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The first offer letter from your first job ever is one of the most exciting things to receive in the mail. But three months into your job, when the excitement subsides, you may realize that your salary doesn’t exactly match your expectations.

Remember the following advice to help you land a decent first salary:

1. Negotiate

Many fresh grads are grateful for even being offered a job but don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary. Only do so if you feel you truly deserve a more substantial offer.

2. Remember you’re needed

Learn as much as you can about the company that’s offering you the job. You may realize they need you more than you need them, so don’t settle for less than you’re worth.

3. Reframe the contract

If you feel it’s too early to ask for a higher salary, determine an evaluation period after which you can request a raise from your employer. Set the terms of the evaluation before you sign the contract.

4. Compare

Do some research to learn more about how much a fresh grad with your qualifications earns in your industry and in your city.

5. Give yourself some credit

Going into an interview can be nerve-wracking but don’t let that take away from your confidence. Be reasonable but don’t let the “money” discussion intimidate you.

6. Find loopholes

Read your contract and company policies very carefully. You never know where you can find windows of opportunity that can earn you bonuses or commission.

7. Surprise them

Things on paper are static so be sure to highlight your biggest achievements during the interview; show your employers what you’re really worth and what you’re capable of.

8. Shop around

Notify your potential employer that you need a few days to think about the offer so you can follow up with other companies to which you’ve applied. Then you can make a more informed decision.

9. Learn from experience

Your parents, older siblings or professors have a world of experience and can help you decide whether or not your job offer is fair and they can guide you on how to respond.

10. Set a target

Set a promotion goal map for the next 3 years of your career that marks how much you would like to earn by the end of each year. Keep these numbers realistic and relevant so you can achieve them.

Article Reference: http://careeri.bayt.com/en/articles/career-planning/10-tips-help-you-get-good-first-salary

What’s the first thing we think about when we’re about to start a new job? The coworkers? No. Your boss? Not quite. The money? Absolutely.

So what’s the difference between getting the job you want and making a living, and getting the job you want and taking home a big fat paycheck every week?

Whether you’re a banker or a sales rep, grab a pad and paper and take some notes. These 20 salary negotiation tips may just make the difference between that five and six-figure paycheck.

1. Show your experience and know-how

Put your past experiences on the table and let the employer see exactly why you’re fit for the position. Hands-on experience is a very efficient tool among our 20 salary negotiation tips.

2. Put numbers where your mouth is

Flashing your past job titles isn’t enough; you must also demonstrate exact examples of what you’ve accomplished. Show your employers that you’ve increased department sales by 20% and doubled your productivity in six months.

3. Don’t ask about salary

One of the most basic and overlooked salary negotiation tip is to make sure to let employers make the first offer; it is preferable to push off any actual salary talk until after you’ve secured the position. At that point, it’ll be much easier to negotiate since you’ll know that the company wants you on board.

4. Show excitement about the position

Motivation is the key to good productivity. Be sincere about this emotion and put on your happy face in order to show the employer that the only thing stopping you from taking the job is the compensation.

5. Visualize yourself already having the job

As a personal tip, perceptual visualization is a great way to follow through and get something done. This is the same technique professionals use to sink the 8 ball in the corner pocket. See it happen and it will.

6. Don’t bring your personal life into the negotiation

Salary is only based on the company’s budget and your capability of getting the tasks done. So, bringing up the fact that your dog needs an operation or you want to get yourself the Breitling Cosmonaute watch will not get you far.

7. Do your research about the position

When you walk into the room, you should know — from A to Z — what the position entails, the skills required, the industry average salary, and the market demand. Use all of these hidden assets to your advantage and be prepared for any curve ball the employer might throw at you.

8. Know your worth

Match how much you’re asking to what you’re worth. If need be, tell them what your compensation was/is at your old/current job and how much your skills are worth on the market. Prove to them that you know what price tag fits your skills, and use it as a bargaining tool. Knowing your industry and field is a crucial salary negotiation tip.

9. Know your minimum expected salary

Employers expect to negotiate salaries with new employees, but figure out beforehand how low you will go. And if you see the prospective company is not able to match your minimum salary range, don’t be shy to ask about employee packages or even turn down the offer.

