Career Advice: How to Get a Better Salary

Even in a recession it's possible to get a salary you want.

Times are tough, a fact no one would argue. But does that mean you have to settle for less in a job search when it comes to salary when in  negotiations?

Some career advisers and experts respond with a resounding statement: You can still get something you can live with and perhaps make it even better than you thought,  even in this recession. From a recent Forbes article:

“This is no time to roll over and just take what they give you,” says Ford Myers, author of Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring.

That’s partly because anyone who receives a job offer right now is clearly the best qualified for it. So many people are applying for every position that hiring managers have to comb through hundreds of resumes and interview dozens of candidates. After all that, they don’t want to go back to the interview process. They want you.

The article goes on to say that negotiation is expected. Indeed, it’s a valued business skill that shows your acumen for dealing with compromise and making sure your company, team, product — the things you will potentially be working on — is well-represented and protected.  Some advice though:

• Don’t tell them what you made in your last job.
• Don’t talk about salary until there is an offer on the table.
• Say something along the lines of  ”Salary is an important topic, and I’d be happy to discuss it once our mutual interest is established.”
• Use Payscale and other salary information Web sites.
• Talk to others you trust in the field to gauge salary.
• Find out what grade level the job will be (important for understanding your growth prospects in salary level).
• If no higher salary available, ask for quicker review or signing bonus.

If that seems like old hat, there is some other advice for avoiding salary issues from ever happening. From the article “Preventing Salary Misunderstandings” by careers Author Jack Chapman:

1. Get it in writing
2. If you don’t get in it writing, put it in writing
3. Do it for clarity
4. Avoid back and forth overkill
5. First is final

That last item on the list “First is final” is a little tougher to gauge, but here’s the lowdown: “If you hear phrases like, ‘We need to know what you want so when we make an offer, it will be acceptable to you,’ that’s the tip-off that you’re in the middle of a “first is final” negotiation.

Advice? Recognize what kind of negotiation you are in and work with the hiring people to avoid lots of back and forth. The goal is to get the job and not overdo it with hardball tactics.

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