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Salary Negotiations — Know What You’re Worth
By Geo Lucas | Career Tips
By Mir Garvy Haynes
Most jobseekers don’t realize that almost half of all employers expect to negotiate salaries. But if you are interviewing for a job and you don’t initiate or pursue salary negotiations, you could be throwing away thousands of dollars.
Think of it this way: a higher starting salary pays you now and pays you later. You’ll get more cash up front and your annual raises will be based on the higher starting salary.
Put aside your notions that negotiating is simply asking for more money. Think of it as a process that benefits both parties. You get paid an amount you like, and your new employer gets a happy new recruit.
Because money seems like the biggest factor in accepting a job, exactly how much you’ll be bringing home can cloud your thinking when trying to decide whether or not to accept a job offer. I hope you never accept a job that you’re not enthusiastic about simply because the starting salary is a few thousand dollars higher than what you’re currently making. It’s more important to find a job that lets you do something you enjoy, and that puts your career on an upward path with long-range income potential.
Since salary discussions usually don’t happen unless you’re a serious candidate, you’re already in a position of strength. Ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen.
You’ll be in an even stronger position of strength if you know what fair pay for your new job is. One of the easiest ways to find out salary information is online. Here are the best websites offering solid salary information.
Tip: When using sites like Payscale.com and Salary.com, compare job responsibilities, not job titles. A job title can mean different things at different companies.
Lastly, if you are relocating, part of your research should include cost-of-living adjustments. You’ll find the CNN Money Calculator is helpful for that.
Being educated about what other people earn at different companies, different occupations, in different parts of the country, you’ll be more confident and realistic in your negotiations.
When you negotiate salary in a job interview, you may not get all that you’re asking for. You may get only some — but that’s more than you started with. It’s extremely rare that a job offer is rescinded simply because you asked for more money.
So, dive in when asked about salary expectations. If you have a positive attitude and keep your tone friendly and civil rather than aggressive and demanding, chances are you and your new employer will reach a win/win solution.
Note: This article was originally published in www.linkedin.com/pulse/salary-negotiations-know-what-youre-worth-mir-garvy-haynes
About Mir Garvy Haynes, M.S.
RTP Résumés
Not getting interviews? It’s not you. It’s your resume. Mir Garvy Haynes has written over 1,500 resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn makeovers across diverse industries. Mir holds a master’s degree in Technical Communication from North Carolina State University, is a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication, and a member of the National Resume Writers’ Association. Her resumes have been used to land jobs at SAS, Cisco, WakeMed, Duke University, GlaxoSmithKline, and more. She is also a sought-after speaker on topics related to job searching, resumes, and LinkedIn optimization.
At Lucas Select, based in Raleigh, NC, we are passionate about technology startups and about sales and marketing as professions and have built extensive national networks of top-performing executives and managers. Unlike typical staffing agencies and headhunters, our recruiting services ensure that your company maintains a sustained growth model that is supported by strong sales management, talent recruitment at scale balanced by on-going people development while aligning with your Company’s core values.
Geo Lucas has 20+ years experience in sales, staffing and consulting with B2B technology-based companies.