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Salary Negotiation

will work for money Negotiate to ensure that you’re getting fair market value for your skills, experience, and knowledge. Negotiate for the right reasons – because you’re worth more than the offered amount based on industry standards, not because you just want more money. Avoid basing your desired salary on your current salary.

Hold off negotiations until after you’re offered the position. Discussion of salary requirements before the offer can limit your negotiation leverage or screen you out of the job completely. If asked to give salary requirements, state a range using flexible terms such as “low, mid, and upper” instead of stating actual numbers. For example, “mid to upper 30’s” is more flexible than “35-40”.

You must be able to justify your salary expectations. Before negotiating, research your career field and determine salary averages in relation to your skills and level of experience. Contact professionals/companies in your field and ask for salary information, and use these resources:

www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/index.htm
www.jobstar.org/tools/salary/sal-prof.cfm
www.salaryexpert.com
www.salary.com

Practice negotiating! Be prepared to overcome objections, but maintain a professional attitude and avoid being confrontational. Be aware that some companies have formal pay structures and therefore aren’t negotiable. An example of how to start negotiations:

“I’ve done research of industry standards for similar positions in this area of the country, and it seems that salaries range from mid to upper 30’s depending on experience and qualifications. Based on my ______ internship and ______ years of volunteer experience, I was hoping that I would be towards the higher end of that range. Is there any possibility of that?”

Remember to evaluate the entire compensation package, because salary isn’t everything. Consider things like health insurance, retirement package, vacation/sick leave, personal reward, opportunity for advancement, job security, etc.

Salary Sites

Glassdoor.com

Free salary information for jobs and internships by occupation, company, and location.
Glassdoor.com gives you an inside look at company salaries, reviews and interview questions for more than 26,000 companies. If you are a student, send an email from your ‘.edu' account and you will receive a free full access student account. You'll get free access to everything without having to post anything.”

Wage Access

Occupational Employment and Wages in North Carolina (by job title and location)

Data Masters

Salary & Hiring Info from the Wall Street Journal