How to Negotiate a Higher Salary

Negotiating a higher salary is the last but trickiest part of securing a new job or keeping yourself happy in your current one. By negotiating a higher salary, you and your employer are letting each other know what the expectations are in terms of workload and compensation. With information and preparation, you will be able to negotiate for the higher salary you want and achieve positive results.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Research what the market rate is for your position. Then you will know how much you should expect to negotiate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics website is a good place to start; it has wage information for most jobs.

2. Look over your job description. Whether you are a new employee or a current one, it is important to consider what’s expected of you and whether the salary your company is offering adequately covers those expectations.

3. Round up your accomplishments. How much money have you saved the company or past companies? How much money have you made for them? Your hiring manager, recruiter or boss may ask you these questions when salary negotiations commence. Have the answers.

4. Plan what you want to say before you meet with human resources or the boss. Do not try to negotiate a higher salary over email or telephone; salary negotiations should take place in a scheduled meeting.

5. Start with less urgent requests such as more vacation time or flextime before moving onto bigger items on your agenda such as tuition reimbursement or an "across-the-board" salary increase. This way you can gauge how the conversation is progressing before asking for what you really want--a higher salary.

6. Listen carefully to the counteroffer. Carefully consider the comments or feedback he or she is providing. Ask questions if you need clarification or elaboration.

7. Get the final offer in writing after salary negotiations end. If the company doesn’t record the terms of your agreement, it is almost certainly subject to change.

Tips & Warnings

• Remain positive and confident throughout the salary negotiation process. If you don’t believe in yourself or what you have to offer your company, how will the person you are negotiating with?
• Continue to sell yourself when negotiating a higher salary. Never let your company forget how great and valuable you are.

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[kayt9]

on 10/12/2009 Another aspect of finding the right job fit is to determine if the compensation being offered is a match for you skills. This can be difficult to ascertain initially, but a new site called SalaryFor.com http://www.salaryfor.com/ helps to make this challenge much easier by offering free salary records from an incredible number of companies and positions.

[itnewsonly]

on 10/12/2009 Yeap, great instruction. Negotiation and communication is often more important then working skills.

[damianwrx]

on 10/4/2009 Good points. Learning how to negotiate is an essential skill at work. This gives people an idea where to start.

[countitalljoy]

on 9/30/2009 This gets a 5*. This is often where candidates lose their nerve, and once that hire-on salary is set, it is the base from which all other salary increases are made. It is critical to get this right....in any economy.

[johnrapp]

on 9/28/2009 pretty cut and dry, sweet info.