What's the best way to negotiate salary?

I went for an interview yesterday (applied 3 days ago) and it turned out to be very successful. Both the principal and one of the main attorneys met with me and discussed the role. It went very smoothly and ultimately they asked me what my notice period was and if mid January would be sufficient time for me to start this new position.

In the past, I've always been too easygoing when it came to discussing the money side of things. I generally don't negotiate at all, but this time I feel like I should. Any advice on how it should be done?

Have you applied for other positions / been offered other positions? If so, you can use this as a point of discussion (I want to work here first and foremost and be an asset to your team, but this other employer is offering me X, is there any way you could offer a little more?)

Also, approach the salary as more of a conversation where both parties share a common objective. You and the employer want to reach a common ground for what would be an appropriate base salary, benefit package, and applicable bonus opportunities, that would be a respectable salary for you and not too costly to them.

Since it sounds like a school (?), plenty of public service positions publish their salary ranges for their positions -- or previous salaries for the people working before you -- on a website. You can also use that as a talking point.

Hope this helps - best of luck!

It's not a school lol, it's a well known law firm in the central cbd. Principal simply means the owner of the firm.

Thanks for the advice! I only sent out a couple applications three days ago and the other interview is tomorrow. Don't have anything to compare to currently, besides my current role which is similar.

I was cross-posting with Pleasedonot, but my advice is very similar.

Coincidentally, my niece is in legal, and she came to me for advice on this exact subject last weekend, and she texted me to tell me that the advice worked!

So I'll tell you the same thing I told her. In her case, she works for a law firm, and they gave her a raise. But she wanted more, and she felt (as do I), that she deserved a higher increase.

I gave her this one piece of advice: Life is all about WIIFM. All anyone in life cares about is......WIIFM. What's In It For Me.

So, you have to use WIIFM, in reverse: What's In It For Them. Make everything you say to be about their benefit, how it will be good for them.

Example: I'm extremely organized, and super proficient in Office, so I can create amazing Power Points for you to use with your clients.

.....You get the idea.

My niece used several examples of things that she does that are over & above her job description, and in the end, the attorneys not only gave her the higher raise, they told her that they realized they can't afford to lose her.

NEVER make it about yourself. Never say: I need x money because my rent is high. I need x money because I'm worth it. I need x money because my last job paid me that.

Make sure you keep it positive, and about the person/entity/company that you are interviewing with, and highlight strengths that you have, that you know that they need, and how it will help them.

My big questions:

- Is this a new field for you? Is the position entry level?

- Do you bring more education, certification, or experience that you feel gives you a competitive edge that would justify an offer?

- Have you gotten higher offers from other institutions offering the same or comparable position?

Taking your time to do some decent research into the fair market value of the work you'd be doing will do a lot in presenting a figure that's fair to both them and you.

I recently took a new job and negotiated successfully for a higher starting salary. When I first applied for the job, they gave me a salary range, and when I got the job, they offered me a salary on the lower spectrum of that range. I countered and said that given that i was joining the company with already a deep knowledge of their product line and had a PhD and post-doctoral experience, I would like to start on the higher end of the range. They met me halfway, and I was happy with that.

In short, tell them what skills you have that will be an asset to their company rather than just saying you want more money to have more money.

Visit the blog "ask a manager". She gives great advice on this subject. Just do a search for salary negotiation on the site. Good luck!!

Visit the blog "ask a manager". She gives great advice on this subject. Just do a search for salary negotiation on the site. Good luck!!

Yes, I love that blog!!!!!

Thanks guys! All of this was very helpful! I ended up getting offered the job! They said they'd interviewed 12 people and had hundreds of applicants. I'm thrilled, and will need time to read through the contract.

Haven't accepted the job yet, but heavily considering it currently. There's apparently a salary review after 3 months.

I'm reading the contract right now. Is it acceptable to email them to negotiate salary or should I always do it face to face?

They said they'll send the signed contract after I give them the go ahead with the draft one.

In my case, I called the HR rep on the phone and said I wanted to negotiate salary and she told me to put my request and why in email.

Thanks! I'm going back to work mid January. I don't want to have to stay till end of the month. Do you think a call and email will suffice, or should I resign face to face?

Thanks! I'm going back to work mid January. I don't want to have to stay till end of the month. Do you think a call and email will suffice, or should I resign face to face?

Face to face is best, with as much notice as possible, completing as many tasks/projects/issues as possible, in the kindest, most professional way possible.

You have no idea who you will run into later on in your professional life, and leaving on as high a note as possible is imperative.

Years ago, I quit a job (face to face, finished tasks, etc.), where I actually went in and told the owner of the company, along with handing him a written resignation letter. I had gotten another job, but I gave him as much notice as I could, and completed as much stuff as I could. I started my new job, and the owner of the new company, on my first day, said, "I have a very funny story to tell you that happened to me this weekend". She went on to tell me that she had been on a flight, in first class, sitting next to a gentleman, and they got to talking, and he turned out to be the owner of the company I had just left! She said he said the nicest, most glowing things about me, telling her that he appreciated so much the fact that I got so much done before I left, and that he appreciated the way I handled my resignation. She said it gave her a better feeling about having just hired me.

^ darn, what a small world. I'll definitely keep that in mind. My boss is petty and is the type to take resignations as a personal slight, so either way it's not going to be the best situation to be in. :S

You might want to look at Ask a Manager and see if you can find a script to follow that will make it sound as nice as possible.

^ darn, what a small world. I'll definitely keep that in mind. My boss is petty and is the type to take resignations as a personal slight, so either way it's not going to be the best situation to be in. :S

Here's another small world story about a supremely petty boss I resigned from, years ago.

Mind you, I live in one of the largest cities in the country, so this is sooooooo coincidental:

I became very miserable in a high-profile, "glamorous" (not really) job (think "Devil Wears Prada"), and my boss was unbearable. Petty, social climber, the whole bit. She "warned" me when I resigned that all the friends I had made would no longer be my friends, because I was like a soldier, leaving them in battle. (p.s.--wrong, I'm still friends with them). I still continued with my resignation plan, doing all my work, etc.

A few years later, I got an even better job with a much better company, better pay, better everything, and she had since been fired! I ran into her at a cafe, and she asked what I was doing, and she said, "Oh my gosh, I would love to get in with that company! Do they have any openings?" I said, "I'm not sure, let me ask my boss!" So I called my boss, and told him alllllllll about her....and he said, please tell her to call me, so I can tell her firsthand that I'm so sorry, we will not have any openings for a very long time. Never heard from her again.

Careful who ya step on. I will never ever forget her cold stare, telling me that my friends would move away from me now that I was "deserting" them.

I wanted to thank everyone for the advice I was given. I managed to successfully negotiate the salary, so that now I'll be paid nearly 30% higher than my previous position. Evidently the previous position was underpaying me but I'm pretty satisfied with what I'll be getting now. There be a salary review in a few months time as well, so guess that just means I need to work hard.

yayyyyy!!!!