Part 7 (1/2)

Students spend four or more years.

Learning how to dig data out of the library And other sources.

But it rarely occurs to them That they should also apply Some of the same newfound research skill To their own benefit- To looking up information on companies, Types of professions, sections of the country, That might interest them..

-Professor Albert Shapiro, Ohio State University (d. 1985).

Chapter 5.

The Six Secrets of Salary Negotiation.

Salary.

It must be discussed, before you agree to take the job.

I hope you know that. I remember talking to a breathless high school graduate, who was elated at having just landed her first job. ”How much are they going to pay you?” I asked. She looked startled. ”I don't know,” she said, ”I never asked. I just a.s.sume they will pay me a fair wage.” Boy! Did she get a rude awakening when she received her first paycheck. It was so miserably low, she couldn't believe her eyes. And thus did she learn, painfully, what you must learn too: Before accepting a job offer, always ask about salary.

Indeed, ask and then negotiate.

It's the ”negotiate” that throws fear into our hearts. So many of us feel ill prepared to do that.

Well, set your mind at ease; it's not all that difficult.

While whole books can be-and have been-written on this subject, there are basically just six secrets to keep in mind.

The First Secret of Salary Negotiation.

Never Discuss Salary Until the End of the Whole Interviewing Process at That Organization, When (and If) They Have Definitely Said They Want You ”The end of the interviewing process” is difficult to define. It's the point at which the employer says, or thinks, ”We've got to get this person!” That may be at the end of the first (and therefore the last) interview; or it may be at the end of a whole series of interviews, often with different people within the same company or organization, or with a whole bunch of them all at once.

But a.s.suming things are going favorably for you, whether after the first, or second, or third, or fourth interview, if you like them and they increasingly like you, a job offer will be made. Then, and only then, is it time to deal with the question that is inevitably on any employer's mind: how much is this person going to cost me? And the question that is on your mind: how much does this job pay?

If the employer raises the salary question earlier, say near the beginning of the interview, asking (innocently), ”What kind of salary are you looking for?” you should have three responses ready-at your fingertips.

Response #1: If the employer seems like a kindly man or woman, your best and most tactful reply might be: ”Until you've decided you definitely want me, and I've decided I definitely could help you with your tasks or projects here, I feel any discussion of salary is premature.”

That will work, in most cases. There are instances, however, where that doesn't work. Then you need: Response #2: You may be face-to-face with an employer who demands within the first two minutes of the interview to know what salary you are looking for. That is not good, especially since 2008, as some employers can afford to be really picky, since-in their minds-there is a plentiful bunch of job-hunters to choose from. So, here, you may need a backup response, such as: ”I'll gladly answer that, but could you first help me understand what this job involves?”

That is a good response, in most cases. But what if it doesn't work? Then you'll need to fall back on: Response #3: The employer with rising voice says, ”Come, come, don't play games with me. I want to know what salary you're looking for.” Okay, that's that. You have to come clean. But you don't have to mention a single figure; instead you can answer in terms of a range. For example, ”I'm looking for a salary in the range of $35,000 to $45,000 a year.”

If that still doesn't satisfy them, then clearly you are being interviewed by an employer who has no range in mind. Their beginning figure is their ending figure. No negotiation is possible.1 This happens, when it does, because many employers since 2008 are making salary their major if not sole criterion for deciding who to hire, and who not to hire. It's an old game: among two equally qualified candidates, the one who is willing to work for the least pay, wins. And that is that!

If you run into this situation, you may decide this isn't the kind of place you want to work at, for if they're inflexible in this, what else will they be inflexible about, once you take the job? You've been warned. Microcosm equals macrocosm.

On the other hand, if you're flat broke and you need this job-any job-desperately, you will have no choice but to give in. Ask what salary they have in mind, and make your decision. (Of course you can always try postponing your decision a day or so, by saying, ”I need a little time, to think about this.”) However, all the foregoing is merely the worst-case scenario. Usually, things won't go this badly, where you feel so powerless.

In most interviews these days, the employer, alone or in a group, will be willing to save salary negotiation until they've finally decided they want you (and you've decided you want them). And at that point, the salary will be negotiable. I'll explain why in the next Secret.

For now, let me hammer home this first Secret: it is in your best interest to not discuss salary until all of the following conditions have been fulfilled: Not until they've gotten to know you, at your best, so they can see how you stand out above the other applicants, and therefore how you're worth more than they would pay them.

Not until you've gotten to know them, as completely as you can, so you can tell if this really is a place where you want to work.

Not until you've found out exactly what the job entails.

Not until they've had a chance to find out how well you match their job requirements.

Not until you're in the final interview at that place, for that job.

Not until you've decided, ”I really would like to work here.”

Not until they've conveyed to you their feelings, such as: ”Well that's good, because we want you.” Or, better yet: Not until they've conveyed the feeling, ”We've got to have you.”

If you'd prefer this be put in the form of a diagram, here it is: To download a printable PDF of this image, please visit rhlink.com/para14005 It all boils down to this: if you really s.h.i.+ne during the hiring-interview, they may-at the end-offer you a higher salary than they originally had in mind when the interview started. And this is particularly the case when the interview has gone so well, that they're now determined to obtain you.

The Second Secret of Salary Negotiation

The Purpose of Salary Negotiation Is to Uncover the Most That an Employer Is Willing to Pay to Get You Negotiation. There's the word that strikes terror into the hearts of most job-hunters or career-changers. Why do we have to negotiate?

Simple. It would never be necessary if every employer in every hiring-interview were to mention, right from the start, the top figure they are willing to pay for that position. A few employers do. And that's the end of any salary negotiation. But most employers don't.

They know, from the beginning of the interview, the top figure they're willing to pay for this position under discussion. But. But. They're hoping they'll be able to get you for less. So they start the bidding (for that is what it is) lower than they're ultimately willing to go.

And this creates a range.

A range between the lowest they're hoping to pay, vs. the highest they can afford to pay. And that range is what the negotiation is all about.