Successful Salary Negotiation for a New Job. Guide

Unobvious reasons to negotiate a higher salary

How does the whole process look like? When is the best moment to bring up this question? Apart from crafting a good pitch about their skills and experience, job seekers need to prepare different salary negotiation tactics. If you managed to catch the hiring manager’s attention and the company seriously considers you as a potential employee, don’t be afraid to clear things up on the spot.

In case you’re not happy with some terms and conditions of the contract, don’t brush this concern off. Otherwise, your dissatisfaction will be accumulating and building on. As a result, various doubts distract you from performing assigned tasks as good as you can. Thus, your productivity and engagement with the new position may dramatically decrease.
No one is going to read your mind unless you openly say what you want. Jooble specialists have prepared some tips on how to do salary negotiation successfully.

Is it too late to negotiate salary after accepting an offer?

The short answer is no. Think about the whole process this way. Once you have been chosen among many candidates, potential employers are very aware of your knowledge and skills. They appreciate them and want to apply to new and already existing projects. The company has already gone far in searching for the most suitable person. It spent a lot of time on multiple interview stages with many people, and so did you. Understanding this background should boost your decisiveness to discuss salary expectations.

However, the timing of your demand is crucial. It’s too late to ask for an immediate raise once you have already started the job. If the person signed up the contract and all the related data went to the system, such a request wouldn’t look serious in the least. Experts say a good time to ask is either during the final interview or after accepting the offer but before the work starts. Thus, you get the highest chance to increase your base salary.

Key factors to crack the crafty salary negotiation in interviews

Let’s not rest on the laurels too early. No one is irreplaceable, especially for the human resources and hiring managers with tight budgets. That’s why it is so crucial to master your negotiation skills. Without a profound and clear-cut explanation of why you’re worth more, no one will take your request seriously. Here is a fearless salary negotiation strategy you could use.

Back your proposal with facts and figures

  • Research to figure out the salary range for the offered position

Start with your geographic location and then switch to nationwide mode. If you’re about to work in the international and highly competitive niche, look over the salary range in the leading companies across the world. It is necessary to find up-to-date information on how much companies from your industry are ready to pay for the tasks you are offered to perform. 

  • Align collected information with your education and experience

Keep in mind that company representatives have already heard about your brilliant achievements. Therefore, don’t repeat yourself entirely. Give the potential employers a clear understanding that you can help them achieve business goals easier and faster. How? By providing specific examples when your expertise, connections, skills, and background played a crucial role for the company. Make them as relevant to the current needs of future employers as possible. Don’t miss the chance to show you’re already aware of the business processes and challenges of the company. Show your interest to contribute to its growth. Prepare some unique selling points, such as fast-learning skills and creative approaches to problem-solving.

  • Research the current economic situation

We are not living in a vacuum. Even if your sphere is now thriving, the whole economy might not. Your offered salary can soon become insufficient in the wake of inflation or exchange fluctuations. Numerous Covid restrictions (that might not disappear entirely in the foreseeable future) also affect our expenses. Have a look at the market trends in your industry. If the overall demand for your skills is rising, it’s also a good argument why your paying rate should be higher. Figures always sound more plausible than words. Also, the new company will see your proposals are well-prepared. Thus, you also gain the reputation of a person who appreciates other people’s time.

Be ready to bargain

  • Figure out how much the company is ready to pay

There is no perfect moment to communicate money questions with potential employers. The irony is, you still have to find one. Sure, the best-case scenario is when the other side raises the point itself. Thus, you get information about its readiness to negotiate and current financial capacities. To make the conversation more fruitful, try to figure out how much the company pays to its current employees on average. Get in touch with them via LinkedIn or try other networking methods to obtain some first-hand experience. 

  • Get in touch with the companies from the same niche

If this idea doesn’t seem to be plausible, talk to recruiters from other companies operating in the same niche as yours. They know what candidates with your background can count on. Recruiters often call first, so this time don’t roll the eyes.  Ask them questions about the position’s tasks and payment. If you managed to figure out what salary the company expects to pay for your job – kudos! You nailed this stage. If a potential employer gave you at least a rough idea about the budgeted money, consider that as a win too. 

Consider alternatives

If a salary offer is not the only thing bothering you, better discuss all your concerns at once. Otherwise, the hiring manager can get an impression you’re inconsistent. Prioritize demands and prepare to sacrifice some of them if necessary. 

It’s also good to be open to alternatives. If the company can compensate you for certain extra expenditures instead of raising the salary, don’t say ‘’no’’ immediately. Ask potential employers more questions about possible alternatives. They will also help you understand the inner processes better and decide if this company is a good fit for you. More flexible vacation time? Great. Is the company ready to cover some moving expenses? Awesome. Does your potential employer encourage learning in the workplace? Perfect. Don’t refuse to consider these unobvious perks. 

On the other hand, make sure to anchor them in your contract. Salary caps are still here, so sometimes the other side isn’t deadly stubborn. It simply can’t offer you exactly what you need. Consider side hustles and how to balance them with the primary job until things get clear.

Salary negotiation do’s and don’ts

dos and donts of salary negotiation

Congratulations! You got a job offer! If you’re already on cloud nine, opening a champagne bottle, there is no need to read this article till the end. If job conditions are currently meeting your expectations, don’t get plagued with the idea to bargain things just for the sake of bargaining. Interacting with colleagues and bosses are unthinkable without flexibility and negotiating. So, you will have plenty of occasions to practice these skills. 

Salary negotiation is a good idea if you see room for further discussion and have a list of telling arguments. Otherwise, don’t outwear the patience of your potential employers. As we mentioned before, no one will guess what you want unless you tell it openly and clearly. Consider different salary negotiation role-play scenarios. How would you behave under various circumstances? Make a plan B. What if you will have to write a salary negotiation email? Expressing your thoughts in the letter may be easier, but what if it’s not your case?

Take into account cultural differences. People talk about money in various ways. Some of them are more straightforward, while the others are meandering and tricky. Successful salary negotiation is a sophisticated art. However, thanks to a well-prepared strategy, you will get what you want at your new workplace.

Published on: 28 October 2021