7 Tips to Help You Negotiate Pay in Your Next Interview
One of the most important aspects of a job interview is your potential salary. After all, how much a future employer plans to pay you will impact whether you should accept a job offer or should continue your hunt for the perfect position.
However, salary is oftentimes contingent upon your negotiation skills rather than the generosity of your employer. Many employers will try to pay new employees less money than they are truly worth if they can get away with it. Today, let’s make sure you avoid that outcome by breaking down seven tips to help you negotiate pay in your next job interview.
Be Direct About Salary
The first major thing to keep in mind is directness.
“When you show up for an interview for a new job, the last thing your potential employer wants to see is hesitation or uncertainty on your part; this extends to salary discussions,” says Omid Semino, CEO and Founder of Diamond Mansion.
Don’t, for example, allow an interview to proceed without talking about salary to at least some extent. You should be upfront about the fact that you expect a certain dollar amount for your services. After all, no reasonable employer expects to do a job and not be paid. “You need to ask for what you deserve. Otherwise, you could end up being taken advantage of,” says Brian Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of ARENA CLUB.
If your interviewer doesn’t discuss salary voluntarily, they may be looking for a way to pay you as little as possible, or they’re waiting until you bring it up, but you shouldn’t allow this to happen. Instead, talk about what you expect with compensation, especially in terms of raw pay per paycheck, bonuses aside.
You should also be direct about whether you expect to be in a salaried position or not. Some employers may enforce this one way or the other, but by at least opening the discussion, you won’t be surprised by how and when you get paid, how overtime is handled, and more.
Research the Market Average for Your Position
Prior to your interview, it’s a good idea to research the average market pay for the position you are interviewing for. Say you are applying for a middle-management or supervisory position in IT. You should research what those types of professionals make on average by checking out resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indeed, and more.
By researching the market average:
You’ll know how much money to ask for.
You’ll immediately know if the prospective employer is trying to lowball you.
You’ll have a good starting point for future negotiations.
Imagine you discover the average pay for a person in the position you are interviewing for is $75,000 a year. If your prospective employer offers you $60,000 per year, you can point to the market comps, or even opt out of the rest of the interviews. Try not to take it too personally, as most employers start low rather than high, but be mindful of ones who seem as though they will waste your time and skills.
Brittany Dolin, Co-Founder of Pocketbook Agency says, “If someone tries to pay you below market average, they may be giving you a window into what they’ll be like as a boss. You have every right to not continue the interview process and look elsewhere for an employer that respects you.”
Be Specific About What You Want
During your interview, you should be very specific about the salary you want from the employer. “Since you’ve done your market research and know what the average person is paid for the position, you should at least start by asking for this much, or something close to that range” Shaunak Amin, CEO and Co-Founder of SwagMagic says.
Depending on your experience level, your certifications, or educational credentials, you may believe your work is worth more than the average salary level for the position. If that’s the case, be honest and ask for it. You miss every shot you don’t take, and you have the right to request a certain amount of money or salary range during a job interview. “Even if you think the request is a bit high, you might impress the employer by being so confident in what you believe you deserve,” says Asker A Ahmed, Director of iProcess Global Research.
In addition, employers are under no obligation to pay you more than the average market rate for a position, even if they think you might be worth more. Remember, your interview is, in part, a negotiation. Your prospective employer is not necessarily your friend. It’s up to you to represent yourself as best as possible and secure as much money for your work as you can.
Bring Evidence to Support Your Claims
That said, you’ll need to bring plenty of evidence to support your salary request if it is higher than average. If, for example, you want $85,000 for an average $75,000 position, you should bring:
Testimonials or letters of recommendation from your current or past employers.
Concrete numbers like charts and data sheets showing the benefits you provided to your last employer.
Copies of your grades or college transcripts, if it is your first job out of college.
John Berry, CEO and Managing Partner of Berry Law says, “By bringing evidence to the negotiation table, you’ll make it more likely that your salary request will be honored or agreed upon by your future employer. This is much more important if you are looking for a higher-than-average salary, of course.”
Display Confidence in the Interview
No matter what, you should be as confident as possible during the negotiation or interview. Confidence is vital since it can impress your future employer, and it shows you are willing to do what it takes to get what you deserve.
You can showcase confidence by:
Sitting up straight.
Looking the interviewer(s) in the eye.
Shaking hands firmly if you’re in person.
Speaking clearly and avoiding stumbling.
Having answers prepared for any likely interview questions.
The more confidence you can display, the better.
“This is doubly important for any supervisory positions where you are likely to oversee or command employees. Employers want to see confidence in their managers and supervisors, so this helps with both your salary negotiations and getting you a job offer in the first place,” says Andrew Meyer, CEO of Arbor.
Get the Salary Agreement in Writing
Should your employer agree to a satisfactory salary arrangement, be sure to get it in writing. Although it is rare, some employers will try to bait and switch new hires by offering them extra money, and then coding them at standard pay rates in their company systems. “At that point, some employees are so embarrassed or awkward about the situation that they don’t press the issue and end up being paid less money than they agreed to in the interview,” says Marilyn Zubak, Marketing Lead of Snif.
If you secure a stellar salary prior to being hired, make sure you get that salary in writing. That way, if there is a pay code switch after starting your duties, you can take that statement in writing to HR and correct the issue before you lose too much time and money.
Consider Things Beyond Pay
Of course, during salary negotiations, remember to consider things beyond pay. Some employers may not pay you as much as you expect in terms of dollars, but they might have extra benefits that can sweeten the deal or even take the place of more money, such as:
Company perks, like gym memberships or free coffee.
Plenty of overtime opportunities.
More opportunities for advancement.
More schedule flexibility (a particularly nice advantage if you have a family and need to juggle different responsibilities outside of work).
By considering things beyond pay, you’ll open up the negotiation to a broader range of acceptable outcomes.
Chris Bridges, CEO of VITAL Card says, “Note that you can also use things aside from pay to negotiate your way to a job with a schedule that works for you.”
Say that you’re a working parent and you need to take three days off per week rather than just two. You can offer to be paid a little less money for the position in exchange for that extra day off (if the position is salaried, that is). Your prospective employer may accept this arrangement depending on what they need from the new hire.
Bonus Tip: Remember That You Don’t Have to Accept
Let’s break down one last, but extremely important, bonus tip: you don’t have to accept any job offer you receive!
After a long interview, especially one that involves hours of preparation, many people feel obligated to accept if they receive a job offer, even if it’s not to their liking; this isn’t true! You don’t have to accept any job offer under any circumstances.
“If you feel that the prospective employer isn’t paying you enough money or that you won’t be a good fit for some other reason, move on. There’s always another job interview to prepare for and negotiate through. At the very least, the job you decline provides an excellent practice round for the next interview process” says Sean Doherty, General Manager of Box Genie.
Conclusion
How you negotiate your salary will heavily impact the payment offer you receive during your next interview. Keep the above tips in mind, and you’ll be in a much stronger bargaining position to secure an excellent job offer and starting pay rate, no matter your industry.
McClatchy newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
