The Five Question Salary Negotiation | JobSearchTV.com
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter explains how to negotiate your job offer with just five questions.
The Top 10 Salary Negotiation Mistakes
Let’s talk about negotiating salary. You’ve got the offer. Everything seems great but you want to do a bit more negotiating. Here is the 1st thing you do: if you feel comfortable about what is been proposed but you just want to increase a little bit, here’s the idea.
You’ll be asking a few questions but I don’t want you doing it right away. I want you to say, “I’m thinking favorably. Can I come back to you in a day or so to have a couple of questions answered. I just want to make sure I do this 1 time so that you’re not going back and forth. Could you give me a day here to think about it and circle back to you?”
Think of it from the hiring manager’s perspective. He or she thinks right away that you’re going to be coming back about money. As a result, when you come back to them, the 1st question that you ask is NOT about money. It should be about anything BUT money.
Consider asking when you get into the 401(k). When do you become eligible for benefits. Something softball that will cause them to relax a little bit and think for a 2nd, “Ah! This isn’t going to be so tough!” Then, the next question is going to be about reporting relationships. Whom are you going to repto? What are they like? If I’m reporting to you, who do you report to? Who do we service? Things along those lines.
Stupid Salary Negotiation Mistakes: Being Too Grateful
The 3rd question is always a big one. You want to go to your most important question third. I prefer you not deal with money here and keep that for a little bit later in the conversation. Here, you might ask about whatever your critical issue is. Maybe, it’s that you will be taking a trip and it is prescheduled and you want them to know about it in advance. Maybe it is about bonus eligibility… Whatever it is, cover it 3rd.
Then, you circle back and asked him another softball question. Do I work on a Windows device or Mac? Isn’t that a softball question?
Now, for the money question, what you have been building up to this one, see would say something like, “You know, I’ve been really thinking favorably about this opportunity. Could you do a touch better on the offer?” Normally, they will do 1 of 2 things; they will either increase it by a few dollars. The second thing they might say is, “This really is our top number.” You’ll be able to tell if it’s true by the sincerity of their voice whether that is true or not. You’ll be able to use your “acute BS detector” to determine if that is the case. The third response is to say, “I will have to get back to you. Is that a deal breaker for you?”
You can say no or yes; that will be your choice. Ultimately, if this is a dealbreaker for you, he or she is going to work that much harder to get the number or say, “Forget it.” It is all over at that point.
Assuming that it is not a dealbreaker, tell them that at the point. You’re interested in joining, other firms been talking about more money with you, you have another offer at that price point, could they do a touch better?
That’s the theory behind what I call, “The Easiest Way to Negotiate a Higher Salary for Yourself.” That’s 1 of my YouTube videos. Watch it. It is about 10 minutes in length, and I think it is very helpful.
But I wanted to stage salary negotiation for you here. Kudos to my friend Ellis Chase. He did this in a Forbes article very well. If you go to Forbes and search for Ellis Chase, he lays out this formula nicely,
How Can They Catch You Bluffing?
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2500 episodes.
Website: www.TheBigGameHunter.us (schedule a paid coaching session, a free discovery call or ask questions using my Trusted Adviser Services)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter
Courses: www.TheBigGameHunter.us/courses
Main YouTube: www.JobSearchTV.com
No BS Job Search Advice Radio Podcast: anchor.fm/nobsjobsearchadviceradio
Video Podcast of No BS Job Search Advice Radio: Spotify
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffaltmancoach
Medium: jeffaltmancoach.medium.com
Resume & LinkedIn Profile critiques www.TheBigGameHunter.us/critiques
We grant permission for this post and others to be used on your website as long as a backlink is included to www.TheBigGameHunter.us and notice is provided that it is provided by Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter as an author or creator.
