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Salary negotiation is an important aspect of any job situation, and is often perceived as the trickiest part. Most
common doubts raised are " Is it safe for me to negotiate a salary without jeopardizing my chances of getting a
job?", as well as "When and how do I negotiate my salary?".
The situation in which a salary is negotiated could vary depending on whether the individual is a candidate with a
certain degree of work experience, applying for a position in a company, or is a candidate with no prior work
experience, applying for an entry level position in an organization. Another situation could be an employee looking
for career advancement in his current organization. The details of each of these situations might be different,
however certain basic principles and rules regarding salary negotiation remain the same.
In this article, we attempt to provide broad guidelines on how to negotiate a salary when applying for a new job.
This should be useful in providing tips on salary negotiations for other situations as well.
Discuss salary only after you have received the job offer
The next question that comes to mind regarding salary negotiations is when to negotiate a salary. Should it be done
during the interview for example, when the interviewers ask the interviewee " Would you like to ask us any
questions?". Or should it be left to a later date?
The answer here is that unless you know or have some indication that you are going to receive the job offer, salary
negotiations are irrelevant. Salary negotiations, during the interview or at any time before the interviewers have
decided to select you, will only create a negative impression.
There is a saying in sales that you should never discuss price before you have established value. This applies to job
situations as well. Unless the prospective buyer (employer in this case) is convinced that you provide a suitable
match for their job profile/requirements, any salary discussion is meaningless.
It is better to postpone discussion of the salary till as late in the selection process as is possible. In the meantime try
and present the value you offer to the employer and understand the requirements of the position so that you can
arrive at a figure or a range for an acceptable salary. This will allow you to negotiate salary later on, meaningfully,
once you receive the job offer.
List criteria to justify your stand To give you a high probability of succeeding in your negotiation, you need to set
criteria to appear objective in your requests. It is better for the organization to realize that your concerns are based
on real needs and comparable industry standards instead of arbitrary demands for higher remuneration.
Once you have put these guidelines into practice, BEST OF LUCK!