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During my last job hunt, I discovered that a lot of people don’t negotiate their salary. I know, it’s not the most fun part of a job interview but it could result in thousands more dollars in your pocket. Without further adieu, here are seven proven steps on how to negotiate a higher salary at a new job.
If you’re looking for a new job, it’s likely that your salary will play a big role in your decision. You want to be sure that you’re getting paid what you’re worth, but asking for more money can be tough.
Here are some tips on how to negotiate a higher salary at a new job:
- Do your research: Before starting the interview process, do some research into the average salary for someone with your qualifications in your area. If there’s an opportunity to talk about compensation during the interview, start by asking what similar candidates have been offered—and then use this information as a jumping-off point for negotiations.
- Be prepared: When it comes time for negotiations, be prepared with several reasons why you deserve more money than they’ve offered so far—and ways that they could benefit from paying more. For example, if the company has been struggling financially recently and needs all the help it can get, this might be a good time to mention how much more productive you’ll be if you have more resources at hand (or how much smarter decisions could be made if everyone on staff has access to their own computers). If there’s room within the budget but not enough space without cutting other expenses first (like payroll), this might
How to negotiate a higher salary at a new job
Do your research.
Before you go into your meeting, make sure that you have done your research. You should know what the going rate for jobs similar to yours is and how much other employees in similar positions are making. There are several ways to do this research:
- Look at salary surveys and advertisements. A quick internet search will reveal quite a bit of information about how much employers will pay for certain jobs. When looking at advertisements, keep in mind that they usually advertise their ideal candidates rather than real people who were hired. Also, make sure to take note of any requirements or qualifications listed on these job postings—they may be important factors when negotiating salary after being offered the position (e.g., “Must have five years’ experience as a programmer”).
- Check job boards/career websites like [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/) and [CareerBuilder](https://www2-10-1-1infinity3infinity3infinity3infinity3infinity3i1i1i1i1i1/catalogsearch_results) for current salaries in different regions of the country (this is especially helpful if it’s an industry where salaries vary widely depending on location). It’s also worth checking out Glassdoor reviews from employees who work at companies similar to yours; some companies post average salaries for open positions on their sites too!
Put your must-haves in writing.
Before you start negotiating, write down what your must-haves are. What do you need to be successful in the role? Is it money? A specific title? The opportunity for growth? Be as detailed as possible, and don’t be afraid to be honest about what will make you happy.
It’s also important to identify why those things matter to you. If money is a must-have for example, consider how much less stressful your life could be if it were less of a concern. Asking yourself this question forces you to look at your future outside of just today’s problems and gives context for why certain things might be important to have on paper when negotiating with someone else.
After putting together a list of must-haves, think about any compromises that might need making in order for the employer or organization providing them with what they want most (the job). If there’s flexibility in terms of location or schedule but not salary range then maybe it’s worth considering these options instead because they won’t affect how much time goes into work after hours since both parties are getting what they came looking for at fair value within reason.”
Create a list of possible reasons why you deserve more money.
Before you begin negotiations, create a list of reasons why you deserve more money. This list should include:
- The salary range that is market-appropriate for your job title, based on your research and the data from Glassdoor’s Salary Explorer tool.
- Your value as an employee and how it compares to other candidates who are being paid in that range.
- Any additional value that you could bring to the company (e.g., a new skillet or project management experience).
- Whether or not you would accept a lower salary for better benefits (e.g., free lunch, gym reimbursement).
Don’t verbalize your salary requirements too soon.
This is a pretty common question from employers, and it’s not one you should jump at answering. In fact, you shouldn’t give a number at all. The results of this negotiation tactic can be disastrous if you’re too eager to name a number early on (especially if your expectations are unreasonable).
Instead of naming a salary requirement, say something like: “I’d be happy with any amount that helps the company stay competitive in this market.” Or better yet: “We’ll talk more about that when we’ve had time to get to know each other better.”
Stay calm and confident.
- Stay calm and confident. As you’re sitting across from your potential employer, it’s important to maintain a level head throughout the conversation. This may mean that you need to breathe in deeply and count backwards from 10—or even recite a calming mantra (like “calm” or “confidence”). Keep in mind that your body language is also an important part of this equation: stay seated upright with feet flat on the floor rather than cross legged or slumped over. Also take note of how comfortable you look when answering questions; if sitting makes you uneasy, be sure to move around every so often so as not to appear rigid.
- Listen well without interrupting too much—and don’t forget about asking questions yourself! During negotiations, it can be easy for two people trying to reach an agreement on salary or other details of employment conditions when they are both speaking at once without much regard for what each other is saying; however, this isn’t likely how successful negotiations go down in real life (or any other scenario). In order for both parties involved in this process from start until finish feel good about themselves afterward (which includes feeling as though they’ve been heard), I encourage all readers who are currently going through this process themselves right now as well as those who aren’t but have already experienced something similar before–it doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about negotiating higher salaries or selling used cars down at our local dealership here on Main Street–to take some time out during their regular day-to-day activities where no one else will hear them except maybe our dog Pluto if he happens
Keep your stories short, but effective.
When negotiating a new salary, it’s important to know what the company is looking for. In most cases, this means you’re probably being hired to solve a problem and fill a role that wasn’t previously filled. If, for example, you were hired as an SEO expert who will help grow their search traffic by 50% on Google within 12 months, then you need to be prepared with your story about how you’ll do that; think about how many keywords they want to rank for organically and what kind of content they should create in order to accomplish this goal. You also need to follow up with specific questions: What type of content? How often? How long will it take? You might even suggest potential partners who could help them achieve these goals faster—but only if it makes sense (i.e., there’s no reason why they would have already thought of this).
Make it about the company, not you (at first).
The first thing you want to do is show them how valuable your experience will be to their organization. This is where some research and preparation come in handy. You can do this by providing examples of specific skills you have that are relevant to the role, or even just explaining what you’ve accomplished in your previous roles. For example, say you are applying for a sales position at an e-commerce site: “I believe my experience negotiating with vendors will help drive revenue for the company because I have negotiated lower prices on shipping costs more than once in my past job.”
Another way would be if you have direct experience working on projects similar to theirs: “In my current job as a marketing associate at Company X, I worked closely with social media influencers who were able to reach new audiences through sponsored content campaigns. We were able to increase our Facebook following by over 20% during this time period.”
Be willing to walk away from the job if need be.
You should be ready to walk away from the job if you don’t get what you want, but don’t let that stop you from negotiating in the first place. If the salary is not right, there are other things to negotiate about: travel expenses, flexible hours, health care and pension contributions are just a few examples of other benefits that can be negotiated.
Just remember that negotiation works best when both parties come out as winners. Don’t try to win at all costs and burn bridges with your new employer because they might need someone like you again someday!
Negotiating is a balance between confidence and humility.
There’s a fine line between confidence and humility. When it comes to negotiating for a higher salary, you need to walk that line. Negotiation is an art, and it’s important to know when and how to be humble when asking for more money. But it’s also important not to get too humble in the process—you need the confidence that you can actually do your job well enough that they’ll want to pay what you’re worth.
So how do you find this balance? Practice. You might feel awkward at first trying this out in real life, but practice makes perfect!
