Negotiating When You Get the Job Offer

I wanted to bring this article to you regarding salary negotiations.  It is so important to be prepared and to not just take what they offer, especially if it is obviously below market value.  I hope you enjoy Sherrie's tips.
- Lisa

Negotiation 2.0: How to Get the Job Offer You Want

Author:

Sherrie A. Madia, Ph.D.
If you made it to a job offer with an employer, chances are it\'s because the primary message you tried to instill in the minds of employers throughout your job search was your value to the company. To be successful with the offer negotiation process, you must first understand how that value translates into a monetary figure.
Research Comparable Salaries
The first step is to obtain some reliable salary figures for someone with your skill set, experience, industry, and geographic region. There are many resources available on the Web (such as salary.com), in business libraries, and through your business network that can provide you with comparable salary information. While it is unlikely that you will find an exact salary for your particular situation, the more research you conduct, the more confident you will become that the salary you quote will be realistic and present a 'fair market value' for your skills and accomplishments.
Relying on multiple sources for salary information means that you will obtain a fairly accurate picture of the range for your profession, years of experience, and current job market trends with regard to your industry.
In deciding on an appropriate salary range, don\'t forget to factor in the 'opportunity cost' of leaving your current position in terms of any commissions due, year-end bonuses, annual review, and pay raises, or stock options not yet vested.
After you analyze your findings, you will create three levels of salary:

• 
  Your 'Bottom Line' Number:This is the lowest salary you will accept in order to meet your financial responsibilities, while allowing you to work toward your longer range career and lifestyle goals.
• 
  Your 'Comfort Zone' Number:This is the salary at which you believe you will be adequately compensated in terms of the title and responsibilities of the position. This figure will also permit you to live comfortably in a manner to which you are accustomed.
• 
  Your 'Ideal' Number:This is the level of salary earned by top performers in your field.

Negotiating an Offer
Now that you have the three sets of numbers laid out, it\'s time to lay out a strategy for when an employment offer is actually made. When an employer offers you a given salary or quotes a salary range, your initial research will tell you if the number is too low, too high, or on target.
Many companies that offer an impressive benefit package may attempt to persuade you accept a lower salary. Only you can decide what will be best for yourself, your family, your career, and current situation. Keep in mind that if you accept a lower salary now it will affect the amount of increases you obtain as you move forward with the company since pay raises are based on a percentage of current salary.
Negotiating When the Offer is Too Low
When an offer is too low, your initial response might be to repeat the number in a non-judgmental tone and then stop talking. During this interval you will be comparing this number to your 'Bottom Line' figure. If the salary offered does not fall within even this bottom level, a possible response might be:
'Ms. Smith, thank you for the offer. I am truly appreciative that you believe I am the right person for this job and excited about getting started in meeting the challenges we discussed.'
Then clarify:
'Please allow me to clarify my understanding of the position. This is a full time, exempt position as IT Division Manager for your Cincinnati office. I would be reporting to the Vice President of Technology and be responsible for the supervision of seven staff. I would be required to manage the implementations of new technological initiatives within the branch office during the first six months of employment and spearhead some cost-cutting measures to trim at least 15off the department budget.  
'Do I have this correct?'
Make a strong case for a higher salary based on the value you will bring to the role. Be sure to mention any critical needs discussed during the interview and your ability to solve those issues.
'As we discussed, I have the requisite skill set to make an immediate contribution. As you know, I have led the successful implementation of new equipment in my current role and feel confident of my ability to reproduce that success with this company. Based on my expected contributions and what I have come to understand to be fair market value from some industry-based research for this level of position, a salary range of X to Y would be more appropriate. Can you work with me in this range?'
Three Possible Responses from the Employer
1. Employer doesn't budge!
Suggested response:
Remain enthusiastic and display an attitude of cooperation: You want to give the impression that you are trying to work out a win-win situation
'Okay, I do understand your position. I remain confident in my ability to excel in this role so perhaps we can build in some performance-based bonuses? I would certainly also factor in the scope of the benefit package offered.'
2. Employer raises the offer a bit but still below your expectations
Remain positive and reiterate key challenges of the position. Once again, express your confidence that you can meet and exceed performance expectations.
'I remember our discussion about the difficulty the department is having with team morale and how it is adversely affecting productivity. I have a consistent history of building strong teams in very similar situations, and I have full confidence in my ability to drive consensus and enhance overall productivity. I have calculated that even a 5boost in productivity would increase your bottom line by $50,000 in the first year alone. Based on this assessment, could you agree that a salary range of X and Y would be fair?
Continue on in this vein as long as the employer is receptive and you are able to continue documenting relevant past experience. As in the above example, it is always helpful to translate your value in terms of hard numbers.
3. Employer counters with an offer that is aligned with your needs and expectations
The negotiation process is now over and you can move forward to discussing benefits, bonuses, and special perks.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/negotiation-20-how-to-get-the-job-offer-you-want-3664752.html


