Salary Question and Negotiation

Salary Question and Negotiation
The general rule is that you should not be the one to first mention salary. Prior to the interview,
you should have an idea of the salary you are expecting and/or are prepared to accept. If you are
new to a field and have no real idea what would be an appropriate salary, there are some ways to
gather this information:
Speak to other students or people in the same or similar occupations
Review the graduate survey data and other resources available in Career Services
Conduct Internet research and scan newspapers for salary listings for similar jobs
If you are asked ‘What salary are you expecting?’, you do not want to simply blurt out a number.
Your initial response should be to subtly ‘throw’ the question back to the interviewer. You are
not avoiding the question and you do not want to respond, ‘What are you offering?’ or ‘My salary
is negotiable.’ An employer may actually want to gauge your salary range and/or determine if
you have realistic expectations. Before you ‘throw it back’ you want to establish that you are
professional and have a salary in mind, but you also want to hear what they have to offer first. A
simple way to ‘throw it back’ would be:
‘Although I am new to this field, I have done some homework (you must be prepared to
briefly indicate what this homework entailed). I have an idea of the salary range I
think is appropriate. I was, however, wondering what you were offering?’
At this point, the employer may decide to let the topic drop and/or indicate this is something you
could discuss at a later date. If the employer does indicate a salary, you could simply respond by
saying ‘that is interesting’ or ‘that is certainly something to think about’ and that you would be
‘interested in discussing salary when there is an offer on the table’. If the interviewer insists that
you ‘name your price’, you may request additional information (hours, benefits, responsibilities)
and ask for some time to consider all the information (24 - 48 hours is generally appropriate).
When actually indicating a salary expectation, it is best to have a range in mind. Below are very
basic guidelines to help you select salary ranges.
For summer or part-time positions which pay an hourly wage,
Under $15 per hour, select a range differentiated by three to four dollars per hour
Over $15 per hour, select a range differentiated by four to five dollars per hour
For ongoing, full-time positions with annual salaries:
Under $30,000, you could select a range differentiated by $4,000 - $5,000 per annum
$30,000-$50,000, select a range differentiated by $5,000 - $6,000 per annum
Over $50,000, select a range differentiated by $5,000 - $8,000 per annum
If you know the minimum salary you are willing to consider, use that salary as the base during
salary negotiations (do not state this base to the employer, simply use it as a guide for your
negotiations). For example, if you are not willing to work for less than $30,000 and you think
the job will pay $32,000 - $35,000, you could suggest a salary range from $31,000 to $36,000.
Apart from salary, there may be other factors or ‘benefits’ you are equally interested in
negotiating. Listed below are some common areas often considered as negotiable:
Money
8226; Salary (about a 5% range) 8226; Signing Bonus and/or Performance Bonus
8226; Stock options and/or shares 8226; Severance packages
Perks
8226; Accelerated salary review 8226; Flexible hours
8226; Relocation expenses 8226; Additional vacation time
8226; Training and education reimbursement
8226; Expenses (clothing allowance, Internet access, vehicle leasing)
8226; Professional membership fees and club membership fees
Prior to any negotiation, you should identify and prioritize the items most important to you. Ask
yourself, is an extra week of paid vacation more important than an additional $1,000 in base pay?
If you are unhappy about the salary offered, but decide you still want the job, negotiating an early
salary review or a performance bonus can compensate for a lower salary.
Generally, two rounds of negotiations is considered appropriate. The initial offer, a counter
offer, (round one), a follow-up offer and one final negotiation (round two). Dragging
negotiations on and negotiating over small details can appear petty and may, in the long run,
leave a mutually bad impression.
If you are negotiating with two employers at the same time, it is appropriate to indicate this.
Avoid ‘playing one employer against the other’. You may want to be careful about the
impression that ‘ping-pong’ negotiations might leave on all involved. Determine an opening
offer from each employer, then approach one employer and negotiate a counter offer. You may
then approach the other employer and negotiate a counter offer. You want to avoid more than
two rounds with each employer.
Before accepting an offer, inform the employer whose offer you are rejecting, that you have
decided to accept another offer (do not use this as a negotiating tactic unless it is true). If this
employer makes a third offer you may consider it, but do not enter the discussion trying to elicit
yet another offer.

所有跟帖： 

• thanks for sharing, very informative. I always say... -澳洲老土- ♂ (57 bytes) () 01/14/2009 postreply 16:57:25