By: terry

terry — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:09:38 +0000

What negotiating? In the minimum wage world, it’s take-it-or-leave-it. Nothing to negotiate.

By: pfadvice

pfadvice — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 05:21:06 +0000

Another point to add to the excellent suggestions above is keep a list of all the things you do. Rarely do the people in charge know all the different aspects of your job, especially if you help out in areas other than directly under your boss. Don’t just tell them you are worth more, have it documented in the form of all you do to prove it.

By: mmb

mmb — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 04:09:42 +0000

Must have been an anonymous survey for so many male respondents to admit they’d penalize the women and not the men for the exact same behavior. So delightfully un-PC. The reaction of the women surprised me though but I am guessing the cocky manner accompanying the demand in that scenario had more to do with their reluctance to hire than simply a demand for higher pay. Incidentally that may be the reason behind the male managers’ reactions as well. In my experience men are more turned off by arrogance in a woman than by it in another man. For my part though I have always negotiated and received a higher pay or a better package overall with both male and female hiring managers. I have also done a lot of hiring and in several cases ruled out a candidate because they asked for too much and couldn’t explain why they deserved more. Here’s my advice to anyone who’s thinking of negotiating irrespective of gender:

1. Be reasonable — don’t ask for 100k when people in peer position get 80k. If you don’t know how much people are making in the same position, get creative and find out.

2. Keep it on context — don’t ask for more money because you have two kids to raise or want to go on a Caribbean cruise next year. Instead, ask for more, say, because you have extensive prior experience in doing just the kind of work this job requires and can not only be valuable from get go but can coach less experienced team members and thereby improve productivity overall. Salary negotiation is a great time to remind them why you are the best candidate and raise your value at the same time.

3. Be confident, not cocky — I like confidence. I hate arrogance. As a hiring manager myself there is a huge difference between “I deserve it (because I am Gods’ gift to earth.)” and “I deserve it because I am talented, hard-working and ready to give my 110% to this job.”

4. Time it — As The Dividend Guy said above, don’t bring up salary during the interview. Why price yourself out of the market before your prospective employer has had a chance to truly appreciate how fabulous you are? Mesmerize him or her with your talent, your flexibility, your can-do attitude and your team-spirit. If salary does comes up during the interview say that what you are looking for is a world class environment where you can learn and grow and become an asset to the team and that you are flexible on compensation. Then, when they are ready to kiss the ground you walk on, tell them you are worth more. But be reasonable.

By: Flexo

Flexo — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 08:10:14 +0000

I added the link, Murray, and welcome back!

By: The Dividend Guy

The Dividend Guy — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 08:09:45 +0000

I have been successful before in negotating a salary increase. In my opinion, the reason it worked was that I did not do it during the review process and I was prepared to present why I deserved a raise. I was very specific in why I deserved the raise. There is usually no harm in trying!

By: Murray

Murray — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 04:57:50 +0000

Hey flexo, I just started updating my personal finance blog again…and updated my link to your site. Maybe you could return the favor with a link to mine? Would appreciate it!

-Murray