10. Be prepared with alternative solutions to cash

Stock options, signing bonuses, expense accounts, profit sharing, and performance raises are only some of the perks that can make up for actual cash compensation.

11. Don’t be afraid to walk away

Taking your stuff, turning down the offer and leaving might just be the best negotiation tactic. Show them you’re not scared to walk away from the table; this will prove that you’re very capable of going somewhere else and getting what you deserve. Act like you don’t need it, and they might just give it to you. However, be prepared for them to let you walk out the door and never call you again.

12. Sell yourself

The employer shops around for the perfect employee, the same way you do when you’re out buying a car — you look for the best possible option at the lowest cost. Paint him a picture of your skills and all of the reasons why he should hire you.

13. Be comfortable with the employer

Don’t turn the negotiations into a “do or die” situation. Avoid conflict. Be loose and friendly in your exchanges and let things flow. You’ll be surprised at how receptive your employer might be to this approach.

14. Be calm and in control

The last thing your future boss wants to see is you throwing a fit because you didn’t get what you wanted. Prove to him that you’re capable of keeping your emotions in check, even when things don’t go your way.

15. Don’t necessarily turn down the first offer

Who knows? The first offer made might be exactly what you’re looking for. But if it isn’t, remain quiet and indecisive, and the employer might just make a higher offer to break the silence.

16. Be flexible about the hours

Although your potential employer may not be ready to offer you a full-time position, always consider a part-time position, working from home or any other flextime alternative.

17. Forecast other benefits

If you don’t get the salary you were expecting, don’t despair, because the company may just have a salary cap and must, therefore, remain within the budget. Ask about potential advancement within the company and eventual raises.

18. Prove you’re the best man for the job

Ultimately, employers want to see future employees defend their case and follow through with their ideas. Do the same when it comes to getting the position.

19. Have a backup plan

If you see that negotiations are not going your way, whip out additional reference letters, take a salary cut during the early stages, or propose working from home to exempt the employer from having to set up your office and hence extra costs. Whatever you do, improvise and be ready to adapt.

20. Anticipate objections

The same way you prepare for a Q&A session at the end of a presentation, cover all of your angles; be ready and steady for any unusual inquiry from your future employer. Know exactly how to respond if he says, “you’re not qualified enough” or “you’re asking for too much.”
Reference:

http://www.askmen.com/money/career/36c_career.html

http://www.careerberg.com

When the job offer is on the table, the time has come to negotiate a compensation package. The company is emotionally invested in you, believing that you will benefit their team. To vindicate their investment of time and resources in their employee search, securing you as an employee becomes their goal. All this means that the employer is willing to spend more on you than she would have been at the end of the first interview.

The prospect of negotiating the terms of employment surges through some like adrenaline and others like an imminent fainting spell. If you do not tend to get the results you want from negotiations, or the mere prospect of discussing money makes you squirm, consider these guidelines for more effective negotiation.

Know what you are worth.

You can almost guarantee that the person negotiating the terms of employment on behalf of the company knows your value. When you begin negotiations, you should also know how much your work is worth. Using internet resources, do research on the salary and compensation ranges for comparable jobs in the area. Be sure to use sources that account for differences in cost of living between cities. Glean information during interviews and from your network of sources that indicates the relative value of the position in the company. Are you applying to be a CFO or an entry-level accountant?

Set a clear goal.

Studies on negotiation consistently show that people who set clear and aggressive goals achieve more favorable settlements than those who aim low or do not set goals at all. If you want a salary of eighty grand and a total package worth 100 grand, shoot for it by throwing out an anchor worth more than 100 grand. Visit http://www.careerberg.com

Set a walk-away price.

You know your own financial goals, responsibilities and liabilities. If you cannot take anything under seventy grand and still make sense of accepting the position, do not pretend that you can. Your walk-away price depends not only on your financial needs, but also on the attractiveness of your alternatives to accepting the offered position. If you are currently making sixty grand and there are no other offers finding you, settling at sixty-eight grand might not be a bad idea. If, on the other hand, you have been offered a position for seventy-five grand and a generous benefit package, sixty-eight grand seems less reasonable.

Use fairness as your standard.

