It’s taken months and months just to land an interview and now the call you’ve been waiting for has finally happened, they offered you the job. Just when you thought the process was over, the hard part begins. Do you take the offer or negotiate? According to The EDGE Report, 61% of today’s employers are willing to negotiate a higher salary for qualified candidates.
If you like it, take it
Whether an employer is willing to or not is less important than if you’re pleased with the offer extended. In the past 60 days I’ve had 10 career coaching clients land new jobs and the first question I asked each of them was “Are you happy with the offer?” Negotiating a great offer is senseless. Accept it, set a start date and make reservations at the best restaurant (or, if you’re like me, spa) to celebrate!
Think creatively
On the other hand, if you were hoping for a higher salary, different vacation schedule or telecommuting option, there’s some negotiation to be done. Now’s the time to think creatively and remember, it’s not always about base salary. How can you get to your final goal and give the employer options? Ask for what you want yet create counter-offer options that give them the flexibility to choose what works for their business and budget. I give three ideas of how to negotiate using counter-offer strategies in Chapter 8 of “Career Sudoku: 9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game”.
Know your bottom-line
Flexibility with your options is smart but flexibility with your bottom-line is not. You need to know what your baseline “yes” for this particular job offer is before you pick up the phone to negotiate. If the hiring manager is unwilling to move on one single item, which does happen, are you willing to walk away from the job offer? This isn’t poker ladies and gentlemen, it’s a job offer in a market with 30MM job seekers and they can’t see your face over the phone.
Practice makes perfect
With stakes as high as a new career on the line, now is time to go in with a well thought out counter-offer and scenario that you’ve practiced. If you’re single, ask a trusted friend to walk through it with you, or call a career coach who specializes in job offer negotiation. You want to be ready to ace to volley back and forth confidently when the negotiating starts.
Lastly, I’ll leave with one of my favorite quotes when it comes to negotiation “You get more with sugar than you do with spice.” – Susan D. Klingenmaier
