Negotiating a better salary at job offer can be intimidating, especially if you lack confidence. However, with the right mindset and strategies, it is possible to increase your confidence and successfully negotiate a better salary. In this blog, I will share some tips from my time as a recruiter and some psychological tips for increasing your confidence.
Increasing confidence:
In terms of building confidence, it’s important to recognise that you are being offered the job for a reason – you are the best candidate for the role and the employer is offering you based on your strengths, skills and experience. Take time to remind yourself of the value you are bringing to their business and how the business may suffer without you in that role.
1. Research
One of the most important things you can do to increase your confidence when negotiating a salary is to do your research. This means researching the company, the role, and the industry. You need to know what the average salary is for someone in your position, and what other companies in the industry are paying their employees. This will give you a good idea of what you should be asking for, and what is reasonable to expect.
2. Practice
The more you practice negotiating, the more confident you will become. You can practice with a friend or family member, or even in front of a mirror. The key is to practice speaking confidently, using clear and concise language, and to practice listening and responding to the other person’s objections.
3. Focus on your strengths
When negotiating a salary, it’s important to focus on your strengths and what you can bring to the table. This will help you feel more confident and make a stronger case for yourself. Think about your accomplishments, your skills, and your experience, and be prepared to articulate them clearly and confidently.
4. Visualize success
Visualizing success is a powerful technique that can help increase your confidence. Before your negotiation, take a few minutes to visualize a successful outcome. Imagine yourself confidently negotiating your salary and getting the outcome you want. Visualize yourself feeling happy and satisfied with the outcome. This positive visualization can help you feel more confident and motivated going into the negotiation.
5. Prepare for objections
When negotiating a salary, it’s important to be prepared for objections. Think about the possible objections the other person may have, and be prepared to respond to them. This will help you feel more confident and in control during the negotiation. Some common objections include budget constraints, company policies, or market conditions. Be prepared to address these objections and offer solutions or alternatives.
6. Courage comes before confidence!
Sometimes you need to take a first step before confidence builds. Commit to negotiating, build up your courage by reminding yourself that it is expected to negotiate salary and that there are many people far less qualified than you, who negotiate better salaries. As you exercise your courage more, you’ll start to think of yourself as someone who will try things and go after what you want. Mistakes or failures stop affecting you as much because you become so used to the process of trying and learning. This will help build your overall self confidence.
In the interview:
In terms of negotiating salary, from my experience as a recruiter, unless you negotiate you could be settling for a salary that is less than you deserve, or even less than the employer was willing to pay. Often it is females who do not negotiate, and this forms a pattern where they move from job to job on a low salary, which their new offer is calculated from. The reasons why people do not negotiate a job offer are usually one of three things; lack of confidence, not knowing how to negotiate or presuming the employer’s offer is fair.
Some tips on negotiating your salary when you are in the interview process:
Be prepared, talk to friends, colleagues and check sites like Glassdoor to see what a fair salary is for your experience in this type of role
Always negotiate – recruiters are expecting this and often have a buffer they can play with in this situation
When asked what your current salary is, try to deflect, instead ask the recruiter what the salary band is for the role
Do not start negotiating until you have an offer. In the interview, if you are asked your salary expectations, avoid saying an amount, instead say “I’d rather leave it up to you to make an offer that’s fair based on my skills and expertise for the role.”
Once you have an offer, then you are in a position of power. The employer has shown that they want you on the team, so now you can negotiate.
Thank them for the offer, however, state that you were hoping for an amount of X, which better reflects a fair salary based on your experience and the job duties.
Go back and forth, if the salary is non-negotiable, then can you look at benefits such as stocks, pension, car allowance or flexibility instead?
In conclusion, negotiating a better salary can be a daunting task, but with the right mindset and strategies, it is possible to increase your confidence and successfully negotiate a better salary. Remember to do your research, practice your negotiation skills, focus on your strengths, visualize success and prepare for objections.
By following these tips, you can increase your confidence and successfully negotiate a better salary.
