How to negotiate salary
Q: When I’m asked about salary expectations online or in the course of a conversation, what do I say?
Talking about money is always hard. Talking about salary is harder. It’s such a taboo subject in our culture. Most job postings do not include salary, which in my opinion creates a huge waste of time both for applicants and the employer, and the subject of an actual salary often doesn’t come up until far along in an interview, if not until the offer stage!
Here’s how to prepare an answer to what your salary expectations are.
Do your research. Check the following sites for salary data and pay attention not only to job title but geography as well.
Know your minimum. The last thing you want to do is suggest a salary or range that you would not be happy with. Determine the lowest amount that you’d be able to live with both financially and emotionally.
Leave space for negotiation. Instead of saying, “I’m looking for a salary between $110K-120K,” broaden your range. For example, you can say, “I’m looking for a salary in the $110s to $120s.” This gives you more room to negotiate if the employer comes back and offers you only $110K, because you can say you were looking for something closer to $120K, for example.
To hear more on this topic, check out the Take 15 Career Q&A video.