Who does not like the prospect of a new job? The excitement of new opportunities and career options sure gets to people. But with new jobs comes a host of other considerable factors. It is not just the new place and people. Sometimes it is about negotiating as well. Negotiation is something that is often overlooked by employees. As a result, most employees fail to secure a deserving remuneration scheme. Negotiating skill is important to make a mark at a new place. However, what is more important is knowing when and how to negotiate a bargain. Here are some effective tips to negotiate salary while accepting a new job offer. 

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When to Negotiate 

Before getting into how to negotiate the salary, it is important to understand the time for negotiation as well. Typically, the best time to negotiate a salary is after getting hired. An employee has the most leverage at that time. Having proven themselves as competent for the job. 

Job recruitment happens in several phases. In each of these assessment phases, the organization looks to eliminate candidates. As a result, an appointment letter works as leverage to negotiate the initial offer. It is ideal to take some time to review the offer. But it should not be more than 48 hours. After that, request for a negotiation session to find a middle ground between expectation and offer. 

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Best Ways to Negotiate Salary in Your New Job

Outline the Strengths 

A person would negotiate an initial offer only if they believe they deserve more. And this thought should be backed by reasons. Start by outlining them. 

It can be anything like industry experience, leadership qualities, degrees, and professional certification. Basically, anything and everything that would certify a person to be an excellent fit. Beyond what the organization was expecting for the specific role. 

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Understand the Market Average 

A person applying for an entry-level job shouldn’t be planning to negotiate for a million-dollar package. That is just absurd and pointless. Rather the negotiation should be initiated with an in-depth understanding of the market.

Before negotiating, some of the aspects to consider are: 

- National salary average for the position.

- Locality-based compensation.

- Average among the competing organizations. 

These three aspects will help a prospective candidate to understand the market better and negotiate accordingly. 

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Prepare the Arguments 

The art of negotiation is like a debate. Just like debaters make their case to the opposition, here also it is important to make a strong case in favor of the negotiation. And it all starts with the points of argument. 

- To outline the best points, here are some important ones to consider: 

- Previous experience in a similar role, or distinguished achievement on the same. 

- Set of skill and experience that precedes the JD requirements 

- Endorsed skills and certification in line with the position 

- An outline of the average salary within the same positional bracket.

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Setting Up the Meeting 

A negotiation is effectively a bargain. Except, in this case, the winning key is to be humble and show gratitude. It is important to remember that in the end, it’s the call of the HR or the boss to sanction the desired salary. Therefore, there isn’t any room for rudeness or haste behavior. 

Though it is acceptable to negotiate over email, it is better to get it done over a call or in person. That way, it will be a communicative back and forth interaction which will help to further consolidate the arguments. But the end idea should be to stay respectful and honorable. 

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See Across the Table 

The ball of negotiation goes both ways. Just like an employee tries to cut a better deal, so does the hiring company. Sometimes it is not even about getting cheap labor. Many companies have legit shortcomings which force them to undercut the offering. 

As a result, the negotiation table should be approached with an open mind. Being adamant on a point will not help in any way. Rather trying to understand the situation and making changes to the proposal is suited to have better results. 

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Do Not Go for Ultimatums 

As a prospective employee, there is not a place for “Do this or”. A company will not take any ultimatum in a negotiation. There might be some form of leverage with the appointment letter but it is not as much that an applicant should throw ultimatums. Remember that they are the ones with the power to hire. So, there is no effective scope for ultimatums over the matter. 

Have the Mentality to Take a No

There’s no guarantee that negotiation will always work in favor. As a result, it is better to have the mentality to take a no gracefully. But does that mean a prospective employee should leave the deal? Of course not. Everything is situational. What is a no today can be a yes tomorrow. There should be patient until the opportunity opens up again. 

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Be Ready for the Tough Questions 

It is part of the job of recruiters and HR managers to negotiate. And with regular negotiations, some tough questions come up. Oftentimes these questions are benign with no real implication. However, it does play a mind game on the prospective candidate. Questions like: 

- Whether they are the candidate’s first choice? 

- Will the position be accepted immediately if the negotiation goes in favor? 

- Whether the candidate has any other offers? 

The best thing in such a case is to be completely honest. Even If the answer isn’t favorable, honesty will go a long way to prove a point. 

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Don’t Negotiate for the Sake of Negotiation 

People often think of the salary as the absolute measure. Reality is far from it. the salary is just a part of the package offered to a prospective candidate. If the company is unable to compensate for the salary requirement, seek other benefits within the package. It could be paid holidays, longer leaves, or an early salary review. Looking beyond the salary unit might often come with unexpected rewards in a different form. 

Final Thoughts 

The skills of negotiation can make or break the opportunity of your new job. In this article, we have discussed the key aspects that should be kept in mind before trying a hand at negotiation. Understandably, the process of negotiation might not be easy when you are unemployed for a long time or lack enough relevant experience or credentials. But still, it is worth working around to bargain the desired proposition.

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