This is the quick and dirty break down on how you can negotiate for higher pay.
We all want to make more at our jobs. Why waste time working for less than what you could be?
1. Know your numbers
Your personal statistics. If you have 75% productivity on a daily basis, tell them. If you personally raised your last company 1 million dollars in revenue, tell them. Prep your info and memorize it. This way you will know it in the moment if you need to do some convincing.
2. Talk about your experience
If you don’t have any experience you can talk about any volunteer work or your GPA. But I really suggest you get some sort of experience for whatever it is you’re trying to do. I wouldn’t hire someone with none unless I knew them personally and figured they could handle the job.
3. Be friendly
Especially if the person interviewing you is the one negotiating your pay. Ask personal questions, talk about life a little if there’s time. People generally don’t like saying no to someone they have a positive relationship with, even if that relationship is only 10 minutes old, use it to your advantage.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for more
You may hear, “We offer all new candidates the same beginner rate.” That may or may not be true, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for more anyway. The worse they could say is, “Sorry, this is still the best we can do.” At best you may get a few dollars more.
5. Assertive, not aggressive
There is no place for aggression on a job interview. Typically the people you negotiate with have been at it a few years and are not in the mood for your crap. Many of them are HR reps, and won’t want to deal with you later on if you get a little crazy on them. Don’t turn a job offer into a hard NO with being too aggressive.
6. Be realistic
If your industry pays $15/hour in your area, asking for $30 can do the same thing as above. It’s a little too high. Now asking for that $20-25 range maybe do-able depending on your skillset. Just use good judgement and ask for something higher than the average number you’ve researched.
7. Research/Talk to your peers
A lot of people don’t want to talk about how much they make, and generally speaking it’s considered rude to ask. All it takes is one person to open that discussion up. I’ve never met someone that didn’t wonder if they were getting paid equally. If you ask and they say they don’t want to talk about it, ask someone else. There is bound to be one person that is willing to open up. Use social media and search engines to help you. I see it on Facebook all the time. There are multiple collaborative groups, for a lot of job circles where you can ask for industry standards and realistic pay information.
8. Try asking for a probationary period or regular raises in writing
Some companies, especially small businesses, will be willing to work with you to manage their budget. They may not have the money right now, but can find it in the next 3 months. Ask if they will increase after set time and get it in writing. It may be an option to take a job at slightly lower pay than you want, and get it in writing for yearly raises at a fixed percentage.
9. Negotiate around benefits
Many companies are willing to give you a higher pay rate if you don’t need their medical insurance or opt out of the 401K, etc… This works well for military spouses especially since they have a lot of benefits already and just want their jobs for the income only.
Remember
You deserve to be paid what you’re worth. Don’t settle for less. Just make sure you hold your end of the bargain up and be worth it for the company as well, or you might find yourself needing a new job.
When it comes to asking for more money the responsibility lies on you. Be ready to hear “NO” but go in expecting to get a “YES”.
Good Luck
North Carolina, USA