Salary Negotiation

Chapter 5 of What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles discusses salary negotiation. The author lists six different tips to help you negotiate your salary properly. Most people don't know how to ask for a certain salary or if they should even bring up salary. However, talking about your salary is very important because we obviously all need a certain amount of money to live. It's interesting to see that this is a common problem among people interviewing for a job because I know I have felt this way before. When I had to fill out applications for part time jobs a few years ago I remember the application asked me what I expected my wage per hour to be. Now obviously this was just a part time job but I still got nervous when the interviewer asked me what I thought I should get paid. I did not want to seem like I was being pushy but I also wanted to make sure I was getting paid a fair wage. As this post continues we will look at some of the six tips Bolles recommends for negotiating salaries.

The first tip Bolles suggest is to wait until you know you are going to get the job or the interviewer says they have to have you on their team. If you ask too early it may seem rude and if you ask too late then they may have something in mind that they are not willing to negotiate. The best time to ask is when you know everything about what the job requires and you feel comfortable with accepting the position. Bolles says to have a few responses prepared for when the interviewer asks about salary.

Another tip worth mentioning is that when salary negotiation is finally brought up you should always let the employer make the first offer. Bolles says their is no real reason as to why the employer should go first, rather it is just an unspoken rule. Presenting the interviewer with a range your willing to work with may make sense because then you know you are not presenting them with the highest or lowest number that they are willing to go too. If you suggest a salary that is low they may take you right off the bat, but that also means they may have been willing to pay you more. If you ask to high of a salary the interviewer may think you want too much and they will no longer want to hire you.

Bolles recommends researching the average salary for a position similar to the one you want before going into an interview. This will give you an advantage because you have information on what the market is currently willing to pay someone similar to you. This will also help you from asking for a salary that is too or high or too low, as we previously discussed.

Book Credit: Bolles, Richard. "The Six Secrets of Salary Negotiation." What Color Is Your Parachute? 2016 ed. Ten Speed, 2016. Print.