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 – many times other benefits such as location, health insurance, retirement, vacation, and opportunity for advancement can make a lower paying job more valuable than the competition.
The key to negotiation is to do your homework so you can show the employer your market value and to approach negotiations with a “win-win” attitude.
- Create a “Dream” number, “Happy” salary number, and your “Walk-Away” salary number – remember, entry level jobs have less negotiation room than future offers.
- 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 employer.
You must have a “win-win” attitude with negotiations or else one side will come out the loser in the process. Working for a company that you feel has shortchanged you, or working for an employer who holds a negative attitude toward you because he/she feels you demanded too much – neither scenario is a healthy one, keep the process a positive one by remembering why you are interested in the job and company in the first place and why the company is interested in you.