6 Proven Tips to Negotiate The Job Offer You Deserve
If you’re short on time, here’s the secret to getting the offer you want: aim to avoid the need to negotiate altogether.
Do this by asking early on about the budget for the role and the benefits package. Let the employer know if these align with your expectations. Getting the topic of money off the table early allows you to focus on other important aspects like job responsibilities, company culture, and expectations.
The reality is though, unless you’re interviewing with one of the few employers who’ve advertised the salary, it’s likely you won’t find out their budget until later in the process.
The thought of having to negotiate a job offer can daunting, but it’s a crucial step to ensure you are fairly paid. (Especially as a woman in tech, I don’t need to remind you of the pay gap statistics)
Use these steps to negotiate a job offer you really want:
1: Know how much money the work you do, and the experience you have is worth:
Research the market, check out similar adverts and note salaries on them, look at Glassdoor and search for salary surveys; recruitment agencies websites are usually quite a good place to look and see if they have any recent ones.
Consider your own experience compared to the requirements, have you got skills over and above what they’ve asked for? Do you have any unique experience that not many other people in the market have?
2: Have clarity on what YOU want:
Once you’ve done your research, set about defining what your ideal offer would look like (the one you’d say yes to without any negotiation.) This isn’t just about money, it’s about other things too like flexible working and benefits you get.
When you have your ideal offer clear in your head, establish what your minimum requirements would be to accept the offer.
3: Be flexible (If you want to):
You can use anything in between your “Ideal Offer and your “minimum requirements” in your negotiations. List all the things you might be willing to negotiate on in between these two options.
It’s within your gift to stay flexible and be open to compromise, ‘f they can’t meet your salary expectations, consider how you might negotiate for other benefits
4: Know when to walk away:
To negotiate with confidence, you must be willing to walk away. Let’s be honest, negotiating can be an uncomfortable experience. There’s is no point going into it if you backtrack and take the original offer. Doing this is also likely to lead to you feel unsatisfied sooner than you’d imagine.
5: Put it in writing:
If the negotiation has been a verbal discussion, follow up with an email straight away confirming what has been agreed to ensure there is no confusion about the terms.
Don’t rely on the other person’s memory to serve YOU well.
6: Consider getting help
If negotiating feels overwhelming, consider seeking advice from a career coach, your mentor, or other online resources. You don’t have to go it alone.
Negotiating a job offer is not just about getting a higher salary; it’s about your own personal growth and the lifestyle the work will give you.
Don’t forget, negotiation is a standard part of the hiring process, employers will be expecting you to negotiate. Don’t miss out on the opportunity by accepting the first offer.
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Would you like some help from an expert to negotiate your job offer? My expert advice session is perfect for this situation, find out more here:
