How to Negotiate Your Salary

Job candidates often shy away from negotiating their salaries and raises. In fact, 18% of people have never negotiated their salaries and 44% haven’t asked for a raise. This is even worse for women who rarely attempt to negotiate their first salary relative to men. The current job market and economy, however, make IT labor extremely valuable. This gives candidates a leg up in raising their wages.

Below, we highlight key considerations and strategies for job candidates when negotiating their salaries. 

Negotiation Strategies

Know the Facts

Candidates should come prepared with current salary ranges for their role. If the industry has shown tremendous wage growth since first being hired, employees can make a case that they are being underpaid. For new hires, understanding what similar firms are paying provides a solid foundation for expectations.  

Present Yourself

It is far more likely for a boss to agree on a raise for those who are good at their job and well-liked amongst the team. More generally, being kind in any negotiation may help the other party be more receptive to demands. Additionally, projecting confidence through tone and body language can be vital to starting dialogue positively. Ultimately, the image that a candidate presents can reinforce a positive narrative and help win the case for negotiating a higher salary. 

Practice

Running through your pitch at least once before the meeting can go a long way. This may mean preparing answers for follow-up questions, knowing exactly what you’re hoping to accomplish, and being able to explain why you deserve it. Just like candidates practice for the interview, they should also practice for the salary negotiation. 

Prepare Questions

Negotiations in any context often involve a bit of psychology. A large aspect of this comes into play with asking the right questions. When first presented with a salary, candidates can ask, “how did you calculate this number?” If their reasoning is shaky, a follow-up question may involve the salary range which was found during pre-meeting research. Candidates should do their research and be prepared for any potential follow-up questions during the negotiation. 

Know When Enough is Enough

There comes a point when pushing harder can be risky or even result in an offer being withdrawn. Never negotiate so hard that the other party loses respect for you. A marginal difference may not be worth upsetting a hiring manager. Ultimately, there is a fine line between being firm and pushing too hard. It may be smart to practice negotiating with a friend or colleague who is willing to give honest feedback. 

Conclusion

Lastly, candidates should absolutely ask if an offer is even negotiable. It would not be good to begin negotiating by assumption. Additionally, everything that is agreed upon in a meeting should be finalized in writing to ensure that the change occurs. Negotiating a salary can be scary, but with the proper strategies and practice it can also be very rewarding. 

For any questions related to negotiating your salary, reach out to our team of recruiters at BCTG. 

Contributions from Jake Park-Walters