Negotiating a Job Offer: Do's and Don'ts

Salary negotiation is the one part of the hiring process that people on both sides of the table look forward to it about as much as a root canal.

The key to successful negotiations, I think, is to take emotions out of the process as much as possible. Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you, as a job-seeker, make an effective, objective argument during the process.

Do:

• Research salaries and benefits for similar positions,  and use this to frame the discussion
• Visit the institution’s HR site to understand  what benefits are offered and the costs of these benefits. Even though many job seekers don’t consider the costs of their benefits, the employer has no choice but to pay for your benefits. They don’t come from thin air, and today, costs of healthcare have especially impacted the bottom line.
• Consider the level of experience you have and  be open to hearing what range they can  reasonably offer. One way to do this is to ask how they came up with the offer, and how they factored in your previous experience.
• Give examples of your experience, and how  you will apply it in the job to earn the salary.

Don’t

• Talk about your financial needs, debts, or your “ego” needs for a certain salary level (These are your problems, not theirs.)
• Compare your potential salary to that of other people you know at other institutions (they are not hiring these people) in other regions (cost of living varies) or other industries (student affairs salaries do not compare with corporate salaries.)
• Get angry, act as if you have been insulted, cry, or threaten to walk away (they won’t care if you act that way, anyway.)

Another piece of advice: always ask for time to think the offer through, and a get a solid deadline for getting back to the employer. Even if you want a job, you’ll probably feel better knowing you did your best to be fairly compensated, and you won’t second-guess your decision and feel you “sold yourself short.”