What is the Deal With Salary Negotiations?

I believe this is a very sensitive topic, since we all dream to have a King’ salary, so I will try to give you facts and facts only.

Courtesy: washingtonpost.com.

Ideally we would like to live in that system where working is rewarded, so you’ll be motivated to do more every day because you will have more at the end of the week/month. See, we all dream such thing, but reality isn’t always the case, especially when you work as a full time employee that specify a salary no matter how much you do and how much they need from you. This has a double edge sword because you can have a very good deal depending on how much you’ve discussed it at the beginning.

When discussing your salary it doesn’t mean that you will impose the amount you want just because you want that much; what it really means is that you know the value and effort you have put into your expertise and different experiences, including your education (that’s never a cheap thing)… the company where you pretend to work now might be a very well established place already that can say YES to everything, but they expect a simple rule: “money makes money”. Therefore, sometimes a trial deal can work for both parties; you can opt to ask for a trial deal accepting their initial offer with the deal of giving you what you ask after that period, if you deliver. Be careful when doing this because depending on the situation, your ideas in those months can stay there but you might not. I know, isn’t fair, but this things happen too.

Another option could be that you had an ideal salary in mind and they offered you just a bit less than what you’ve expected; I would personally recommend you to take it, because for just a bit you won’t make such a big deal out of it… also applies if salary matches perfectly your expectation, don’t go eager on it, that never helps.

Also, you can get a very low offer comparing your standard value… Here you need to make a decision and take it or leave it, or try barging it. In my experience when the offer is very low to expectation, even to bother and discuss about it is a waste of time… but you can take in consideration the position and type of company or institution. Let’s say that you can be the Manager of a Poverty-Help NGO with a symbolic salary (an average one)… I would go for it above the other offers that offer me a vane position with a better salary; that’s because the experiences and networking here will open the doors in the future and the NGO can also grow as equal as your salary depending on accomplishments.

Another thing you need to take into consideration is the local benefits by law and the company benefits; since in some countries, the salary isn’t that important as the benefits.

Now, another issue is that is very difficult to know how much the average salary for the position is you are in negotiations with; there are so many sources online that may be confusing when dealing with such problem. Everything will depend of the country you are, the region and the economic system you live in. Also depends on the company’s country of origin and who is going to be your direct boss. See, when my cousin had her first job, I remember she was so anxious about this job interview… she wanted the job and everything has been going great until that day that she was going specifically to discuss the salary and benefits, so she was asking for information around… and I remember this family meeting happening just for her. (The thing is that the meeting was online since we all live in different places)… so we all had different opinions and we jumped almost the double in remuneration depending on the continent we were. Now is funny to remember such days, but I felt for my cousin, it was a real dilemma. At the end, we came up with an average idea and she went with this amount in her head ready to negotiate… and just before she opened her mouth, the manager explained to her the offer they had and that they weren’t able to negotiate since they had that specific budget, he also explained that they want her but they also had another candidate competing for the role in question… to short the story, the amount they offered was above the average she thought and it had very good benefits, such as relocation package, transport and meal vouchers… what a deal right!

Simple lesson: Listen to the complete offer before even trying to negotiate it. And remember to ask a professional for the average salary of that role in case you haven’t a clear idea. Career coaching also can provide you with the necessary salary hacks.

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