SALARY NEGOTIATION

Salary negotiation” is one of those things that many of us shy away from discussing. Especiallywomen, who have been taught not to ask—we always have been taught to be self-sacrificing, not self-serving.

Some of us do ask, but stop short of asking for what we really want or what we are truly worth. But whatever your reason is, fact of the matter is, by not negotiating, you are simply jeopardizing your chances of getting more than just money; more so you are putting your long-term opportunities and earning potential at stake. Here are some pointers to give you a strong leg up when you feel hesitant to ask for what you deserve:-

1) Do your ‘Negotiation’ Homework: - This is one of the first things that nearly every employer will ask -what salary range you are looking for? Try to make preparations beforehand, because if you are caught off-guard, you risk low-balling yourself or might just say something that will harm you later in negotiations. Do your bit of homework well in advance so that you are ready with an apt answer. There are several sites which offer salary calculator options, and you can easily find out your market worth.

2) Don’t falsify your past salary: - Planning to fake your current package in the hope it will help in getting a higher offer from the potential employer? Shun away from the idea before it backfires. Employers these days, verify employee salary history, either by asking to see a recent pay stub or by checking with the previous employer directly. And even worse, after you have already accepted a job offer, you risk having the offer pulled over the lie, even after you have already accepted it and resigned your previous job.

3) Letting the employer base the offer on your past salary history:- Decline discussing details of your previous pay package. Your salary history is no one's business and employers are perfectly capable of figuring out what your work would be worth to them, without needing to know what you have been paid previously. Try pointing out that you worked for a lower salary previously because you wanted to learn new skills and build on an enriching experience and money was not that important for you at that point of time. Instead, keep the focus on what you want to earn now and why you think you're worth that.

4) Stop thinking that negotiation would make the employer pull the offer entirely: - As long as you are professional and pleasant and not being adversarial in your manner, a reasonable employer would never pull back an offer just because you are trying to negotiate. Employers value proficient candidates and if you are one, then you don’t have to worry about such a situation. If something like that does happen, it is a rare occurrence and the sign of a dysfunctional employer. And thank god that you are typically better off not working with them!

5) Quoting a wide salary range only to get the lowest end of it in the offer:- Ok so most candidates are fooled by employers when they are asked about the salary range they are looking for. Now if you quote a wide range like “Rs. 5,00,000- Rs. 6,00,000/annum”, don’t be surprised if you are offered Rs. 5,00,000 because that is what has been quoted by you to the employer. Instead, choose your range carefully, realizing that the employer may only focus on the lower end of it. The same could happen with candidates who only focus on the high end of a range given by an employer and then are disappointed when they are offered the lower end of it.