot. Before the bargain, make some inquiries on how much your service is worth in the locality or in the organization you’re applying to. To see what the average salary for your job title, location and years of experience, try using sites like Payscale or Glassdoor.
Another good way to see the expected salary is to look at job postings on WUZZUF, and see what employers are offering in terms of salary for similar positions. With such information, you give your interviewer the impression that you’re not a novice and you know what you deserve.
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Ignore the Past, Face the Future
Most interviewers capitalize on your past salaries to ascertain how much they should offer you. It is needless to lie if you’re asked how much you earned at your former workplace. If you feel as though they underpaid you at your last position, try mentioning your target salary instead.
In this regard, Amira Amin, one of our expert Wuzzuf Coaches, “When you request a figure that doesn’t fall within the same bracket as your previous salary, you should expertly make them understand your reasons behind stating this targeted salary by showing the relevance of your experience, your key skills and how they all relate to the position, and how competent you will be in carrying out the main responsibilities, as well as your capacity in delivering above expectations.”
Don’t be too Exact
Based on the research you do, be confident whenever you have to tell your interviewer or your boss about your expected salary. Don’t let the fear of appearing indecisive push you to just a state an exact number of which you are not sure. It’s actually more recommended to inform your interviewer or boss about your expected salary in the form of a range. However, “make it a reasonable range,” says Amira Amin, our Career Coach, “for instance, don’t say that ‘you are expecting a range between 4000 to 7000’. It’s a very wide range”.
When you state your salary range, you should take many factors into consideration, your level of experience, company location.. etc. Having considered all such factors, name a reasonable range (e.g. from EGP 4000 to 5000), bearing in mind that the lower amount is the bare minimum you would accept.
Don’t Push Too Hard
A common pitfall to avoid is pushing too hard. Whether you are negotiating your initial salary or asking for a raise, you should know your limits. Although you should be in charge of the negotiation, pushing too hard sends the wrong signals to your boss.
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Instead of insisting over and over again that you work too hard for not enough pay, you can keep it positive with an opening like, “considering the increased responsibilities attached to my office in recent times, I was wondering if I could get a fresh review of my salary.”
Ask for more than you actually want
Nothing is too much. Feel free to name a lot more than what you would eventually settle for. You can bet that your recruiter would always want to beat it down, but again, as per our previous point, don’t push too hard but also don’t be afraid they will rescind the offer based on what you’ve asked for a salary. Most of the time, they will simply let you know what the most they are allowed to offer for the position.
Insist, but not too harshly
When negotiating salary for a new position, employers want to see if you can negotiate a little longer before conceding to your price. You have to be firm to be convincing. However, you should do it gently so you don’t want to sound rude or aggressive. For example, begin by complimenting their offer like: “Thank you for this offer, it’s a great start but…”
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You could get ‘No’ for an answer
Negotiating your salary is still a negotiation like any other to which you might get a “yes” or “no”. No matter how much you are interested in the job, you have to negotiate for a “win-win” situation, so you would be satisfied as you are doing this job you are trying to land. You don’t want to accept a salary you would later regret, do you?
However, if the salary you named is going to be a deal breaker, you might need to compromise a bit and show your interviewer or boss that your interest in such position is more important to you.
Who Says You Can’t Walk Away?
You can! When all techniques fail and your recruiter refuses to raise the figures to your standard, you could politely say ‘no’ to the job rather than haggling endlessly, especially if other factors are not as compensatory.
Remember that how much you take home depends on your power of negotiation. Try these practical tips, and you will find yourself earning more! If need more expert career advice to ace this question in your next interview, along with other questions, WUZZUF Career Coaches will be glad to help you!