The idea of fairness strikes a cord in most everybody, even though people have differing perceptions of what that means. Obtaining a compensation package that both you and the employer consider fair is particularly important since you are entering into an ongoing relationship. If you discover four months into the job that you are making twenty percent less than your counterparts, your enthusiasm for your new job can sour. If your employer feels like you bullied him into a costlier package than the company authorized him to offer, he could easily become resentful toward you.

You must be able to make a case for why your self-serving version of fairness is appropriate. Are you worth more than most people because you have more experience or because you have a track record of attracting big clients? Perhaps the rationale for your standard of fairness has little to do with you personally, and everything to do with asking for the median market value of your work. Maybe you are asking for a salary that is commensurate with others performing the same role in the company. Remember: if your negotiating counterpart makes concessions, she needs to be able to justify her concessions to her boss. Reciprocally, it is helpful for you to identify what your employer considers fair.

Identify all your interests.

Both you and your employer probably have concerns or aspirations that are not strictly monetary. You might want CFP training without having to pay for it. The employer can satisfy this interest in more than one way: by building a cushion into the salary that would cover schooling costs or paying for the schooling on your behalf. You might also want one flex day per week or the ability to work from home a few times a month. You may value being able to leave by five o’clock consistently to pick up your children, rapid promotions, a gym membership or full health care.

>Before you walk in to the negotiation, prioritize your various interests and identify places where you are willing to trade one thing of value for something else. Is the salary more important than stock options? Is a gym membership more important than a review and likely promotion in six months?

When you negotiate the terms of the deal, discover what your employer’s various interests and reveal your own insofar as this would benefit you. Maybe the employer cannot go above sixty-five grand and still maintain equity of salary within the company. Find out whether the negotiator has full decision-making capability, or if he is representing someone else who makes the compensation decisions. Your employer may be able to offset a concession on your part by paying for your education, offering stock incentives, or giving you a signing bonus. Be creative.

Compete and Cooperate.

If your counter-part is using hard-ball tactics like being forceful, brisk or patently stubborn, you will do better not to lie on the ground and wait for him to stomp on your back. If you encounter someone who wants to play hard-ball, respond strategically. Do not allow the person to bait you. Remember your goals and why your requests are fair. Withhold information that might weaken your position. On the other hand, if your counterpart makes a concession, it is important that you also appear cooperative. You might need to make a concession as well. Negotiating is not about winning, so much as it is a dance towards a certain goal. Each person makes moves with reference to the moves of the other person. When both people dance together, it becomes less likely that either person will suffer bruised toes or damaged egos.

Whether you’re new to job-hunting or a seasoned pro, whether you love the art of salary negotiation or dread it, the truth is that knowing salary negotiation tactics — and avoiding salary negotiation landmines — are key to obtaining the job offer you seek and deserve.

While much is written about the tactics of salary negotiation, this article focuses on negotiation techniques you want to avoid — salary negotiation mistakes that could result in a much lower job offer — or worse — losing the job offer you worked so hard to obtain. These 10 mistakes can be easily have been avoided by following the advice in this article.

1. Settling/Not Negotiating. Probably the biggest mistake you can make is simply deciding to settle and accept whatever offer you receive. Research shows that younger job-seekers and female job-seekers often make this mistake — either from not completely understanding the negotiation process or from a dislike or discomfort with the idea of negotiating. Settling for a lower salary than you are worth has some major negative financial consequences — you’ll earn less, receive smaller raises (because most raises are based as a percentage of your salary), and have a smaller pension (since pension contributions are usually a percentage of your salary). But settling for an offer that you feel in your heart is too low will not only set you back financially, but also eat at you until you finally begin to seriously dislike your job and/or employer. Of course, in certain professions (like sales), it is expected you’ll negotiate your salary.

2. Revealing How Much You Would Accept. Information is the key to any kind of negotiation and a common mistake job-seekers make is telling the employer what you’ll accept. Sometimes it is hard not to offer this information — especially if the employer asks for a salary history or salary requirement. Some employers will also ask — in a preliminary interview — what salary you’re looking for. In all these situations, you need to carefully decide how you’ll handle the situation. The earlier you give up this kind of information, the less room – if any – you’ll have for negotiating a better offer when the time arrives. Always try to remain as noncommittal as possible when asked about your salary requirements too early in the interview process.

