TRAPS: Mayalso be phrases as, “What salary are you worth?”…or, “How much are you makingnow?” This is your most importantnegotiation. Handle it wrong and you can blow the job offer or go to work atfar less than you might have gotten.
BEST ANSWER: Formaximum salary negotiating power, remember these five guidelines:
- Neverbring up salary. Let the interviewer doit first. Good salespeople sell theirproducts thoroughly before talking price. So should you. Make the interviewerwant you first, and your bargaining position will be much stronger.
- Ifyour interviewer raises the salary question too early, before you’ve had achance to create desire for your qualifications, postpone the question, sayingsomething like, “Money is important to me, but is not my mainconcern. Opportunity and growth are farmore important. What I’d rather do, ifyou don’t mind, is explore if I’m right for the position, and then talk aboutmoney. Would that be okay?”
- The#1 rule of any negotiation is: the sidewith more information wins. After you’vedone a thorough job of selling the interviewer and it’s time to talk salary,the secret is to get the employer talking about what he’s willing to pay beforeyou reveal what you’re willing to accept. So, when asked about salary, respond by asking, “I’m sure the companyhas already established a salary range for this position. Could you tell me what that is?” Or, “I want an income commensurate with myability and qualifications. I trustyou’ll be fair with me. What does theposition pay?” Or, more simply, “What does this position pay?”
- Knowbeforehand what you’d accept. To knowwhat’s reasonable, research the job market and this position for any relevantsalary information. Remember that mostexecutives look for a 20-25%$ pay boost when they switch jobs. If you’regrossly underpaid, you may want more.
- Neverlie about what you currently make, but feel free to include the estimated costof all your fringes, which could well tack on 25-50% more to your present“cash-only” salary.