Job Offer Negotiations

Since we’ve been offering you insight into how to appropriately accept and decline job offers, the next step is going about negotiations! If you are on the fence about an opportunity, correctly negotiating an offer is an action that employers have grown to almost expect from prospective candidates and one that is not always discouraged. However, there are ways to do so respectfully, and mechanisms to increase your likelihood of success! Keep reading to find out what they are below…

Negotiation Strategies…

  • Remember: You Don’t Need to Disclose! We strongly encourage you to wait until you receive a formal, written offer letter before initiating negotiations. It is essential to see the exact number the company plans to compensate so as to be able to distinctively identify the quantity of additional pay it will take for you to accept. Additionally, while it may feel uncomfortable to decline to expose your current salary, doing so may decrease the final salary you are offered. Take it this way, disclosing current pay thousands of dollars below what the company would have expected to compensate you will ultimately result in consequential lost salary.
  • Prepare: Before entering into a negotiation conversation, it is essential that you prepare a mental list of reasons as to why you deserve a higher salary, how your qualifications support your opinion, and how potential experiences or offers have contributed to this decision.
    • Extra Tip: Especially if you are negotiating other aspects of your job like work hours, explain specific reasons as to why other hours may not work for you. Also, make sure not to compare it to another company! ie: Well X company is offering __, so I want…
  • Maintain Control: With 3 easy steps, the Ladder’s Emilie Ares will teach you how to move on from this question in a way that will avoid the awkward atmosphere change – while helping you keep a dominant stance over your negotiation (watch here)!
    • Tone Awareness: The most enticing reason to offer competitive pay stems from how valuable you appear to your future employer. An enormous component of value is personality and delivery! For that reason, always maintain awareness of how you are initiating negotiating conversations.
    • Do: Sound respectful, aware, excited, willing to meet a compromise, open-minded, and politely assertive.
    • Don’t: Appear greedy, condescending, expectant, or entitled.
  • Self-Assess and Evaluate: Before deciding whether or not to negotiate, assess whether you are truly open to accepting a final offer at the company you are interviewing for. If so, make sure to express interest and commitment to the position! If it appears that you will not accept a higher offer and are not truly interested, your likelihood of achieving negotiation is far lower.

We’ll end today with a cheesy note of encouragement… remember… If you believe it, you will achieve it! (So, believe in yourself and your worth!)

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