Having the best salary negotiation tips at your fingertips is as important a preparation as any other things a job seeker should know when they are readying themselves for an interview. This is because not all employers reveal the salary offer when they go out seeking for individuals to fill a vacant position.
“In the interview room, any employer who knows about your previous salary always has a figure for you in their minds. Salary negotiation skills are a mind game that you as the job seeker should acquaint with if you really want to end up with a better offer in the job,” Diana Muchoki, Account Manager at Corporate Staffing Services says.
According to Ms Muchoki, it is important for a job seeker to have a figure concerning their expected salary at the ready so as to know how to handle the salary negotiation in the event that it comes up during an interview.
This said, what are the salary negotiation tips when you are looking to get a new job?
Salary Negotiation Tips During the Interview
As you look to gain experience in your new job, remember that the salary you get at the end of the day determines your motivation to work hard and even grow in your career. Possessing some of these salary negotiation tips therefore will go a long way to ensure that you start the job, satisfied with the package that you are offered, and in a way that does not make your employer feel wasted.
1. Match your salary negotiation tips to your skills
Best put, you need to match your negotiation to what you are able to offer to the organization.
“Ask yourself whether your level of experience is what your prospective employer would wag their tongues over. Consider if you have the right skills that are able to benefit the organization. This acts as a strong negotiating ground for you,” Ms Muchoki advises.
In short, don’t bargain if you have so little to offer that the recruiter won’t feel the pinch if they decide to let you go. In this case, you end up losing the job on offence of negotiating for a better pay.
2. Ask in terms of other benefits
Your salary may be meager as compared to the figure you had in your mind but if packaged with other benefits, you realize a good offer.
Ask whether you can get allowances including house allowances, travel and medical cover. Ms Muchoki finds fault in job seekers who downplay the magnitude of such benefits forgetting they could be the best salary negotiation tips to go by.
“Such benefits including allowances exist in most companies. Not many candidates ask for them however during the salary negotiation. If you do not ask for them, only a few recruiters will give them to you,” she says.
3. Wait until you are asked
Don’t make it the first thing that comes out of your mind when you are asked whether or not you have any questions to the recruiting panel. The worst thing is, you are not sure whether or not you will get the job.
The salary interview question may be phased in several ways for instance, ‘What are you looking for in terms of salary’ and so on. Wait until you are asked. Only then can you approach the topic according to the advice we gave you concerning salaries.
4. ‘I am open to negotiation’
It shows you are flexible and thus an answer that many job seekers looking to get favour of the recruiter will give. According to Ms Muchoki however, you ought to choose such an answer with total caution.
“When you say that you are open to salary negotiation, you should already know where the recruiter should get and not cross the line. Any recruiter would be glad to get employees willing to get as little as possible to favour their own budget,” she says.
You should therefore be armed with information on what the job is bound to reward you in terms of salary. Know what you are moving from too so that you do not end up with an offer that is way below your previous salary.
As much as it is courteous to go slow with money matters in the interview room, always remember that you have a right to ensure you make the most of what the recruiter is willing to offer. With the above salary negotiation tips, know how to stand your ground when bargaining for a better pay. All the best in your interview preparation.
