How to Negotiate Your Salary before Accepting a Job Offer


As much as prospective employees harp about growth and opportunity as their primary motivation for taking on a job, it cannot be denied that financial remuneration is still among the most definite motivation when it comes to job offers. As such, recruitment managers or company executives are expected to strike a balance when offering a compensation package to a new hire. They need to make sure that what they pay you will be worth it. The principle of cost-effectivity is pivotal in salary negotiations.

Consider all factors

Hence, if you have a job offer, it is also of major importance to make the same estimates. There are a lot of factors to consider when negotiating salary. The most focal point among these is whether or not you feel it will be worth your time and effort. Remember that work is work and money is money.  In the professional world, compensation is pivotal in many respects as it can potentially boost or undermine your productivity and morale.

Accepting a Job Offer

Get some insight during the job interview

The first thing to do is to conduct a brief but thorough background search on the company. Normally, employees are not at liberty to disclose their rates to anyone, but this can perhaps be done in the interview process. Interviewers have become more relaxed when it comes to this topic, which used to be a sensitive one. Just clarify that you want to be on the same page when asking these questions. On the surface, it is usually common knowledge if a particularly organization pays “well” or not, although “well” in this respect is highly relative. This knowledge will at the very least give you an idea of the range they are willing to pay.

Calculate your worth

Of course, the primary barometer should still be yourself. If you are transferring to another company, chances are, compensation is one major factor you considered. In this case, you already have a basis on your asking price when negotiation time comes. Weigh the experience and merits you obtained from your previous job. It is almost silly to settle for a pay well below what you are already getting, unless you are changing fields or in extraordinary cases when extreme growth is promised.

On the other hand, it can get more complicated if it is your first job. Still there are often norms and criteria to base your answer on the expected salary question. This usually depends upon a number of things, such as the field, your level of education, or the company itself.

In the same manner that company executives ensure that what they pay you is worth it, you as a prospective employee must also make sure that what you get is worth it. This need not be a cause for antagonism between the two sides if both parties explain their points well and courteously. Being overly concerned with pay that you neglect other aspects of the job can spell your demise even before you start. This, however, does not mean that you are to overlook your worth as an employee.

If you are confident about your qualifications, you can bypass the initial offer and ask for more. If a company really sees that you will be worth the investment, they will pay good money to hire you. In the end, however, while money is nice, it is not everything. There are a host of other less tangible benefits that money can’t buy but will benefit you in the long run.

Filed Under: Work & Careers

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About the Author: Vanessa Page works a career counselor in one of the leading firms in Los Angeles. She is also a blogger and gives tips on how people can tackle their work and career issues. She has 8 years of experience in this field.

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