Negotiating your salary

A good rule of thumb is to wait as long as you can before telling the employer what kind of salary you expect to receive. The more you know about the position and the company, the better chance you have of negotiating a good and fair salary.

Before salary negotiations

Many people think that negotiating salary is an unpleasant process. Just like when you worked on your application and attended your job interview, preparation and information are vital before you negotiate your salary. The negotiation procedures depend on your previous job experience. If you are a recent graduate and have never worked full-time before, you will have to make a little extra effort to prove to the employer how much you are worth.

Here are some tips on how to prepare.

• Obtain salary statistics and ask the trade union what a reasonable salary would be for the particular job. Contact any trade union representative mentioned in the job ad and ask about the salary level at the company.
• List your qualifications and go back to the ad so that you can compare them with what the employer was asking for. Include qualifications that they didn’t mention but you think might be attractive to them.
• Put together as many arguments as possible and try to imagine any objections the employer might raise.
• Decide what your initial offer and lower limit will be. Think about whether you are willing to turn the job down if the employer’s offer is below your lower limit.

What is a reasonable salary? There are certain factors to consider that will help you get a sense of the kind of salary you should try to obtain during the negotiation process. Start by reviewing your duties and level of responsibility. For instance, will you be in charge of other employees or performance figures? How much previous experience do you have in the area? What do you have to offer in addition to your education that will benefit the company? The salary you are able to get often depends on the industry or sector involved. Is the job in the private, municipal or government sector? What region is the company located in? Salaries are usually higher in metropolitan areas.

During salary negotiations

Remember that salary negotiations involve compromises on both sides. Negotiations succeed when both parties are happy with the outcome.

In deciding whether to accept the offer, don’t forget to take any benefits into consideration. Benefits involve all compensation that an employee can receive in place of money, and may include pension premiums, skill development programmes, fitness activities and extra annual leave in addition to your salary.

Good luck!