Salary Negotiation Tips

After successful interview, you might be asked to go for salary negotiation.

Ooh boy you ask yourself ‘ what am I gonna do know, what will I say, will I be too low, will I quote too high and hurt my job..’ this are typical questions that run in your mind as you face that situation.

Don’t worry here at mykenyan-jobs.com we will give you tips on how to negotiate for a good package.

Remember, negotiating is a skill and not many of us do posses the skill. Every word you say will have an impact on the end result of your negotiation.

When you go for salary negotiation, remember you are not equals with your employer and he is always playing some cards very close to his chest. At this point there are things you should do and some you should not even think of.

Remember, you can always negotiate all aspects of you package. Before you think of negotiating of the salary, be sure to be on the know how. Do your research well and get to know where you are and where you want to go.

Don’t forget to plan well for your negotiating time. Plan well and know when to pause any question.

How do you negotiate a salary?Here is what you need to know:

a) Know how much you are supposed to be paid;

I call this knowing your worth. Get to know how much people of the same qualifications are being paid. What’s the market rate of people who posses the same skills and experiences like you. You can talk to friends and colleagues and be armed with that information during the negotiating stage.

b) Though at times its difficult to know but if you can get insider information the better.

Get to know how much the position who previously occupied the post was being paid and if a new post how much are they willing to offer. Of course you cannot go asking people whom you don’t know how much they are paid and chances are few will be willing to offer or disclose such kind of information.

c) Consider what you are earning now.

The amount that you are currently enjoying is what has kept you going. Why should you accept anything less than that? Not unless you have a very good reason as to why. Unless otherwise always aim for up to 50% increase because in most instances getting more than 50% salary increase is very difficult.

d) The employer might ask you what you are currently earning.

First, your lowest quote should be higher than what you are already earning. Do not answer in certainty; avoid the question as much as possible. Always use range when quoting. That way you will get the employer to be the first to make a move and you will have good defense tactics.

e) In some instances there will be an employer who offers you a package labeled CONSOLIDATED PAY it’s always good to gauge the mood and test the waters. Always ask that simple question ‘is there room for salary negotiation?’ where there is nothing new in your position, the answer will be likely NO. But if you are a guru in your field and everybody is after you, chances are you will get a YES.

f) Where you have gone through the interview and demonstrated well your skills and competencies, chances are high that you will be having an upper hand in negotiating a salary, but be caution do not be rigid or ask unreasonable amounts. The company might discard you and go back to square 0 and start all over again. Do you know who the looser is? Its you of course.

g) Hey who said salary negotiation is all about figures?

Ask the employer other questions related to the work. Demonstrate to him that you are in a position to deliver on the expectations and justify why you should be hired at the terms you are requesting. Provide examples of what you have done in the past, what you can do, ask about reimbursement policies if you incur expenditure on behalf of the company or in ordinary course of your duties.

h) The employer has not put a gun on your head for you to sign the contract.

Always ask for time to consider if you feel you need the time. Of course ask for reasonable period of time. A few days is okay but anything beyond a fortnight, might make the management reconsider that you have declined the offer.

i) You might look at the terms and feel that you don’t need that job or worse you can’t take on the terms.

What do you do? First you need to keep your emotions under control, don’t shout, yell or behave in a manner likely to worsen the scenario. Always be calm you are not under obligation to reject or accept the offer at that moment.

You can also try to reach for a compromise during salary negotiation. No particular offer either yours or that of the potential employer is curved on stones, so try to reach a compromise.

The employer might have underrated your potential, try to show him, he might be willing to increase your salary somewhere down the job line, explore that.

If you are promised review after a particular date or time, make sure it’s in the contract before you append that signature.Now you have negotiated the salary, signed the contract and voila!! Your are ready to go.

What else can I say after walking with you through salary negotiation tips? I can only be here wishing you a productive working experience.

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