3. Focusing on Need/Greed Rather Than Value. A very common salary negotiation error is focusing on what you feel you need or deserve rather than on your value and the value you being to the prospective employer. Employers don’t care that your salary won’t cover your mortgage or student loan payments or even your living expenses. If you plan to negotiate a job offer, do it based on solid research (see next mistake) and a clear demonstration of your value to the organization. Don’t ever tell the employer that you need a certain salary.

4. Weak Research or Negotiation Preparation. With the number and variety of salary resources available online — from salary.com and salaryexpert.com to professional associations — there is no excuse for you as the job-seeker to not know your market value. Of course, you should also attempt to conduct research on your prospective employer — their historical salary levels, negotiation policies, performance appraisals. Even if you decide you don’t want to negotiate salary, you’ll have a better understanding of the market for your services — and your value in that market.

5. Making a Salary Pitch Too Early. The longer you wait, the more power you have. Yet, there are many job-seekers who jump in too early in the process and ask about salaries and compensation. The ideal time for talking salary is when you are the final candidate standing — and you get the job offer. It’s at that point when you can ask more specifics about salary, bonuses, commissions, health insurance, and other perks. Asking at any point earlier in the process can be perceived as being too focused on money — and can also lead to you having to reveal what you would be willing to accept.

6. Accepting Job Offer Too Quickly. The job-search these days drags on longer and longer, and when you finally obtain that offer after weeks and weeks (and in some cases, months), it’s not unusual to want to accept it right on the spot. But even the best offers should be reviewed when you have clear head – and without the pressure of your future boss or HR director staring at you. Most employers are willing to give you some time to contemplate the job offer — typically several days to a week. It’s when you get the job offer that you have the most power because the employer has chosen you, so use that power to be certain it’s the job and job offer for you — and consider negotiating for a better offer if you feel that it should be better. Just remember that whatever amount of time you ask for is the amount of time you have to make your decision.

7. Declining Job Offer Too Quickly. Many job-seekers reject job offers very quickly when the employer offers a salary much lower than expected, and while in many cases you would be correct in rejecting the offer, it’s still best to ask for time to consider it before rejecting it outright. If the money is simply far below the average, you may have no choice but to reject the offer. However, if the money is good — but just not as good as you would like — take a closer look at the benefits. A big mistake is declining a job offer too quickly without looking at the entire compensation package. For example, some firms that have lower salaries offer larger bonuses or stock options or pay the full expense of health insurance. Remember, too, that you should be able to negotiate one or two elements of the offer to make it even stronger.

8. Asking For Too Many Changes in Counteroffer. If you have a strong interest in the job and the employer is a good fit, but the offer is not what you expected, you can consider making a counteroffer proposal. If you decide to make a counterproposal, remember that you should only pick the one or two most important elements; you can’t negotiate every aspect of the offer. If the salary is too low, focus on that aspect in a counteroffer. If you know the firm will not negotiate on salary, then focus on modifying a few of the other terms of the offer (such as additional vacation time, earlier performance reviews, signing bonus, relocation expenses). Just remember that you cannot attempt to negotiate the entire offer; you need to choose your one or two battles carefully, conduct your research, and write a short counterproposal.

9. Taking Salary Negotiations Personally. Whatever you do in this process, always stay professional in handling the negotiations. If the employer has made you an offer — then you are their choice, the finalist for the position — so even if negotiations go nowhere, or worse, keep in mind that you did receive an offer, even if it is not what you expected or deserved. And if negotiations break down between you and the employer, move on graciously, thanking the employer again for the opportunity — because you never want to burn any bridges.

10. Not Asking for Final Offer in Writing. Once everything is said and done – and you have received a job offer that you find acceptable, the last thing you should do is ask for the final offer in writing. No legitimate employer will have issues with putting the offer in writing, so if yours balks at your request and accuses you of not having any trust and tries to bully you to accept the verbal agreement, take it as a MAJOR red flag that there is something seriously wrong.

Final Thoughts
Following the advice in this article — and using other proven job-hunting and salary negotiation tactics — should result in a new job and job offer that is just what you were seeking.