Negotiate Better Job Offers with This Twelve-Point ChecklistWritten by Ann Wilson
You’ve been through an employer’s interview process successfully and have now been extended a job offer. And you think offer could be better. If that’s case, read on to find out cutting-edge strategies that’ll help you negotiate a better deal. 1. There’s no need to accept offer on spot. Do express your appreciation for their offer and ask how long you can take to make a decision. Use that time to prepare your approach. Remember, they need you just as much as you need them. Come from a position of strength and confidence. 2. Be clear on your priorities -- know what’s critical to you personally and what’s not. Based on this, define your deal-points and deal breaking points. This should not be limited to your salary. 3. That brings up this important point -- negotiate more than just salary. Maybe things like extra days of vacations, certain types of expenses you want taken care of, flexible working hours, etc, based on what’s important to you. 4. Be yourself. Don’t try to adopt a negotiation style that’s not you. Don’t try to be overly cooperative if you are aggressive by nature, or vice versa. Conduct negotiations keeping in mind industry, position and person you’re negotiating with. Always be tactful and considerate -- rudeness has no place in any discussion. 5. Be patient and willing to hold out for what you deserve. The whole process may require more than one meeting and could take several weeks. Don’t rush it. Also, be willing to walk away from an offer (unless you’re unemployed and in a desperate position). That’s a tried and true tactic that often brings results, though you should be prepared to lose offer if you do use this approach. 6. When it comes to salary, don’t be first one to name a figure. Of course, employers usually make an offer first. If you are asked what salary you want, try to redirect discussion. Say that you’ll look for a salary in line with what’s typical for such positions and that you’d like to discuss offer as a whole before coming to specifics on money.
| | How to Evaluate Job Offers and Zoom In On the Right Opportunity for YouWritten by Ann Wilson
You’ve been successful in your job hunt and have received a job offer. Maybe you received more than one offer. That’s great. The next question is, how do you evaluate an offer to see if it is right one for you? Let’s look at some real answers. The first step is to identify your priorities. Many people make mistake of evaluating just offer. They look at salary, work content, benefits, etc but not what they themselves value in a job. Unfortunately, if you don’t know what satisfies you, you’re evaluating in a vacuum. So how do you identify your priorities? First, make a long list of all possible factors you can think of. Here’s a sample list: match between job responsibilities and your interests, work environment & culture, skill utilization / development, supervisor, coworkers, stability of organization, potential for growth, salary, benefits, perks, hours you are expected to work, length of commute, location, options for formal training, opportunities to learn new skills, personality fit with type of work, outstation travel requirements. Add more factors that interest you. Next, rate each criterion on a scale of 1--10, where 10 indicates that a factor is extremely important to you. Ideally, you should have just a few criteria with ratings of 8, 9 and 10. Those are critical things you should look for in a job. If you rate most criteria at 8--10, do a rethink and come up with a shorter list of factors that are really key for you. And never mind what your coworkers or friends think are important. Focus solely on what YOU think is important.
|
