Hey Richard,

didn't you already state your salary requirements in your cover letter? I actually would not want to work for a place that knew my requirements, then tried to negotiate with me.

I did work for a cpa firm that did exactly that and I learned quickly that they sucked. They offered me $5k than i was making, i told them no... they came back and offered the same pay as i was making... so i took it (thinking I would actually get my cpa license..).... they turned out to be cheap-ass martha fockers!!!! I made it just under 6 months before i quit.

 

For negotiations in general, a good book to read is "Getting to Yes" (very short and easy, and worth reading). . . I read it during my negotiations class in while earning my MBA, and it proved very helpful.

A few things when negotiating (salary, car price, etc.).

Know your bottomline. . . What you are willing to accept at the end of the day.

Know your best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA). . . What your option(s) is/are in the event that your requests aren't met (i.e., take another job offer, remain at current employer, go to another dealership, etc.)

Don't be pressured by the "power of authority". . . i.e., "This is the best offer that "we"/"the company" is able to make".

Never be pressured into making a decision on the spot. . .

Everything is negotiable. . . So, let's say a company is not flexible on the salary portion of its offer, you should attempt to negotiate more vacation time or PTO, a larger signing bonus, etc.

In my experience, I've always requested that the prospective employer make the first salary offer. Typically, I won't give a "salrary requirement". . . However, I have given an approximate value of my current salary. From there, I typically present a counter offer and negotiate from there (even if the base offer was more than I was expecting).

Remember, always negotiate toward the high end of your salary range, because depending on the promotion/raise structure your base salary will drive all of your future increases.

Good luck.

 

1. Go in armed with industry average of pay

2. Go in armed with role average of pay (find a role comparable to your experience and skill set)

3. Find out what the compensation philosophy is for the future employer (do they follow average of industry, above average of industry pay, or below average of industry pay).

4. Make sure you know what your total compensation is and what realistic range you want to be in (this inlcudes base compensation, PTO, bonus, training, etc.).

5. Negotiating on a hard stance to get near the high end of what you want doesn't always work to your advantage. This may limit your increases, bonus pay-outs, and even salary/performance administration. You also don't want to be in a role where you are paid in the 85 percentile or higher for the role you are in at your company. You and your performance will be more highly scrutinized as compared to someone in the same role making the average pay for that role in your company.

That book, "Getting to Yes" is an excellent book. It gives those that haven't taken a negotiations class the basics of negotiating that can always be referenced back to.

One more thing, for yourself, prioritize what you find important. Is it more important to you to have a higher base salary, potential for upward mobility, bigger/more perks (like more PTO or personalized bonus compensation), resume padding, new skills learned, etc.

This can help you in situations where the employer may not be able to meet your base salary demands but may come up with more creative compensation solutions.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

Why would you ever answer that question? If you're too low you are screwed. If you are too high you could be screwed. Stick to 20 seconds of silence the first time they ask. The second time, turn it back around on the interviewer (works best if it's not your future boss, but even then I'd do it tactfully) and ask something to the effect of "Is there a problem that I should know about that will not allow you to pay me a competitive wage?" Use the word "you" and keep it personal and very slightly stinging. This question is very effective and should instantly turn the tables around.

Negotiations are treated as war by your employer. Don't hesitate to use their firepower right back at them and consider the back and forth in the same way.

You have a superb resume. Don't settle for anything less than a very competitive salary and benny package.

 

If someone sat across from me and didn't say anything for 20 seconds after being asked a direct question... I'd move on to my next candidate.

 

That "20 seconds of silence" thing isn't a good idea. . .

Personally, I've responded with: "I'm looking for a salary which is commensurate with my work experience and my academic background. The salary value isn't as important as the opportunity to grow within your organization and to expand my career. That said, I'd feel most comfortable with your organization making the initial offer and we can go from there."

Also, the key points of my previous post were that eveything is negotiable, know your BATNA, and know your bottomline (what you're willing to accept/what's important to you).

And whereas taking the hard line (to achieve a max salary) may not be the best alternative, you should never sell yourself short and assume that negotiating will put you in a bad light a future potential employer.

The reality is, negotiating professionally is not wrong, and if done correctly is respected. . .

Ultimately, you must know what you want out of a position (salary versus PTO versus quality of life versus a larger signing bonus versus etc.).

 

^ Good points.

Well, the way I originally heard it you are just supposed to respond by saying something like Iceman wrote above and deflect the question back to the interviewer, however if you are too passive you are opening up yourself more than you need to. You guys are probably right that if someone did that to me I would move on.

 

well, looks like i didn't have to negotiate at all - they gave me exactly what i wanted (which was posted on Monster.com)

 

If it went that easy it was too low

Congrats on your new job.

 

That's what i had in mind. Make your self have value.(only you will know the best way)