Negotiation
Most entry-level/early career professionals usually do not have much room for negotiation with an offer package, but if you feel that your offer is not on par with the competition, it never hurts to ask. Be sure you evaluate the complete offer and not just salary – additional benefits such as location, health insurance, retirement, vacation, and opportunity for advancement can make a lower paying job more valuable.
You must have a positive attitude when approaching negotiations so that both you and the employer feel good about the outcome. Working for a company that you feel has shortchanged you or for an employer who holds a negative attitude toward you because it feels you demanded too much are not healthy work environments. Keep the process positive by remembering why you are interested in the job and company in the first place and why the company is interested in you.
The key to negotiation is to do your homework:
- Research comparable salaries for your job and location
- Know your “dream”, “happy”, and “walk-away” salary numbers
If the company lets you know that salary is not negotiable, consider the softer negotiation items:
- Timing of your review – instead of a year until a chance for promotion, ask for a 6 month review
- Set goals/success targets – propose that if you hit certain targets or milestones within a certain time frame, a bonus/raise would follow
- Vacation, start date, laptop vs. desktop, phone, etc are all “softer” items that you can negotiate with an employer and can increase your overall satisfaction with an offer.