How To Negotiate The Salary You Want

Article by Miranda Gregory, Managing Partner at GPS Return

How To Negotiate The Salary You Want

Congratulations! You have been offered a new opportunity and now you want to make sure you get the best package you can. Negotiating a salary can be nerve-racking and it may make you uncomfortable but don’t be put off.

For some reason only 60% of men and 40% of women try to negotiate a salary when offered and this might be because they are offered a salary that they are happy with. However, the more likely reason is that they are worried how it will come across if they try and negotiate.

Yet I have never worked with a business who thinks negatively of a person for asking for an increase in the offer and, done right, it can even boost the company’s impression of you. So here’s how to get what you want out of the negotiation:

Tip 1:

Be patient and avoid making the first move – wait for the company to tell you the salary they would like to offer you. Trying to force their hand will only push you into a corner that is difficult to get out of.

Tip 2:

Do your research – build up a realistic understanding of your value based on your experience and past performance combined with what you know about the market and the company. Websites like LinkedIn and Glass Door will help you with this.

Tip 3:

Avoid asking for a specific amount. If you have given a well-researched response as to why they should offer you more, you may well be pleasantly surprised by what they come back with. If the company pushes you for an amount then an increase of 10% from the original offer is normally a good starting point.

Tip 4:

If the company has already offered the best salary they can then don’t be afraid to negotiate other areas such as working one day a week from home, gym membership, phone allowance or different hours to suit you – instead of 9-5, can you work from 8-4 or even 10-6?

Tip 5:

Before you accept or reject an offer, take the time to consider the full package, sleep on it, and look closely at the benefits and remember to get the full details of the final offer in writing. Too many people accept or reject an offer on the base salary alone and fail to understand how much better off they may be once the full package is taken into consideration.

About GPS Return:

GPS Return is a recruitment company based in Yorkshire helping Mums & Dads return to work.  Our aim is to give you all the advice, confidence and encouragement you need to return to work and, to ultimately help you find the right job. Not only do we provide personalised advice, we also run workshops and provide coaching on a range of topics and all designed to help you go back to work.

Miranda can be contacted on the following:

Website: https://www.gpsreturn.com/

Email: miranda@gpsreturn.co.uk

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter: @gpstalentgrp and Instagram: @gpstalentgrp