SALARY NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUES

It's always best to discern if you want the job before any offers are extended. This allows you to understand if the job specifics fit your needs. If you're not simply in it for the money, a small salary increase likely won't persuade you to accept a position that isn't ideal otherwise.

The phrase "bottom line" refers to the amount of money you feel is required to take the job offer. If, for example, you really want $76,000 but would consider $75,000 or accept $74,000, you haven't established your bottom line. Your bottom line is the dollar figure you would walk away from. Picking a bottom line clarifies your sense of worth and prevents an uncertain bargaining session.

I don't recommend "negotiating" an offer in the conventional sense, where a company makes a proposal, and you counter it, they counter your counter, and so on. This style of back-and-forth debate is typical for bargaining a real estate transaction, but job offers should be more straightforward.

Here's the technique: prior to salary negotiations, come up with your lowest acceptable number and stick to it. If they offer you more than that, terrific. If the company offers you a below-average salary, you can either reject their offer or reveal your lowest acceptable salary as a condition of acceptance. After that, they can choose to increase their offer or leave. And, once you know the final offer, you can avoid haggling, which often leads to frustration and negative emotions.

Differentiating between what you need and what you want will make the job-changing process go much smoother, whether you have a recruiter or not. Having set conditions that are nonnegotiable will never be met with accusations of being indecisive later on.

Requesting a salary that meets your needs does not have to be difficult. If you feel the need to justify your request, you can list any financial losses resulting from benefits, geographic location, and car expenses.

Additional criteria may need to be met before an offer can be accepted. Factors such as the new job title, evaluation periods, working hours, vacation allotment, and career opportunities are critical and should not be overlooked.

This approach allows you to measure every aspect or "point" that must be met as a requirement for agreement. If you and the company agree upon every detail, you won't have to haggle over additional points later. Understanding your bottom line helps you get what want because you can identify a set of conditions that need to be met for acceptance.