11 Professional Ways To Negotiate A Better Salary And Get The Raise You Want
By Joel Postman
Producer’s note: Someone on Quora asked: What are the known twists and turns in a salary negotiation process? Here is one of the best answers that’s been pulled from the thread.
1. No one ever maximized their starting salary without a winning strategy. It won’t happen without a plan.
2. The only way to get the best possible salary is to ask for it, or better still, require it.
3. Come into the negotiations smart. Know the market and what others in similar roles are paid.
4. Never ask what the salary is. You can, however, ask the salary range, or what the position is scoped at, but if you do so you run the risk of getting fenced in early in your discussions.
5. Delay salary discussions until final interviews when you know the employer wants YOU, unless forced to do so earlier.
6. Never directly answer the question “What do you currently make?” Instead answer something like “Over the course of my recent career I’ve had base salary between $165K and $185K and I’m expecting something similar.”
7. If you must disclose current compensation, mention all aspects of your comp. “I make $90K base, with options, 401K matching and 20% bonus so my overall compensation is around $120K.” This is perfectly legitimate and strengthens your bargaining position.
8. Another tactic is to disclose your current compensation and say something like, “I’m making around X right now, but I’ve gained a lot of useful experience in the last year. I’m hoping to get a 15 to 20% increase to justify a move. It’s not only about salary. I’m the right person for the position because…and I want to join your company because…”
9. No employer harbors any animosty for an employee who was a tough salary negotiator. Salary discussions are forgotten 5 minutes after they are completed.
10. Employers hate salary “auctions” (back and forth negotiations by a candidate playing his/her existing and prospective employers against each other) but employees must also look out for themselves. The world has changed. Break the rules. But be careful.
11. Never say: I’m underpaid. My current employer doesn’t recognize what I’m worth. You will come across as unprofessional, and as a whiner. And the interviewer will assume that if you’re hired, some day you will also speak poorly of his/her company.