By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
A reporter asked two questions:
Should you have another job offer lined up before negotiating your salary? Why or why not?
and
When should you (and should you not) negotiate salary?”
I answered:
NEVER wait until you have the offer to begin negotiating. Negotiate from the time of the first interview on. After all, they are accumulating information including the salary you are looking for at your first interview that they will use to decide whether to extend an offer. Typically, they will give you little cues at interviews to signal what they are thinking they may offer you. Pay attention to the signals they give because unless they are responded to, everyone believes you are OK with the offer they are thinking of.
AND
From the first time an employer asks you what you are looking for in salary, they are negotiating and so should you. Once you answer that seemingly innocuous question, they are locked into that salary range or salary you told them.
As a result, it is important to defer and deflect when they initially the question.
“I’m not sure what I should be asking for yet. After all, I’ve only seen a job description that may or may not be accurate. I haven’t met my future boss, or the team, or have a clear idea of the work or what his/her expectations for me will be. Can I answer that question once we’ve met? By the way, what is the salary range for the role?” Usually, they will tell you the range for the role at this point.
“I need a salary now.”
“I just want to be clear that I am not committing to that salary until after I have more information. I may tell you less or more later once I know more. I’d be OK with the high end of that range” or “from what I know about the role, I’d need a few thousand more than what you’ve quoted to me. Again, I don’t have enough information to zero in on salary yet.”
Negotiate Your Job Offer Like a Pro
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those
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