Not much makes job-seekers more anxious
than negotiating--or even discussing--salary.
After all, you might ask for too much, ask for
too little, or otherwise sabotage your own
chances of getting the best possible salary.
Negotiation will go more smoothly if you
know what landmines to avoid.
When it comes time to negotiate salary for a
new job, make sure that you don't make
these 10 key errors.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
1. Being unprepared. At some point,
employers are likely to ask what salary
range you're looking for, possibly as soon
as their first contact with you. If you're
caught off-guard, you risk low-balling
yourself or otherwise saying something
that will harm you in salary negotiations
later. It's crucial to do your homework
ahead of time so that you're ready when
the question comes up.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
2. Negotiating before you have an
offer. There's no point trying to
negotiate before you have a job
offer; after all, the employer still
hasn't even decided if they want to
hire you. Your leverage will be far
stronger once someone is certain
that you're the one they want.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
3. Relying on online salary sites to give
accurate information. While salary sites might
seem like the most obvious way to figure out
what to ask for, these sites are frequently
unreliable, in part because the job titles they
list often represent wildly different scopes of
responsibility. Professional associations in
your industry might do more reliable salary
surveys, but even then, you're more likely to
get the right range by talking to people in your
field.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
4. Discussing salary in your cover letter.
Some candidates announce their salary
requirements in their cover letters
without being asked, and some even
include their salary history on their
resumes. There's no reason to talk
money at this stage, and doing it
unprompted at the application stage can
come across as naive.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
5. Citing your finances. Salary
conversations should be solely about
your value to the company, not about
your own finances. Employers don't
pay people based on financial need,
so don't cite your mortgage or your
kid's college tuition as a reason
you're asking for more money.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
6. Asking for too long to respond to an offer.
It's normal to request a few days to consider
an offer, and sometimes employers will give
you a week or so. But if you ask for much
time beyond that, you risk signaling that
you're not excited about the job, but might
settle for it if you don't get any other offers.
That's a good way to lessen the hiring
manager's enthusiasm and bring into
question your own.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
7. Not factoring in the benefits package. Salary is
only one part of a compensation package; you also
need to factor in benefits like healthcare, retirement
contributions, and paid leave. After all, if you'll be
paying significantly more for healthcare or receiving
fewer paid vacation days than you're used to, that
might cancel out part of any salary gains you hope to
make. On the other hand, being able to work from
home or having an on-site day care might be
benefits that make it worth it to you to take a slightly
lower salary.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
8. Underestimating happiness as a factor. A
higher salary generally won't make up for a job
where you'll be miserable, so think carefully
about factors other than money: the work you'll
be doing, the people with whom you'll be
working, the company culture, and even the
length of your commute. It might be worth giving
up a bit of extra pay to ensure that you're happy
going to work every day.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
9. Listening to bad advice. Negotiation
advice that worked a few decades ago
isn't always effective now. In fact, some
of it can hurt your chances. For
instance, delaying the salary
conversation as long as you can or
refusing to name a figure first--common
advice in previous generations--can
backfire today by turning the employer
off and making you look like you're
playing games.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid
10. Not negotiating. Whatever you
do, negotiate. If you simply take
the first salary you're offered, you'll
never know if you could have
received more by simply asking.
10 Salary Negotiating Mistakes to Avoid