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Originally posted by Ideal08
My question this time is just a little bit different. Have you ever had to negotiate a salary for a new position? This is something I've never down, but I want to know how to do this. If a position is offered to you, and you think you deserve more money, how do you communicate that to the potential employer? What if you already work for the company and are getting a new position, how do you negotiate the new salary?
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I'll give this a stab as a HR professional and as someone who has negotiated my personal salary. The first offer for most jobs is just that--a first offer. Lots of recruiters will say to the hiring manager, I know we have 80K budgeted for this position, but I think they will take 65K, so let's offer them 62K. Remember, most of these folks are paid bonuses based on how well they manage their $$, and this is all o part of this. When that first number comes in, I was taught to just say "hummmm........" like you are thinking about it (even if it is more than you ever dreamed of). If they don't give you the total comp, ask about that (bonus--annual and signing--, benefits, vacation time, , etc.) Then say, the job sounds great, exactly what you are looking for, etc. etc, but you were expecting more in terms of salary. This is where you need to do your home work. As an HR professional I could give less than a you-know-what about your personal situation, your bills, how much you feel like you need to make, etc. The question is what are you worth and why? What are other people being paid with a similar background. Check out salary.com as a starter or the Department of Labor. Tell the person in round numbers (high 60s, mid 70s, etc.) what you were expecting and why (experience, background, short learning curve--basically what you are bringing to the table) Expect them to say they will get back to you. Some will even say they can't authorize that much, it's out of their budget, etc. Here's where you need to be patient. When they come back, expect something a little higher, but probably not where you would like for it to be. Inquire about a signing bonus if one has not been mention, ask about performance reviews and what you can expect in terms of increases. Shoot, ask for more vacation time, a waiver on the wait to participate in the tuition reimbursement program--what ever. EVERYTHING is up for discussion. Make sure that your tone of voice during this entire process is very pleasent, but firm. If the number is still not where you want it to be you have to ask yourself: how badly do I want this job--and more importantly i thik--how badly do they want me and how rare is my skillset? We just hired someone at my company who had the perfect background we were looking for. We knew, and so did he, that people like him did not come up every day. He negotiated the Heck out of the the recruiter and ended up getting about 15K more than the initial offer, about a 20K bonus spread out over 3 years and guarenteeed increases based on some predetermined goals. Now that does not happen every day, but it can.
It's also important to know when to back off. If the recruiter says their is nothing I can do, no one I can talk to, etc. you might want to leave it alone. For instance, vacation time is something my company has decided not to change. My BIL, on the other hand, negotiated 2 additional weeks of vacation when he started with his new company a year or so ago.
Negotiating for a new job in the same company can be a bit trickier, but more of the information is on the table (how much you make for one), but can still be done. Don't expected, however, to get the same size raise for a new job with the same company that you can get going to a new company.
Whew! I know I said a mouthful. TempleAlum, chime in with your thoughts. I'd love to hear them! I am by no means a recruiting or comp expert!