About the Author
Sherrie A. Madia, Ph.D. is an educator, author, and trainer.  Her most recent books include The Social Media Survival Guide (Also available in Spanish), The Online Job Search Survival Guide, and S.E.R.I.A.L.PRENEURSHIP: The Secrets of Repeatable Business Success. She is frequently cited by the national media as an expert in social media.  She is Director of Communications, External Affairs, and a Lecturer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

How to Build Confidence During a Job Search

Welcome to the end of January.  We are battling the third snow storm in nine days here in New England.  Even for those that love snow, all these storms can definitely take a toll.  Many times the January dull drums come in and I begin to get grumpy.   Even though it is the start of a new year, focus towards goals can be derailed by my grumpiness.  I don’t know about you but the long winters can really beat on me and my outlook on my daily life and my confidence.  We all have moments of low self-confidence at some points in our lives and I have found that facing a job search can bring up those negative thoughts to the surface with great frequency.   Thus the focus of this month’s newsletter is on our mindset and self-confidence.  How do you gain self-confidence and keep a positive mindset moving forward in your job search or career transition?

 Let’s review a few techniques I have found to be helpful.

1. 30 Successes - Write a list of at least 30 successes you have achieved in your life time.  Just a straight forward bulleted list will do.  Not need to go into full explanations.  Begin with simple things such as, “Graduated from high school”.  This is not for anyone else’s eyes but yours.   Be sure to write them down on paper.  Writing makes it concrete and real.  When we just talk about our successes or goals, they disappear as fast as they are spoken.  This list will remind you that you have had success in your life.  That you can and have achieved much.
2. Evaluate Your Down Time - Look at how you are spending your free time.  Is it being used on productive, forward moving actions or on time wasters?  TV, video games, and Facebook can be the biggest time wasters ever.  I am not saying they are bad but taken to the extreme, these time wasters will kill your progress and hurt your confidence.  I think that there is innate ability to understand when we are not accomplishing our goals.  Such as putting off making those networking calls to play games on Facebook or another gaming system.  I love having down time.  Sometimes I bury myself in a no-mind book or TV show which helps me to decompress but I would offer up that a long walk outside with the dog helps more to re-focus and re-fresh our minds.
3. What Are You Reading -  Read, read, read.  Read something engaging and inspirational.  Pick up a quick read that you can just read a chapter a day.  There are so many good authors with tons of wisdom and encouragement.  Read for inspiration and read for knowledge.  Did you know that most adults read only three books a year?  I have learned to appreciate the constant gift of learning and being engaged in a story.  It builds our minds and imagination. 
4. Move Your Body -  Going to the gym or a group fitness class regularly can be the best thing for our self-esteem and our creative thinking than any other job search tactic.  If you are doing a full-time job search, take the time, even first thing in the morning, to get in a long workout.  It will give your body a boost and help your mind to think more clearly.
5. Get Outside - As a continuation on the move your body idea, getting real fresh air regularly can make us feel alive again.  It does not need to be a work out.  Just going for a walk and taking in some deep breaths will make a huge difference to clear out the head.
