When it comes to salary negotiations, you may think it\u2019s a winner-takes-all situation. Or, you may think that the employer holds all the cards and you\u2019re at their mercy. While it may feel that way, that\u2019s usually not the case!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salary negotiations<\/a> should be a flexible, collaborative process based on facts and figures, not emotions and desires. Of course, for many, that\u2019s easier said than done! But staying calm, cool, and collected during salary negotiations will help you reach a mutually satisfactory agreement with the employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re negotiating in real time or over email, or as a potential new employee or a current one, here are a few phrases to help you keep things on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some companies have strict pay bands they have to follow. Others have smaller budgets and little to no room to negotiate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing is, you won\u2019t know unless you ask! When negotiating your salary with an employer, ask if the pay range is flexible. You might get a “yes,” “no,” or “maybe,” but knowing whether or not the employer has any flexibility can help guide how you approach the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researching the average salary<\/a> for your position before you start negotiating helps you better position your arguments. You should know the market rate for your title, as well as the market rate for someone with your skill set, years of experience, and even your location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you frame your points with research, it demonstrates that you understand the overall market in your industry and aren\u2019t pulling numbers out of thin air. And it shows you\u2019re basing your request on objective facts and statistics, not your desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The job description seemed like the perfect match for you, and after learning about it, it still is. However, you\u2019ve also learned it requires more travel or technical skills, for example, than you realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You still want the role but have a different idea of what the compensation should be. Explain that because there\u2019s more of [X] involved, you think [Y] would be the right salary. Even if you discussed salary early on and cited a lower pay range or the pay range was disclosed in the job posting, you can still invoke this phrase (along with specific details) to lead into why you should be paid more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A salary negotiation shouldn\u2019t be a battle of wills to see who wins. It should be a collaborative process between employer and employee (or potential new employee) to come to a mutually agreeable salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While money is important and may be the deciding factor for you, when you talk about your excitement for the role, you\u2019re making it clear that your motivation for applying and accepting is about more than just dollar signs. You\u2019re signaling that you\u2019re truly interested in the role because of everything<\/em> it has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because a salary negotiation should exclude emotions, stay away from words like \u201cwant\u201d or \u201cneed.\u201d Though you may want or need a specific salary, stating it bluntly (“I need [X] salary to work for you”) could be a real turn-off to the employer and might even come across as adversarial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though \u201ccomfortable\u201d may also imply want or need, it\u2019s a less aggressive word and can help reinforce that you\u2019re willing to work with the employer and be flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter what the offer is or where you are in the negotiating process, asking for some time to think about it gives you a chance to walk away and evaluate the whole package<\/a>. Even if the offer seems like it\u2019s beyond your wildest dreams, it may not be once you take a step back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking a day or two to consider things and dig into the details can give you a chance to respond thoughtfully and professionally. And if the employer says no, consider that a red flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While salary is likely a significant consideration for you<\/a>, sometimes employers just can\u2019t go any higher on salary. Fortunately, there\u2019s more to compensation than money<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider asking for extra vacation time, flexible hours, or anything else that is as valuable (or more valuable) to you than salary. You might be surprised what the employer is willing to negotiate on outside of pay, so give it a shot! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Salary negotiation of any kind should always be rooted in facts and figures, not desires and emotions. Choosing the right words and phrases can help you stay objective and open-minded throughout the process, increasing the odds that you and the employer both walk away from negotiations satisfied.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Using phrases like “My research shows…” can help you stay confident when negotiating your salary. Here’s what to say to gain the salary you deserve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":25853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"old-site-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salary-and-benefit-negotiation","category-job-search-advice"],"last_modified_at":"","edited_by":"Jessica Howington","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25818"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25994,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25818\/revisions\/25994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What to Say During Salary Negotiations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Is that number flexible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. My research shows\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Now that I know more about the position\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. I am excited by this opportunity\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. I would be more comfortable with\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Can I have a few days to think about it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. What about [X] instead?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Facts and Figures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n