Smarter and Harder

12 Tips for Negotiating Your Salary

1. Know Your Worth

Always come prepared. Know what someone with your skills, experience, and workload should be paid, and bring data to back it up.

2. Set Your Range

It's best to have an ideal target salary in mind, as well as the lowest number you'll accept, before you begin negotiations.

3. Avoid Discussing Salary History

Employers don't need to know what you've earned in the past. If they do, they could try to leverage this to keep your new salary lower.

4. Pick the Right Time

Pay attention to the company calendar, as well as when they typically offer raises and promotions, to choose the best timing.

5. Negotiate Benefits and Perks

Sometimes a higher salary isn't an option, but a boss may still be able to offer other incentives like more paid time off or stock benefits.

6. Prepare a Strong Case

Come in ready with concise, provable arguments for why you are worth a higher salary. Be prepared to clearly defend this points.

7. Stick to the Facts

Do your best to avoid misleading statements or emotional arguments - these can quickly backfire in a negotiation.

8. Practice, Practice, Practice

Familiarize yourself with everything you will or might bring up in the conversation, but avoid memorizing specific, scripted phrases.

9. Keep it Cool

Negotiating can be a high-stress situation, but losing your composure to anger, frustration, or sadness can hurt your case.

10. Don't Get Personal

Keep it strictly business. Personal reasons that you need the money will not help. Likewise, there's no need to take a rejection personally.

11. Be Ready to Hear No

It won't go your way every time. Set expectations that you may end up with a less than ideal offer.

12. Be Ready to Walk Away

If the final offer comes in below the bottom of your range, you don't have to take it. You have the power to reject the deal and walk away.

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