6. Get Sleep - Yes, get a good night’s rest.   Waking refreshed will help you feel better in general.  Being well rested adds to a healthy mindset.  Too many of us go around half asleep due to poor sleep habits.  Proactively work to change your schedule so you can get in 7-9 hours of sleep regularly.  I have worked hard at doing this myself.  I can easily stay up late, doing whatever is on my list, but I pay for it when the alarm goes off at 5:45 am and I can barely get my day moving.  I have learned to appreciate the quiet of the early morning, but truthfully 5:30 is as early as it gets, and that is not every day of the week.  On the other end I have also learned to appreciate heading to bed around 10:00 pm even with a good book in hand to try to calm myself and get ready for a solid sleep.  Trust me, there are nights that I barely sleep for various reasons but when I do get long sleep for a bunch of days, I am a new person and more positive and productive.
7. Eat Well - I know this is probably over-stated but there is a reason it is over-stated.  Many still do not eat well and don’t energize their bodies and minds with good food.  A lack of a healthy diet inhibits our ability to be effective in life and our job search.  I am the perfect case of “caffeine addict”.  I love my Dunkin Donuts coffee.  Really I do!  My biggest challenge is  cutting down on my daily caffeine in-take to make room for more nutritious calories.  When I drink too much coffee I eat more carbohydrates too.  It is a bad cycle that I constantly have to keep in check.  But consider this along with a regular exercise routine and it all works.  More exercise drives our bodies to crave less sweets and more nutritious snacks.  When your body feels better, your mind will be clearer for networking, interviewing, and evaluating offers.
8. Who Do You Spend Time With?   -  Who are the encouragers in your life?  Who are the people that cause you stress?  Which do you spend the most time with?  Spend time with the encouragers as much as possible.  Get out of the house and meet someone for a meal or a cup of coffee.  Get to a live networking event.  Spending time with other job seekers can be an encouraging time.  However, I will give you a word of caution.  Do not make any of your meetings with friends or other job seekers a regular “venting” session.  I know that a job search can be tough especially after a lay off.  There are plenty of feelings that need to be processed.  There is a loss of a career, friendships with co-workers, and a routine.  Just to name a few.  Recognizing the grief and frustration, as well as processing it, is good and healthy.  But do not continue your focus on the down-side otherwise you will push people away and will have a difficult time obtaining help for your job search.   Spend time with the people that will encourage you through this time.  Find good up-lifting, energetic people to associate with.  Their natural energy and positive attitude is contagious and you will feel yourself lifted too.  You, then, can become a positive influence on others.
9. Volunteer - Taking the focus off of ourselves can be a huge boost.  Helping others gives us an added sense of gratitude for what we have and less of an attitude of what we don’t.  For example, some skilled laborers, in Florida, a few years back when their businesses were in decline, decided to volunteer their time and talents.  They went out and did their profession but for free.  It did two things.  It kept them working in their trade and from being stuck at home “whining” about their situation.  They did something to help others and ended up helping themselves in the process.
10. Take Action - Bottom line, DO SOMETHING!  Taking action will give you a huge lift to your confidence.  By actually doing something towards your goals, you will automatically gain confidence that you are moving forward.  Even if it is a phone call you have been procrastinating making.  Just do it.  Make the call.  Then make another.  You will gain confidence from each step you take.  

You can do it!  You can move forward toward your goals.  You can become a more confident person and job searcher.  Give these steps a try and tell me how you feel after a month of implementing them.  If implementing all 10 steps seems to be too much.  Tackle 3 to start.  Build from there.  Let me know how it works out.  I like to hear stories of your journey through the job search or transition process.

Continue to breathe in and be inspired.

To your success,

Lisa